Newbie Okwata Questions

[rodot]

G'day fellows,
Time to update from my plastic kayak and I've got the building bug. I haven't built a boat before but I do enjoy working with wood. Not too sure about the fibreglassing, but, faint heart never won fair lady.
I've searched the web and decided that the Okwata appears to suit my needs perfectly and placed my order for plans today. Naturally, being a kayak building virgin, I am full of questions and these forums have answered many, but there a still a number of things I need to get my head around and I was hoping you guys might help.
1. Can I build it without a front hatch, or do I need the hole to allow access during construction.
2. To save weight. Can I just glass the outside of the boat and tape the inside of the joins.
3. Can anyone recommend a supplier of fibreglass and epoxy in Australia and what exactly should I be looking for in the way of cloth. Is 4 ounce cloth that much more difficult to use than 6 ounce.
4. Where can I source the copper wire in Oz.
5. Would I be able to get away with 3 panels of good quality marine ply and perhaps a cheaper ply for the formwork and bulkheads.

Being a pensioner I am trying to keep costs to a minimum , but I realise the negatives of false economies. I hope I wont have to pester you guys too much during the construction of this boat but I really would appreciate any help I can get.
There are many beautiful waterways here on the far south coast of New South Wales and I just cant wait to get out there in a new yak.

Thanks in anticipation
Roger.

[tx river rat]

These are my own personal opinions so take with a grain of salt

Hatches are put in after the boat is pretty much finished.

Pesonaly you need to glass the inside for strength,you add a lot of strength with the inside glass for a very small amount of weight.
The suppliers I am lost on.
Look at the build thread for the ugly duckling ,stripping in panels is much cheaper than the marine ply.
Ron

[rodot]

Thanks Ron
I checked out your "ugly duckling" and it looks great. It certainly got me thinking, but, I reckon that for the first build I might just stick with the K.I.S.S. principle and do things one step at a time pretty much by the book.

Roger

[cridgie down under]

Hi I have placed my order for my materials to build an okwata this past friday
i am purchasing from a company called boatcraft pacific in brisbane.
their quality is good and service excellent.
plywood 4 sheets pacific maple $129.92
f/g cloth 6 0unce (200 gsm plain weave $153.12
2 sheets 3mm mdf board for ply
protection $17.16
freight from bris. to sawtell. $43.15
total $343.35
epoxy i get from Fiber glass
industries r180 5 kilos
H180 1 kilo
as i have not ordered this yet i do not know up to date price . cost me last year app $125.00
hope this helps
regards Ray

[jem]

to number 1 and 2, no need for a hatch and yes but you may want to consider a patch of fiberglass cloth at least in the cockpit area.

The rest your fellow Ausies will have to answer. But www.duckworks.com does sell the copper wire.

[olsnappa]

G'day Roger.
Welcome and good luck with the build....
Don't be fazed by the fibre glassing. I'd never worked with it before my first build and apart from learning not to be messy ( a challenge for me at the best of times) didn't have any problems..... I'm sure you'll find it an easier process than you think.
As for suppliers....where are you located roughly....?
I'm in Melbourne and know a few places around this area if that's any use to you...
Edit....... Ooops......just re-read your post and realised I'd missed you mentioned south coast of NSW.
Melbourne's not much good to you then.

[craiggamesh]

I have never used copper wire, i find steel wire to be much cheaper.

[OnkaBob]

Hi Roger,

I can second Cridgie's choice of epoxy. The R180/H180 from FGI is what I used and although it is half the price of West I believe it is good stuff. My Laker was a first build and it is holding up well - I even went surfing in it last week! (Upside down some of the time but it was fun). One thing to note is that you should only use the slow hardener - the standard or fast will give significant blush. Even the slow may give some blush but I think this applies to any epoxy (although I may be wrong).

As for glass and weight reduction I used 2.5 oz glass instead of 4 or 6 and I know Hairymick has used similar weight on at least some of his boats. This not only reduces the weight of glass but also requires less epoxy to wet out/fill so gives a double effect. Bear in mind that I am careful with my boat - if you are likely to smash into rocks or logs a lot then maybe 4 or 6 oz would be better for you. Strangely enough the lighter cloth seems to cost more too. Consider it as an option though as I reckon a lightweight inside and out would give better protection than heavy weight on the outside only. Extra external abrasion resistance can be added in the form of a graphite/epoxy layer later if needed.

As Craig says steel wire is cheaper than copper and I just get light weight tie wire when I use it. I still prefer cable ties though.

Looking forward to seeing your build log.

[hairymick]

G'day Rodot and welcome aboard mate.

More importantly welcome to the world of Okwata! You are going to love this boat. No question about that.

Re supples, I only use West systems and love it. I get my cloth shipped out from Duckworks in the US but I buy a fair bit of it at a time.

Boatcraft pacific can sell you all that you need from ply to resin to cloth. they are competitive in price and the service is good. they have their own epoxy but I have never used it. I have heard good things about it though.

I tie my boats with .9mm galvanised tie wire. All the wires are removed from my boats before finish filleting so there is no need for copper.

Hatches are a matter of personal choice mate. I like them but there is a fair bit more work in making them well and installing them. Well worth that effort in my opinion.

Take your time on your build. Enjoy the process and most importantly, measure twice and cut once

Even more important, please share your build with us here. We will all pitch in with advice and tips as you go

Goodonyamaaaaate!!!

[rodot]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice you have given. You have made everything seem a lot less daunting and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my plans so I can get the ball rolling.
Cheers
Roger