Finishing the planked hull
Now that I have a fully planked hull to look at, I am asking myself, "Is this a kayak or a canoe? Dimensions are 27" by 170". I wanted to make a somewhat wide and stable hull for my wife, but I think it has more freeboard than needed, which gives it a canoe look. Whatever. I have already bought the keel plank for a next build.
I will be turning the hull over for sanding, fill coating, and more sanding to get a smooth exterior. Looking at the hull, it would be very difficult to realize that this is a developable surface hull. Completely designed using the mathematical accuracy of developable projection; no strongback required, in the final step, instead of connecting all offsets on the hull frames with straight lines, they were connected using a smooth curve. By sheathing that curve with narrow planks (1.5" wide), the result is a curvaceous hull.
Next comes the sanding: Random orbital with 80 grit discs. My Porter-Cable sander is falling apart; time to replace it.
My goal is not to sand it completely smooth. I want people to see that it is a wooden planked hull. What you see here are spots where squeezed-out resin was wiped off the hull surface.
When planking the hull, I put a bead of epoxy paste on the edge of each preceding plank before adding the next plank. That requires cleanup of the squeezed-out resin, but better that than a dry joint. When planking was complete, I used a disposable brush and un-thickened resin to fill any remaining small voids. I then used a flowable resin mixture, thickened with WEST 407 fairing filler, and wiped the entire hull using a flexible plastic squeegee.
That was followed by progressive sanding: 60 grit, 80 grit, and 120 grit (by hand). This wasn't as onerous as it seems, using my new DeWalt random orbital sander. Repeated vacuuming and next I will wipe down the hull surface before putting on a coat of primer.
Changed my mind. I was anxious to take on the deck sheathing. First, I cleaned up resin blebs in the interior and put down three coats of Cetol plus a high gloss sealer coat on the interior. Now, I am applying deck planks two at a time, port and starboard working toward the centerline. I will be adding hull access ports fore and aft as the planking proceeds.
Then it will be time for a vacation break.
We are looking at the hull from the stern. The hull is not symmetrical fore and aft; the bow is actually slenderer than the stern. With the plumb ends, the waterline is almost 14 feet long. Next, I will create flush hatch covers for the fore and aft access openings. Then install a raised edge on the cockpit and build a seat for the paddler.
Those lifting handles are just resting in place; I need to do a lot of finishing on them. The deck has only had a rough sanding and will require further fill and smoothing.
Hatch covers and cockpit edging in place. This is a stern view; my camera makes it look like this would be the more pointed bow, but that is just wide-angle distortion. I love the flush hatches; am trying to decide what type of latching system to use without visual impairment.
Now, all I have to do is make a seat for the cockpit. Done! (but not shown)
Next up: Using the same design numbers, I am creating a smaller version of this hull: 10% shorter and 2.5 inches lower. Progress will be slow due to the holidays and a planned trip.
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