What is Next?

 I sold two rowboats boats this week, helping to clear out the shop.  I have one more that I want to sell. (Now sold to a gentleman in California; he drove here to get it.)  If you have been following my blog, you can see that as I build a design, I am always asking "What could I do better?"  Then the next build incorporates those changes.  The boats I am letting go are perfectly adequate but have been replaced with slight improvements, sometimes with only aesthetic differences.  And I am at a point where few new improvements come to mind on my rowboats.  A sailboat would be a different project, but the Colorado mountains might not be a good place for consistent winds and sailing.  

I have been looking for the proper trailer for transport.  I finally located one, but it needs work (23 years old) and modification; it had been set up for hauling bicycles.  I bought it; used boat-type trailers are hard to find in Colorado, especially light duty.  I have replaced the tires, inner tubes, bearings, and axles.  I exchanged its setup for bicycles with a 5 1/2' by 5 1/2' deck for small boats.  Next project:  I have discovered that not all the trailer lights work.  The wiring is old (obviously) and not well protected.

I need to get out on a lake with my newest boats; that use may suggest further improvements.  The boating season at the altitudes where we live, 7000+ feet, is only about six months long, making for a limited opportunity on our lakes. 

The blue/gray kayak was my first recent design attempt.  The natural finish on the second kayak is a design for my wife.  I already have ideas for an improved design to slightly reduce width and weight.

 

This trailer came with a short tongue and a long tongue.  I attach the short tongue for use while in the shop.  The trailer (a commercial build from California) has coil spring suspension and motorcycle-type tires.  New tires are not easily found, but I was able to get some off Ebay.com.

I had a contractor come by to look at some home repairs.  When he spotted my boats, that is what he wanted to talk about.  He told me to call him when I get ready to sell the next one.  My most recent sale was for $400.  The gentleman from California told me I am underpricing my boats.  1) Colorado is a boating desert.  There are few buyers here.  2)  Mostly, I care for an appreciative home for these boats.  Each one is a unique design and product.

UPDATE: With everything completed, we got out on a local reservoir today, and I learned some lessons about kayaks compared to guide boats.  My guide boats have a steeper deadrise but are more stable, not just due to the slightly wider waterline beam but also due to having two oars in the water instead of one paddle blade.  Two oars also make for quicker turns, but the kayaks had good directional tracking when paddling.

While we were out on the lake, at 9,000' altitude, the wind increased in gusts, and I gained appreciation for the influence of increased freeboard.  As the wind became stronger, it shifted, and we realized that we would be paddling to windward to get back to the launch area.  Those of you familiar with kayak design can laugh and shake your head at this amateur (me) making mistakes instead of using a proven design.  For me, it is just another project which I can fix.    

How to fix the kayak with too much freeboard?  Why you simply take a circular saw and cut around the topsides about three inches lower than the original height.  Then you replace the deck beams and start planking the new deck.

  I am putting a new lower deck on a previous kayak hull.  I like the results using solid lumber rather than plywood; it allows more creativity.  However, it does take more work, not so much in bonding the planks in place, but in individually fitting the planks.  Beyond knots, cracks, or any other defect, almost no plank is ever straight.  Thus, each plank must be fit into place.  Edge-setting 2" wide planks is not reliable, and I do not want to perpetuate existing variations.  I start by marking any convexity/ concavity in the plank shape.  Adjacent planks must have the same shape with imperceptible curves.  I have straight edges (2', 4', 6') for checking and multiple planes for adjustments.  The deck will be 15 planks wide with the last plank centered on the midline.  All planks are bonded edgewise with epoxy as well as being bonded to the deck beams and sheer. 

The new cockpit will be tapered forward, similar to the shape for my wife's kayak.

All bonding completed.  All that is left to be done are sanding, varnish, and paint.  The curve used for the forward part of the cockpit is from the same curve form used for the deck beams.