2012 October » Champion of Breakfasts!

Baidarka Day 10

Oct 112012

A Half Day

Yesterday we coated the bottom of the boat (the hull) in urethane, and let it set overnight. The urethane application process is entirely unpleasant – from the measuring and mixing of two incredibly sticky fluids to the hours of constant brushing and scraping. Of course, it’s better than paddling across Puget Sound in a waterlogged boat.

The glossy result of all that effort was evident this morning…

…with a few things we could have done better. Chiefly, staying even longer than we did, catching the drips as they slowly form (over the course of many minutes, even a half hour). As the urethane cures, it becomes increasingly viscous until it finally hardens – but a viscous liquid is still a liquid, meaning drips and slumps can form – very slowly.

Baidarka Day 9

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Oct 102012

Home Stretch

Things looked a little blurry last night, too.

Last night, after returning from dinner, I finished up the seam stitching on the bow and stern. Spent an hour or two making small “X”s along the edge where wood and two sides of the skin meet. Here’s a fact which I found surprising until I gave it a half second of thought: The polyester “skin” which is tough enough to endure a lifetime of seawater, sandy and rocky shores, the roof of whatever car I use to transport it – it turns out that this material is also tough to sew. Pushing that needle through four layers of weave, all in tension, took some serious effort. Yeah, I know – pretty obvious in hindsight. Luckily I had those leather gloves, so no bloody paws today.

Baidarka Day 8

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Oct 092012

A Well Oiled Face

That face I found in the floorboards? I’m now thinking it’s two faces – both yawning, or possibly in the midst of a conversation. Either way, the oil really brought out the color of the wood and the details – compare to the pre-oiled picture.

On to the day’s activities – they’re just now ending, and it’s pretty close to midnight so this might be brief and / or incomprehensible. (Moreso than usual….) Today everything changes, because the skin finally goes on and there’s no more opportunity to tweak the frame.

Baidarka Day 7

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Oct 092012

Personalization

Here are the gear runners (above) and stringers (below) lashed to the ribs (wide and light) of my rapidly evolving Baidarka. It doesn’t have anything to do with ‘personalization,’ but I really like the picture, so I’m putting it at the top.

And since you’re looking at it…

Baidarka Day 6

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Oct 072012

A Difficult Day

Today was going to be a difficult day, even before it started. Last night a visiting teacher (Colin) pointed out a mis-placed deck beam; fixing this required cutting that beam out, repositioning, resizing, and reattaching it. The beam had to move because it defines the rear of the cockpit; not moving it meant two inches less space to enter and exit my Baidarka… which makes a huge difference. That’s part of the draw for me – I’m building a boat that’s designed specifically to my dimensions and need. A bespoke boat. So I started my day cutting out a piece I attached three days ago.

An hour later, it’s done. Notice the old pins to the left of the beam (two white dots on each gunnel). Also notice the dog, unperturbed by the whole thing.

Baidarka Day 5

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Oct 062012

Trimming, Lashing, and Calculus

My fingers weren’t happy this morning. All that work with the nylon twine cuts through skin right at the soft skin on the sides of the knuckle joints. Today they’re covered with tape – that’s where I pull on the twine to tighten the knots.

At least the twine is covered with beeswax -so it’s not as bad as it could be, and the smell is nice!

My Baidarka went up for ribbing today. Corey handled most of that while we (the four students) worked as a team on the other three boats. Lots and lots of lashings to tie, but there’s a reward at the end. Continue reading »

Baidarka Day 4

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Oct 052012

Ingrained Beauty

Here’s about where I left off yesterday – the deck is fully assembled (beams and gunnels), and the tung oil mixture has soaked in, bringing out the color and beautiful details hidden in the wood.

The joy of seeing these parts (and the class) come together continues, as does the anthropomorphizing – though now it’s not just me (no, I’m not talking about voices in my head). My Baidarka has body parts. But first, I want to show you some of the amazing wood we’re working with.

Baidarka Day 3

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Oct 042012

A Hard Day

I worked well into the evening to get caught up, so this will be a short posting before I sleep. Also contributing to brevity, I’m typing with some aching, stiff paws – I’ll explain in a moment.

Today we continued with the beams, which create the width in a boat. It’s a multi-step process, very time consuming, but when it’s done there’s some visible progress to enjoy.

Baidarka Day 2

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Oct 032012

Materials, Methods, and Tools

I think recreating all the steps necessary to build a Baidarka (my Day 1 post) was the wrong way to go – instead I’m going to pull out bits and pieces from the day, and let the professionals handle the how-to’s.

Today I pondered the materials we used, the methods, and the tools. When I sat down and tried to categorize any one part of the construction into those three categories, it became clear that each influences the others. Continue reading »

Baidarka Day 1

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Oct 022012

The Bow and Stern Structures

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