Alexandra - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

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On our first kayak we planed each cedar strip to fit the previous stip. This time I decided to try bead and cove, and purchased the bead and cove router bits from Lee Valley Tools. I’m glad I chose this route because it made it much easier to join the strips. A good friend of mine, Karen, who had purchased one of the original Teeka Kayaks, helped me cut up the strips on a table saw and do the bead and coving through the router jig we created. I highly recommend this stage of building as a two-person job. There will be much less cursing involved. We decided to start on the hull first, adding each strip with the bead facing up, alternating from side to side, changing colours as we went. We used three quarter inch nails instead of a staple gun for appearance. Win a ‘Diablo’ from Azul Kayaks and support the marine environment See the kayak at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Vancouver, February 16-18. FIRST PRIZE in a fundraising raffle for the Georgia Strait Alliance. Tickets go on sale February. $5 each or 3 for $10! Don’t miss out. Call or email GSA now. 250-753-3459 gsa@georgiastrait.org www.georgiastrait.org Once the hull was completely closed in, we flipped it over and started work on the deck. This was a little more complicated since we decided to create curved designs with the strips to add more style to the deck. Karen was very helpful in giving feedback at each stage of the building process and sometimes saved me from making some major errors that would have cost more time. Once the deck was closed in, except for the cockpit area, we pulled the deck and the hull off the mold. We had trouble doing this because some of the glue from the strips stuck to the plywood stations. Next time I will make sure I use low adhesive painter’s tape on the edge of all the stations so that we don’t run into this problem. It was pretty nerve racking, wondering if we would ever get the kayak separated from the mold. Then the fun part started: planning and sanding and applying our first coat of epoxy resin. This stage made it all worthwhile since the wood grain and wood patterns jumped right out at us. The next phase was glassing. We used a slow-cure epoxy so that we had plenty of time to work it into the cloth. We used a six ounce cloth for the inside of the kayak and exterior hull, and a four ounce cloth on the deck. We used four ounce on the deck because it was less conspicuous, and to keep weight to a minimum. After the epoxy resin had about a week to cure we cut the cockpit area out and front and back hatch as well. Russell Noel, who was waiting to purchase this new boat, came by and asked how I thought it would paddle. I told him I didn’t know, that designing a new kayak was like making a fine wine— you don’t know how it’s going to be until you pop the cork. We decided we couldn’t wait to see how it paddled and came up with an idea that would make CBC’s Red Green proud. We duct-taped the hull and the deck together, threw it in the river and paddled it. Russell was very pleased with how the kayak handled. I, on the other hand, felt that it needed a little more keel added at the stern . A week later the boat was back in the river with more keel added and I was finally satisfied with its performance. I felt it was now time to take a mold off my new design. This is the stage I am at as I write this article I hope to have the fiberglass models available for our next season. I can’t begin to describe the feeling of creating a new design and finally paddling it with all your expectations met. I can’t wait to do it all over again. ❏ Mike Walker has been hooked on kayaking since a Grey Whale popped up in front of him and dowsed him with spray on a trip in Clayoquot Sound. Since then he has paddled much of the northwest coast. In 1996 Mike established “A Great Little Kayak Co”. He can be reached at 604-671-3295 or at www.kayakme.com © 18 WaveLength FEBRUARY • MARCH 2001
Building a Plywood Baidarka I have been building kayaks since 1986 and have built many styles. My brother Nick and I started by building strip kayaks out of necessity. At the time, we hadn’t even seen an ocean kayak, nor could we afford to buy one. I’ve now built 25 boats of many designs, each with its own character. In 1997, I started to design stitch and glue plywood boats. Many plywood kayaks have been rather boxy affairs but I tried to create plywood boats with more graceful lines. My first stitch and glue plywood design was called the Merganser, a Greenland-style kayak with a hard chine, moderate rocker and medium volume. I incorporated a graceful curving shear line to give the boat a unique look. After the Merganser, I turned to the clas- 2001 FEBRUARY • MARCH WaveLength Panel cut-out plan GWAII HAANAS National Park Reserve/Haida Heritage Site A serene and wild place where natural processes occur unimpeded, where humans accept that they are a part of this natural order... http://parkscan.harbour.com/gwaii sic lines of the Aleutian Eskimo hunting kayaks which were called “Baidarkas” by the Russian fur traders of the 19th century. The Aleutian Baidarkas had a unique forked bow designed to improve the performance of the boat. The lower jaw of the bow is sharp and thin to provide a ‘cutwater’ which parts the waves. The upper jaw is a full-bodied shape to float the boat over waves. The effect is much like the hollow bows of some modern boats, a shape not easily made from skin on a wood frame. Baidarkas also have unusual shaped sterns which provide good tracking as well as buoyancy to the stern of the boat. My Baidarka followed the classic lines as much as is possible, yielding a striking boat with friendly performance. I did the actual design on a computer so that I could→ Find your place in this world For a free information package and/or to make a reservation: Super, Natural British Columbia 1-800-HELLO BC (in North America) 1-250-387-1642 (outside North America) KAYAK RENTALS BROKEN GROUP ISLANDS AND BARKLEY SOUND UP TO 8 SCHEDULED TRIPS PER WEEK FROM PORT ALBERNI RATES: $35 per day Singles $50 per day Doubles SECHART WHALING STATION LODGE Rooms & Meals from $57.50 per person per day based on 2 night minimum NEW Eric Schade Water Taxi Service from Toquart Bay For pickup ph: 250-720-7358 For More Information Phone: 250-723-8313 Fax: 250-723-8314 M.V. Lady Rose & M.V. Frances Barkley located at Argyle Pier, 5425 Argyle St., Port Alberni, BC CANADA V9Y 1T6 TOLL FREE RESERVATIONS (April-Sept.) 1 800 663 7192 www.ladyrosemarine.com 19
Page 1 and 2: wavelengthmagazine.com
Page 3: Consider us the means to get out, a
Page 6 and 7: Editorial When we started WaveLengt
Page 8 and 9: kayak was made with low initial sta
Page 10 and 11: sions gives you a feeling of what A
Page 12 and 13: The Greenland Paddle Adam Bolonsky
Page 14 and 15: Collapsible Boats Ralph Hoehn Have
Page 16 and 17: were able to do so because they are
Page 20 and 21: calculate performance factors such
Page 22 and 23: laminated lip for looks. The cockpi
Page 24 and 25: Woodworking Safety Safe woodworking
Page 26 and 27: Europeans Embrace Eco-certification
Page 28 and 29: From the Archipelago Sending Out Ne
Page 30 and 31: Sea Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of of
Page 32 and 33: NEW CHART—HAKAI The Canadian Hydr
Page 34 and 35: Clean Environment Funds. Managed by
Page 36 and 37: Books Qayaq: Kayaks of Alaska & Sib
Page 38 and 39: Ph/Fax: 250-539-5553 RENTALS, TOURS
Page 40 and 41: Know Your Neighbours Northwest Bush
Page 42 and 43: Mothership Meanderings The Broughto
Page 44 and 45: ADVENTURE IN COMFORT AND SAFETY EXP

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