Laker for a first timer

[Bruce36549]

Right Bemm, I believe that is what happened, and since you mention it I can see how that would cause this.

Hi Bob, The dip is there, not real severe, and not especially noticeable on the pictures. I'm on the road now, about 6 hours from home, but when I get back next month I think I will try cutting the seam and opening it up a bit to see if that helps. You're right about the spacers sticking straight up. Guess I rushed this too much and didn't remember reading that in the instructions. I went through the instructions about a half dozen times and took 5 pages of notes before starting, and should have slowed down to check before each step to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I am very happy with the appearance of that cheap plywood, and so far there are no complaints with how it has handled.

Thanks Ron and Matt. I lined the bottom of the floor up with the bottom edge of the sides. The next one I will do better. I wouldn't think this will be something that will be a big problem. There are a lot of things I read in the instructions that achieved clarity when I actually saw it come together in front of me. Like someone said, it's like magic.

I'm going to have to try to relax on this trip and not keep thinking about what I'm not getting done on the Laker.

Bruce

[tx river rat]

Bruce
Looks like you are doing great to me, after building seven boats I still learn on every build.
I figure when I hit 50 boats I might be as good as some of these guys that post on here.
You are in some good company.
Ron

[Oldsparkey]

Bruce
Looks like you are doing great to me, after building seven boats I still learn on every build.
I figure when I hit 50 boats I might be as good as some of these guys that post on here.
You are in some good company.
Ron

Like Ron said... No matter if it is your 1st boat or the 20th , you learn something new each time you build one. It is part of the learning curve that each boat teaches you mainly because when you are done with one , you look at it and say ... " I should of done this or that " .
So you do it on the next one and when it is done you repeat the ........ I should of done this or that all over again.

The up side is that the more folks that are building boats and sharing there build with all of us. There participation and thinking offers ideas I never thought of and in turn when you or I come up with an idea and it works.

Chuck.

[hairymick]

Bruce,

I thought I had replied to this but I must have been having another "Poppy" moment, sorry.

I get those dips and high spots in nearly all my builds too. This is part of the reason I no longer use the spacers either.

How I check now is after I tack the panels together.

1. After tacking, I let cure and remove the stitche and sand the tacks down to the hull panels.

2. Eyeball along the seam, looking for obvious dips or high points.

3. then, using a yard long straight edge, I lay it along the suspect sections to check my eyeball measurements. This gives me a better perspective on how bad the irregularity really is. Sometimes, it is not as bad in measurement as it looks to the eye.

4. If I consider the fault worthy of fixing, I cut the tacks and either wedge the panels apart a little (for low points) or sand a little off for the high points.

5. Re stitch and fine tune as necessary.

I would recommend you use the straight edge to see how bad your dip really is. If it is tormenting you too much, cut the fillet, I would use a hack saw blade with fine teeth so that it cuts on the up stroke.

Your dip doesn't look too bad to me in the piccie. You will probably only have to wedge the [anels apard by about 1/16" or so.

Before you cut, if you can, call into ANY kayak shop. Have a Look at just about any of the plastic pig brands and run a critical eye along their hull bottoms. You will see that you hull is not as bad as you think.

This was my first attempt at a S&G build and is a REAL dip.



The boat STILL paddled well inspite of the dip. I wouldn't stress over it too much mate.

[Bruce36549]

Thanks for the kind words, Ron and Chuck. I expect my next one will be better, and the one after that better yet.


Now, Mick, that is one dandy dip! Much nicer than mine. I think if I put a straight edge on mine it would probably be less than 2 cm off. Good to know that it didn't impair the boat's performance that much. Thanks for the tips. Where I am at now in the Florida Keys there should be plenty of kayak shops that I can visit to check the plastic yaks for sale.

What a great site this is to be able to get helpful criticism and advice! Thanks, Matt.

Bruce

[Bruce36549]

I haven't forgotten about my Laker. We are enjoying ourselves in southern Florida right now.



Paddling through mangrove "tunnels" on Boot Key in the Florida Keys.



The greyish appearance of the roots is salt that is extruded from the sea water taken in. that's how the Red Mangroves are able to flourish in salt water.



It's a hard job but somebody's got to do it.

Making the best of it till I can get back to making sawdust.

Bruce

[OnkaBob]

Looks very relaxing Bruce, but I can't help wondering - is that 'gator country?

[Bruce36549]

Hi Bob,

No gators down here, or so I was assured by the folks who rented the kayaks. Saw plenty of fish, ospreys, a turkey vulture and many tourists. And iguanas on the golf course. We do see gators on the golf course at home, but no iguanas. We start heading back home (slowly) Monday.

Bruce

[Graham]

Bruce in one of your comments you mentioned that your back was playing up due to working on a concrete floor, looking at most of the posts and from experience myself have found that is probably not the floor it’s the position of your build. If you are constantly bent over its too low set your work bench higher. I used aluminium ladder to set mine up on giving ridged support but light to move around. Just a thought to prevent anti paddling back pains
All the best to one and all
Graham

[Jimmy W]

..., but I can't help wondering - is that 'gator country?

No gators there because the Crocs ate 'em.

In the U.S., the crocodile may be found in the nation's small tropical and subtropical region-- from the southernmost point of Florida in Key West, and as far north as the latitude of Lake Okeechobee.