New Kayak Building Plans: Freedom

[JEM]

Greetings Builders!

We're please to announce our latest set of kayak plans: the Freedom
http://jemwatercraft.com/proddetail.php ... reedom15-4

 

[oldsparkey]

Guy's .. All I can tell you is that it is a head turner and one sweet paddling boat weather you want it for a day paddle of several days out paddling an camping.

Mine is going to be from our Florida waters , lakes , rivers and creeks to Canada this year.... Get ready to see it in a lot of trip reports , Yep .. I like it that much.

Chuck.

 

[nobucks]

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Very nice looking kayak. Is it an optical illusion, or does the final design have more of a plum stern than the prototype? We're planning on lengthening our 14 foot to 16, and incorporating a plum stern too. Have you noticed a difference in speed, or is the difference too subtle?

Nice work!

I still plan to build one of your canoes one of these days.

 

[JEM]

Prototype might differ from the line drawing slightly depending on how aggressive Chuck got with sanding.

There were some very minor tweaks between the prototype and released. But not enough to notice...at least I don't think so.

I like a plum stern for better control.

 

[Kayak Jack]

... I like a plum stern for better control.

We're still talking boats - right?

 

[hairymick]

What do you guys mean when you refer to a plum stern please?

 

[dangermouse01]

What do you guys mean when you refer to a plum stern please?

Hey Mick;
I believe the word "plum" would relate to "vertical". The more plum (plumb, as in plumb bob) the stern, the more vertical it is.

Prototype might differ from the line drawing slightly depending on how aggressive Chuck got with sanding.

You mean when Chuck was aggressively sanding with a hand saw right :wink: :wink:

DM

 

[JEM]

DM said it just as I see it. It's a more vertical bow/stern.

I also take it to mean less radious on the bottom part of the bow/stern. More of almost a straight angle.

 

[oldsparkey]

Here is a better picture of the stern , it was made according to the plans I had at that time.

The bow..........

Chuck

 

[nobucks]

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Nice work Chuck! What kind of plywood did you use?

 

[oldsparkey]

Matt will kill me when I tell you ........ Count to 10 really slow Matt. :lol:

I used that very expensive Luann plywood that is 1/8th of an inch thick and sells for about $9.95 for a 4x8 sheet of it. Some folks refer to it as door skin.

You need to remember that I used 7.50 oz glass on the hull and 6oz glass on the deck. The way I looked at it is that the wood was the mold or filler for the boat and what gives it , it's looks. The glass is the strength of the boat , plus the wood was epoxy saturated a couple of times before the glass was put on it.
Epoxy saturation of the wood increases the strength of the wood up to four times it's original strength depending on how much it is saturated with the epoxy. (take a piece of plain wood and break it , then take some of the same wood and epoxy saturate it , now try to break it.)

Chuck
PS. The boat came out at 40 pounds , could of been lighter with thinner or lighter weight glass.

 

[JEM]

As much as it disappoints Chuck, it dosn't fume me too much to hear about the wood he uses.

:lol:

I just want everyone to realize that he uses heavier/stronger fiberglass with the thinner wood. Plus Chuck knows the limits of his boats and does not push them....much.

Also, he has a source for decent quality luan where others may not be so lucky to have that quality near by. Can canoes and kayaks be built from cheaper plywood? Absolutely. But to get comparable quality as an Okoume plywood hull, a builder has to take extra steps and have additional knowledge and skills to get there.

For me, it's a balancing act on what to recommend. I don't want to say "Yea sure...use cheap plywood and poly resin" and then have the builder take short cuts, build a crappy boat, and get hurt or worse.

I also don't want to say "You must spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars to get a good boat". That's not in everyone budget.

 

[oldsparkey]

Matt.....

Ya little guy with the rifle is shooting to low , he is hitting the trained gator and they are protected by Florida Law. This is definitely NOT a case of ...."Shoot low Sheriff , they are riding pones" Just a prime example of animal abuse. :lol: :lol: :lol:

What Matt is telling you is the truth.
Before you attempt to make a boat from it's recommended procedures , build a few 1st. Get to know the wood and construction principals and how you treat your boats.
Mine do not get abused , if anything I am to careful with them and baby them way to much. After a trip the one I used is cleaned , checked over , re varnished ( mostly inside where I sat , from my paddling shoes scratching the surface of the hull) ) and stored inside ( out of the weather) till the next trip.

I also shop at a custom lumber business where I get my wood and it is top quality panels for the type of wood , no voids , fillers or bad spots in it.

As Matt said ...... I do push the limit sometimes but that is with the boat designer and not the boat. Boats don't get red in the face and point guns at your pet paddling gator. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[hairymick]

Thanks guys, Geez Chuck that is a beautiful job Those last two piccies have just about convinced me that I need another yak

Matt, mate where did you get the sniper smiley?

 

[Kayak Jack]

The other side of the coin is, I'm not a skillful craftsman, and I use my boats roughly. I demand the Okoume plywood for high quality. Hull integrity means a lot to me. I haven't had as much practice swimming as Chuck has.

 

[JEM]

Thanks guys, Geez Chuck that is a beautiful job Those last two piccies have just about convinced me that I need another yak

Matt, mate where did you get the sniper smiley?

There's another bunch of characters I yammer with over at http://boatbuildingonline.com . They have some "interesting" emoticons in there fourm. I just linked to it from their site.

They talk a lot about boat building (all sizes) repair, etc. Some good jokes that are little more for the grown ups. :wink: But they keep it mostly clean.

 

[hairymick]

Thanks mate.