Build a Greenland Kayak Part 3

Step 17: Carve the masik-knee brace

The arched deck beam just forward of the cockpit is called the masik. It supports the front of the cockpit coaming and it also functions as your knee brace. If you like to have good control of your kayak, you want the masik arch as low as possible while still allowing you to get into your kayak. A low masik keeps your thighs tightly clamped in place. However, if you're a more casual paddler and like more wiggle room, a taller masik might be for you.

Whatever your preference, distance from the floor of your kayak to the tops of the gunwales will be about 5-1/2 inches. To figure out how much more clearance you need, sit on the floor again with your legs outstretched and put a board across your thighs just behind your kneecaps. This is where the masik is going to be. Measure the distance between the floor and the bottom of the board. This is the elevation of your thighs. For me, this measurement is 7 inches. I would like another inch of clearance for my thighs, possibly a little more. So I need the masik elevation to be 8 to 8-1/2 inches above the floor or 2-1/2 to 3 inches above the tops of the gunwales.

So I need to carve a curved deck beam which is 2-1/2 inches elevated in the middle.

After carving it, I need to cut the ends to the proper angle and nail it into place.