Wacko Ways to Build a Boat

Had a FANTASTIC day yesterday in Port Townsend, WA with my kayaking friends as I launched my new Pygmy Borealis XL kayak ! When you read the specs on the Borealis you might get the idea that it will look big. It really doesn't. In fact I think that it looks very much like the Coho. It's a bit beamier and taller, and has a Greenland style stern, but the overall impression is of a very modern boat. Beautiful!  The Borealis took three months exactly to build.  The stability is amazing. So much more stable than the my Coho or Coho Hi Volume . Those are terrific boats in their own right, but for a guy as tall and as heavy as I am (6'5", 245lbs.) the Borealis is the way to go. I hope this blog has been helpful to someone out there who is either building or considering building a Pygmy kayak . They are wonderful boats and you won't regret building one. You will end up with a truly proper boat that is one of the best kayaks you can buy. Oh, and I got to try out ...

Ta da!!!! It's finished! Took a short but very successful maiden paddle today! I love the Pygmy Borealis XL kayak! It is SO stable compared to the Coho and Coho Hi Volume boats that I've made before. This is the perfect kayak for someone my size. It will be wonderful! I was out for less than 20 minutes before I had to return for an appointment, but will take it on a proper test paddle this weekend up in Port Townsend. Can't wait!! Aloha!

I used the foam knee brace kit that Pygmy sells. Pretty basic but it works well. You get two pieces of soft white foam and two pieces of triangular rigid foam. The idea is that you use contact cement to glue the two together. See picture below.  Then you glue the entire thing underneath the deck panel where your knees go. The picture below is showing the PORT knee brace (yes, I know it says starboard on the foam but I messed up and corrected it). The idea is that the triangular bit it held next to your knee, but the thinner bit it padding between your knee and the deck panel.  Sit in the boat and put the glued up foam above your knee and under the deck. Position it at an angle pointing outward in-line with your legs.  Mark underneath on the deck panels where you want the foam. The sand the areas you marked. Apply contact cement to both the foam and the deck. Wait until it's dry and then place the foam onto the deck panel. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim it flus...

I've been busy varnishing and finishing the final details of the Pygmy Borealis XL Kayak! It's almost finished. Today I did the shock cord perimeter lines and hand toggles. Here's how it looks: The only steps left are to adjust the seat and install the foam knee braces. I'm taking the maiden voyage this weekend! And... I'm doing it in Port Townsend which is where Pygmy Boats is located! Aloha!

Sanded with 220 grit today... just very lightly. Then added a second coat to the hull. Looks good so far! Will add at least a third coat and perhaps a fourth. Will see how time is going as I now have a deadline to meet... I'm going kayaking with my summer kayak group (even though it's now November) in 12 days and I want to finish the boat by then. I'll have just enough time... fingers crossed. If I put four coats on the hull and then let it harden for 48 hours, hopefully I can then roll it over and do the deck without leaving an impression on the hull from the ropes. Then I hope to put at least 5 coats on the deck, and maybe 6. That would leave 48 hours for it to harden while I install the deck hardware, and then give me another 24 hours before I had to put it on the car rack. Ugh... that's really rushing the varnish but it may work, especially if I keep the garage heated. Aloha!

Started the last major step tonight... varnishing the hull! I started by cleaning the garage and dismantling the table. Once cleaned up I pulled out my rope stands instead. They are lower too so I can more easily see what I'm doing. Varnishing Tips for Wood Kayaks with Fiberglass Coatings: Varnishing has always been a bit of a black art, but there is a simple, straightforward technique that works for many builders. It’s actually very simple and does not involve thinning the varnish. If you’re making fine furniture then you may want to do more steps, but for kayaks that will be used and will need to be re-varnished every 4-5 years anyway, this technique does a surprisingly good job. Do these steps on the hull first (boat upside down) and build up as many coats as you want (usually at least three). Then let it cure for a day or three, and then roll the boat over and repeat all these steps for the deck. Use high quality Z-Spar Flagship varnish from Pettit . Stir ...

Yesterday I drilled all my holes for the soft padeyes and then coated the holes with epoxy. I also cut, sanded and installed the hatch dowels. One trick is to sand a notch into the bottom edge of the dowel so that it acts as a grip to hold onto if the hatches get sucked down. To make the notch I used the round end of my stationary sander. I then epoxied them onto the hatches. Finally I made the decision to NOT paint my coaming as I had planned. Instead I will simply varnish it. So I added a final coat of epoxy on the coaming and will sand it flush in a few days once it's really cured. So... that's about it for the actual building of the Pygmy Borealis XL kayak!! My next steps are varnishing and installing the deck hardware. Then, gulp, I get to take it out and go paddling! Peace!

