Recent content by BlackRock

These guys just paddled the entirety of the Inside Passage: https://www.facebook.com/jlexpeditions/. I met them in Juneau and ended up buying their Sea Clipper. They are great guys, and seem very willing to answer questions. I am sure if you reached out they would share tons of good info.

Over the last couple weeks, I wrapped up varnishing and put the seat together. Our landlord is selling the place, so its been a bit of a mad dash to get the Kite complete. Today was launch day, and it was superb. I paddled a few miles in mixed conditions; it was a delight. I will add more later. :)

Thank you much for the guidance, Jim. I think I will try Helmsman Spar Urethane. Do you generally apply with a bristle or foam brush, or both? It's hard to tell in the photos, but I will have two thwarts, one a couple feet in front of the seat, and one directly behind the seat. Thanks for the...

My apologies for the long delay in updates. I am nearing the finish line on the Kite. I was actually able to launch it on Christmas, with thwarts clamped in place. I didn't have much room to paddle because of the ice, but it was quite pleasant. It also gave me a chance to figure out where to...

Does anyone have advice as best approach to acquiring any of these bucket seats? It is possible to purchase them from the manufacturers without purchasing a whole boat? I'm pondering incorporating one into a build, but haven't been able to find them for sale anywhere.

After finishing "Through Painted Deserts" by Donald Miller for (probably) the 15th time, I stumbled upon a copy of the "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" at the used book store the other day. It was read to me as a child, but I though it might be worth re-reading. I was pleased to find Twain, in his...

I decided on Ash for the gunnels. I don't really have a solid reason, other than cost and, perhaps, curiosity. I picked up a 1"x5"x10' ash board yesterday, and ripped it into two 2.25" boards, which, after cutting off some scars, will give me a 16 footer. Just what I need for the gunnels...

Yes, something very similar, fitting-wise, Jim. I also asked for Cruiser's permission to imitate his method of laminating strips for the deck, though, like his Freedom Solo 16'. There are some great photos of said decks on his build thread...

Cruiser (Et al), I am hoping to do the arrow pattern (for lack of better description on my part), similar to your Freedom Solo 16'. As it stands, I plan to wedge the deck between the inwales, rather than on top. Gunnels will be relatively thin, uncapped, but generously sealed with epoxy. I was...

Any thoughts on white ash vs. cherry for gunnels? I am aiming to keep them fairly low-profile.

Thank you all for the responses. I will take a look at RAKA's specs on the epoxy I am using. If there are no conflicting specs, I plan to do a fill coat next Friday night, and then wet out both layers at once the next day, As requested, here are some current-ish photos. I used a collection of...

Will a gloved hand leave a finger print at the just past tacky stage? I am still working on grasping the timing between the sticky stage where the glass gets bunched beyond return, and the point where it is too late and must be sanded. I've dabbled in both, and don't want to again. :) Also, I...

Moving on. Slow but steady progress over the past week or so. After flipping the canoe and putting together a cradle, I did the fill coats on the section above the knuckle. I followed Dogbrain's lead on this, since it was just too difficult to get at it upside down. The outside is now...

Some fun phone shots of the SOF from this weekend.

I couple years back my buddy and I had a strangely successful pseudo-sailing return trip from a night of camping beyond the bay. The wind scooted us along a perfect direct route back to his house -3 easy miles without a single stroke of our paddles. We were in a tandem sea kayak, however, and...