Lee wants a new trimaran design...

[Woxbox]

Dave,

That is a freaking amazing finish on that kayak!

So, a few questions:

1. Did you stain that wood? If you did, what kind of stain did you use to ensure the epoxy would stick to it? Or do you epoxy, and then stain over the epoxy? I am going to paint the SPF frame inside my hull with an acrylic paint cause I just don't like the look of the yellowish pine once it is epoxied. My daughter is an Interior Architectural Designer and she says that I need a deep teal green or teal blue color to compliment the cedar red-orange (some artsy fartsy thing about color wheels and such is how she arrived at that answer). According to the internet, you are supposed to use acrylic paint over epoxy. Would you agree or disagree with that?

I used an alcohol based stain on the outside, nothing inside. Cheap paints work; quality boat paints are more durable. For cheaper, Rustoleum is one, Sherwin Williams porch and deck enamel is another. But Pettit Easypoxy is my favorite and tougher than the first two.

2. How did you make the lip on the underside? Just cut out some 1/4" plywood or something with the outside perimeter an inch or so larger than the hole in the kayak, with the inside perimeter an inch or so smaller that the hole in the kayak, and then just glue and glass it in with the magnets?

Right. The lip needs a spacer first to allow for the thickened hatch piece and then the lip. I built it up with thin layers of ply that would take the curve of the hull.

3. It doesn't look like you have any water / weather sealing around the lip. Do you think I will need any seals given that the deck on my boat "should" be so high above the water line? I don't plan to go beyond protected lakes or inter-coastal bays with it.

The underside of the lid has a rubber seal around the edge. A ring inside that holds the second set of magnets. It doesn't leak.

4. What kind of glue did you use to bond the magnets to the wood? Just drill a hole, set the magnet in it, epoxy it, then fiberglass over that?

Yep. All epoxy. BTW make sure the magnet orientation is correct all around!


Thanks for the excellent Idea!! I did not want to ruin the clean look of the deck and was scratching my head about hinges and such that are very low profile, but nothing seemed to fit what I wanted it to look like.

-Lee

Lee, answers in the quote box.
There are web blogs etc on this if you look around. I didn't invent anything here.

[Lee.007]

Thanks Dave!

I need to do some research on those blogs then. I used some foam rubber weather stripping on my other boat / kayak and it does ok I guess, but it's not submersible. I need to figure out what works best. I dont want to be doubting anything on this boat.

[Lee.007]

Well guys, looks like I made my yearly blood sacrifice to Poseidon. I was ripping an angle on some stringers to make the gunwales wider last weekend. The table saw blade caught a knot that I didn't see, kicked back the wood, and my hand fell into the blade. I was lucky. I only lost about 3 mm from the tip of my index finger, but my middle finger had it worse. The blade cut through the finger nail and a little over half way through the bone on my middle finger. Other than throbbing like a toothache, I'm no worse for the wear. Doc says I was lucky and I might get to keep the portion of my finger nail that was not destroyed, but said we will see in a week.

But hey, these things happen. And when I can make my boat look like this, it's worth it:
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[Lee.007]

Here is a pic after I sanded her down and did some fairing today. Tomorrow I plan on fiberglassing and epoxying the fore deck, fantail, and the gunwales. In the pic you can see where I basically veneered the gunwales with thin wide strips of some nice dark cedar. I am excited to see what she looks like with epoxy on her.
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[Lee.007]

So let me ask everybody a question:

Would sailors / boatmen / traditional boat builders call me a nerd if I crafted a cool nautical figurehead and put it the bow? Maybe even add a bowsprit to hang it under? Would I be breaking any social boat norms or rules? Cause I kind of like the idea and I think it may pair well with the traditional look of the cedar.

What say you???