Stitch and Glue Kayak

Step 2 Connect the Dots and Cut

To reduce the kayak from 16 footer down to a 14 foot boat. I moved to points at the back and front of the boat closer together lengthwise. I left the middle area alone however, because that's where you sit and I didn't want to squeeze myself out of the boat.

To get a better idea of what my new kayak will look like and how it's supposed to fit together I plotted out the points onto a piece of cardboard. I converted each inch to a 1/8 in. and made a scale model. After cutting out the pieces I used hot glue to build it. This gave me the confidence to do it for real.

Once the points are plotted out on the plywood you need to use something flexible to draw between the points. It's a straight edge that you can bend. I believe the process is called fairing with a batten. I used a straight thin piece of sheet metal and for the sharper curves I used a smaller piece of plastic. It's also helps to have two extra sets of hands. In lieu of that, I used a couple bricks to hold the batten in the right spot.

Remember to measure twice and cut once. Cut the wood as accurately as possible and minimize the splintering by using a finer toothed saw blade. Once cut, clamp the opposite sides together and sand them so they are the same shape. It's also a helpful to round off the edges on the ugly, interior sides of the panels so they fit together better.

Comments

[mikesnyd]

Do you have some blue print type image for the basic layout for the panels? So I can make the cardboard one first.

[LongToe]

No, sorry I don't have anything like that. It is similar to the Guillemot design however, they both have 8 panels just slightly different shapes.
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/information/kayak_building/stitch_and_glue_construction/free_stitch_and_glue_kayak_plans

[mikesnyd]

Oh i realized you put a link back in step one that had the off sets and rough panel shapes. I wish i had of checked all your links rather then posting this redundant question. I was able to take the off sets given on the website and draw it in sketch-up. Then i scaled it down to a 15.5 ft size and took myself some new off sets. I was planning on buying a kayak but i think this is gonna save me and look way better. Thanks for your inspiring ible.