A few pictures of a Guillemot Petrel strip kayak that I have been working on for over a year. Handles very well, I am a novice kayaker. Paulownia, spanish cedar, redwood, cherry , fiberglassed. Thanks for looking, tony
[OP]
Contributor
A few pictures of a Guillemot Petrel strip kayak that I have been working on for over a year. Handles very well, I am a novice kayaker. Paulownia, spanish cedar, redwood, cherry , fiberglassed. Thanks for looking, tony
Contributor
Congratulations Tony! Beautiful boat, you should be very proud.
There is nothing quite like paddling a boat you built yourself. I launched mine over two years ago, and I still can't paddle it without a big goofy grin on my face.
Get used to an extra 15 minutes "ramp time" answering questions like "Where did you get that boat?" Enjoy.
Gary
"It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness. " Thomas Jefferson
Moderator
Well Done Tony! What's the next project?
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks, you are right about the goofy smile. This was a day dream; "what if" kinda thing for a long time. The next one on the board is a CLC MillCreek 16.5 tandem. Will do this as a S&G to try and get it in the water quicker than the Petrel.
In Memoriam
Wonderful boat TOny.
Quinn
Member
Great design and craftsmanship. Congratulations on its completion.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks everyone for the nice response; Guillemot has a lot of great designs
Member
Nice job. What kind of wood did you use. I justed started building a Petrel also.
I am 6'4" 200 lbs I am concerned about fitting. What is your feeling about cockpit size.
[OP]
Contributor
I am 5'8 @190lbs. I have a knee that doesnt bend so well...The cockpit for me is fine, just need to get my gimp leg in first. I have a friend that is an advanced kayaker, teaches kayaking throughout the Chesapeake area. He is 6'2 @ 175 and he had no problem getting in and out. Also rolled it several times and gave a great review. It is made of paulownia, spanish cedar, some redwood and a little cherry. Wont use the cherry anymore, just too hard compared to the softwoods; sanding was tough because the softwoods wore down far quicker than the cherry.
Member
I had the same sanding problem on a kayak two years ago that I had some walnut next to pine.
Did you use bead and cove or edge joints. I am going to use try edge joints on this boat. I have all the wood cut and am starting to set up the strong back. This will be my first complete striper. I have been building hybrid Shearwater,Merganser,Eider double and 2 LT17. Know that every body in the family has a kayak its time to build a fun play boat for surfing in lake Michigan waves. My goal is 34 pounds when finished.
[OP]
Contributor
I did not use bead/cove. too lazy to mill all those strips plus I knew that I wanted to have various sized strips next to each other. Check out Yostwerks.com; may try a SOF soon.
Member
A few years ago I built a sea flee for my kids. They have since out grown it. They had a geat time in it. A skin boat is on the building board in my shop.
I have to work on my rolling skills before I build one. Its hard to find time to practice and I dont have anybody close to home that knows how. I am at about a 40% success rate. For know my biggest concern has been getting the fleet built so every body can go. My younger son will end up in the Petrel and I will use it as a play boat.
Do you have a skeg installed, I am thinking about installing one?
[OP]
Contributor
I have the skeg slot built in to the kayak but have not made the skeg yet. I am working on flotation bags for both ends and then will build the skeg.Flotation bags Based on Yostwerks.com You have built alot of kayaks .The wind around here can get tough pretty quickly so I want to get the skeg made soon
Very nice! And that was your first? Did you staple it? What weight and type of glass did ya use? Do you know your final weight?
Also, the wave strips...did you stack'em and band saw, edge glue and assemble or what? Cool effect.
I love his designs but had a chance to sit in a few down at Chesapeake Light Craft and my big arse just wasn't in his imagination when he drew them up. The High Deck Night Heron was OK in height but just a little too narrow for 6'1" and 250#'s. Have you ever seen Joe's stuff at Redfish. Very similar in some respects.
Really something to be proud of. Hope it paddles nice for ya. Maybe I'll see ya out on the water. I'll be the green guy in the plastic boat...at least for a little while yet.
[OP]
Contributor
This was my first, and it looked extrememly sloppy during the build. I used staples and had a fairly hard time getting the strips to curve in the hull. I wanted to get thru this first boat, so after a while I decided not to be too anal about making it a showroom piece. I had also never had any experience with fiberglassing. During the build I thought the end result was not going to be pretty. Nick says several times in his books to just get thru the build and get it on the water. I took that to heart. But all said and doen, it looks good from 5' away. Any closer and you can see areas that could have been done better. None of which affect its performance. I stacked the strips and bandsawed them. Have not seen this effect on any other kayaks. Its weight is 42lbs. which is heavy for a paulownia boat. but I did not trust just the 6oz glass (inexperience)and tripled it on the bottom and under the coaming, and also used too thick epoxy coats. My next I will be much more frugal. I am building a MillCreek 16.5 Do you ever paddle in Delaware?
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