UPDATE : Yeah, I would now skip this whole thing and go for much simpler crosses. The perimeter line should be standard line, not shock cord. Make a couple big crosses fore and aft of the cockpit, and then one cross-piece of shock cord up front for your paddle, and then use regular line for the perimeter. That's it! So, stop reading now... I've spent a lot of time so far working on the spacing of the holes for the deck perimeter shock cording lines. While I'm not done yet, I think I finally have a plan that I can be 98% sure of. I'll sleep on it and see if I can find a problem with it. It involves running perimeter shock cording around the entire hull using two pieces of cord. I drew the plan onto pictures of the Borealis XL. See the picture below. I used two colors to help me distinguish between the two pieces, but on the actual boat they will both be red shock cord. If I can't find any problems with how the cord will be routed by tomorrow, then this will...

This morning was spent doing several required jobs as part of continuing several steps. It was one of those days where you just need to do a bunch of little things here and there that slowly add up to things getting done. For example I removed the clamps from the hatch lips and sanded them smooth. Then I saturated the inside edges and the lips with epoxy. Finally added some fiberglass tape under the seams where the two hatch lips meet. Later I will trim the fiberglass flush to the edge. When it's fully cured I will sand it smooth. I'll also need to sand just the tops of the hatch lips a bit so that the contact cement for the foam gaskets will stick well. I think added a layer of fiberglass tape to the front and back seams of the cockpit. When that cures I'll sand the coaming again and then start in on the filler steps. Next I added some thickened epoxy to the upper, hull-side of the hip braces and then wetted out some fiberglass tape to both the top and bottom...

Started off today by installing the hatch "lips" on both the bow and stern hatches. First I measured and cut the lips so that they would fit and then I epoxied them in place. Then I worked on the cockpit coaming. The upper strips were epoxied on yesterday and looked great this morning. So my first task was to round-over the inside edge with my router. It went really well. Just go slow and take your time! Here is what it looks like as you go... I followed the router with some 100 grit sandpaper to even it all out and to remove a few burn marks. Then I measured and cut the hip braces. I had already fiberglassed them last week so all I needed to do was cut them to size on the band saw and then fine tune the fit using my stationary sander. I'm installing my hip braces about 3/4" aft of where they say to install them because I'm so freakishly tall. Hopefully I'll fit okay. Remember that I also moved the foot peddles forward about an inch. I tack...

Didn't have time to update yesterday but I was able to get the hatch spacer strips installed on the Pygmy Borealis XL kayak. Did both hatches at the same time. And yes, I still have the boat on its side. It makes it easier to access the hatch openings. Here's the front hatch... The stern hatch... And this is what the spacer strip looks like after the clamps came off... Today I was able to epoxy on the upper coaming strips. It took just about every clamp I own! I really wish I had more of the metal screw-type "C" clamps! They are much more adjustable than the spring clamps. The front of the coaming strips came together pretty well. I'll have to use a bit of filler I'm sure.. and loads of sanding. The bits of broken Popsicle sticks are so that the "C" clamps don't leave an indentation. The back of the upper coaming strips met pretty well too. Again, I'll need to do some filing with the rasp but otherwise it looks good...

Earlier today I tacked down the bulkheads into their correct positions with some thickened epoxy. By this afternoon that small bit of epoxy was cured enough to firmly hold the bulkheads in place while I piped in more thickened epoxy around the edges. I used a trick from pastry chefs and put the thickened epoxy into a zip-lock bag and then cut one of the corners off. It worked pretty well! Got most of the stern bulkhead in and then the bag blew out. The second bag blew out half way through the stern bulkhead. But it's still easier than trying to scrape it in with a Popsicle stick. I then ran over the bead with a tongue depressor to round it over. Cleaned up the bits that squeezed out the sides and it looks pretty good! Yes, I install the bulkheads with the boat on its side. It makes it MUCH easier to get into the hull and reach the seams. Here's the stern bulkhead. Below is the bow bulkhead as seen from the front. Then when cured I do the back sides that a...

The end toggles that I started in the previous post turned out... okay. Not perfect but they'll do. Today I unclamped the laminated block and milled it by drilling a 3/4" forstner bit about a 1/2" down, and then drilling all the way through with a smaller bit. Then ran it through my table saw. After working them on my stationary sander for a while, this is what I ended up with. They have had two soaks in teak oil so far and I'll put a few more coats on over the next few days to build up a nice layer. I didn't want to coat them in epoxy or varnish because wood this thick may still expand even though it's laminated. The oil should be fine for a season or so. I also fine tuned the bulkheads after they had been fiberglassed and started to install them in the hull. I started by getting them lined up inside the hull just where I wanted them, and then running a Sharpie pen around the hull to mark where to sand. Then I removed the bulkheads and sanded the ...