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.