There are so many boats designs out which just wait to be built!
Besides paddling with 'Sioux River' and sailing my Drascombe Lugger EMMA the search , and design studies for the next boatbuilding project started again.
The great question: Which is the right type of boat and the according right design for the second boatbuilding project. The limitations of my downstairs boatworks are already known and have ultimately to be taken into account.
During my vacation at the Algarve, Portugal I came across the popular plastic Sit-on-Top-Kayaks. Despite their reduced lenght together with the lower length/breadth ratio compared with conventional kayaks these boats still have an attractive hull shape (as attractive a plastic boat can be). In addition the multichine design points to stitch & glue construction.
Further advantage: such a boat would fit in my downstairs boatworks !
First of all I had to raise fonds: One hobby for the other! I dissolved my collection of model railway N-gauge. In the course of the years I had amassed 52 engines, some 110 coaches and waggons and the adhering small parts and accessories.
A number of months followed in which the spare time was mostly filled with 'E-Baying'.
At the end this sometimes nerving fond raising was successful:
Good resources for improved and additional tools as well as for material were at hand.
It goes without saying that I continued to do design studies with my proven CARENE software and with FREESHIPS. This also helped to recreate from E-bay and to keep and feed my motivation . For the support of design ideas I also searched the internet for design examples and impulses on the homepages of small boat designers, kit suppliers, boatbuilder forum etc.
Kayaks from 11 - 15 length emerged from this investigation.
Decision: WOOD DUCK 12
At the end I purchased the plans for WOOD DUCK 12 from CLC-boats via their French representative Arwen Marine.
The shape of this kayak attracts me very much. Regarding its size this kayak is very suitable to my limited downstairs boatworks as well.
The sailing season with my Drascombe Lugger EMMA finished at about mid of October 2008.
From this date on the prelude for the building of WOOD DUCK 12 took place:
- Studying the plans
- purchase of material
- preparation of the boatworks
Cleaning up the downstairs boatworks proofed to be a dead boring and odd job. Where to leave all those bits and pieces which had gathered everywhere in this room ?
Therefore nobody will be very surprised that I could not await until the 100% cleaning up.
Downstairs Boatworks cleaned and cleared just as good as necessary.
Wood Duck plans are rolled out, ready for to "take off" the Wood Duck pattern.Scarfing and glueing of the plywood plates followed
I prepared a copy of each single part from the original plans on special plotter paper, which does marginally( allmost not) shrink and warp. With these single patterns I could arrange the parts somewhat less material consuming as it is proposed on the CLC plans.
As to be seen from the foto right my famous known telescopic building jig (see building of Sioux River Canoe below) came to honourable use again.
A toothed wheel from mother's little sewingbox proofed to be a fine tool for copying the patterns on the plywood.
By the way: the first substantial cut was done on 29th Dec. 2008. Seems as this date might become my traditional starting date for the built of new boats ?
You know that any important person shall have said once upon a time : "...doing anything a second time means to become used to. When you do it for the third time it became tradition..."
The work in downstairsboatworks commences almost only on single weekend days and at some occasion also for 1 - 2 hours in the evening during normal working weeks. Therefore it took some time until all parts were marked on the plysheets, cut out and finished for further manufacture.
At the end of January 2009 all parts were cut, the holes for the stitching wire were drilled and the bevels at the joints of the hull panels cut.
bottom panels , bow sectionFirst stichting trial with the bottom panels ; the hullforms 2, 4, 8 and 10 are in place:
The right upper edge of form 2 points to my provisions of stitching wire on the desk behind:
a drum with more than 40m of blank electric copper wire 0,7 mm thickness.
I found out that this wire worked very well , strong and somewhat elastic if been doubled for each stitch.
At this stage I discovered that the scarf of the portside bottom blade was hollow for nearly half of its breadth !
There was obviously not enough pressure generated when glueing the scarf. I learned that it is not to be recommended to stack three scarfs over each other. Also there might have been not enough weight on them.
I cut off the 'airbubble' , filled the cut-out in the gap and glued additional layers of veneer on top.
this time heavy pressure ! the result is quite satisfying
looks a bit like patchwork.
Luck within the mishap: the repair is on the inside of the hull. It looks fine from outside and does not effect the bending and flexibility of the plywood very much.
a drum with more than 40m of blank electric copper wire 0,7 mm thickness.
I found out that this wire worked very well , strong and somewhat elastic if been doubled for each stitch.
At this stage I discovered that the scarf of the portside bottom blade was hollow for nearly half of its breadth !
There was obviously not enough pressure generated when glueing the scarf. I learned that it is not to be recommended to stack three scarfs over each other. Also there might have been not enough weight on them.I cut off the 'airbubble' , filled the cut-out in the gap and glued additional layers of veneer on top.
this time heavy pressure ! the result is quite satisfying
looks a bit like patchwork.Luck within the mishap: the repair is on the inside of the hull. It looks fine from outside and does not effect the bending and flexibility of the plywood very much.
The shape of the bow and the stern are one of the characteristic features fo the Wood Duck design. Without these the appearance the kayak would loose considerably. This good look causes some challenge to the plywood of the bottom panels. It has to be bent rather hard on a short length. CLC's building manual advices to wett the area at the bow and to do the bending step by step. In addition I knew examples from the master of home boatbuilders which I know (strathkancris) and even from a professional where the plywood had resisted this torment. The keyword is " Big Bang". My approach: wetted old towels moisten the ply as much as possible. Then take the heat gun and 'steam' the wood.
The bow section went rather easy into shape.
Here the run of the planks is somewhat longer -as naval architects say- than at the stern.
At the stern the panels need more effort to get persuaded. A wire across the hull which was tightened step by step supported the steaming. 
It was kept inside the hull even during the stichting of the side panels.
The correct shape of the stern transom could be found after a little extensive investigation according to the commonly known "trial and error" method. This search contained also some correspondance with Emmanuel Conrath of Arwen Marine (he delivered the plan) and also with strathkanchris. Emmanuel even took the shape from the stern transom cut as originally delivered in a WoodDuck12 kit. Many thanks to both of the advisers / consultants! Your advices each were very helpfull and are highly apprecated!
At the end I had prepared 5 different transom pieces. The on which fitted best come rather near to the wrong shape given on the plan. :-?
By the way: In order to gain an improved landing of the side panels on the transom and a more rigid transom I used 8mm ply for the final transom piece.Nevertheless a lot of water soaked old towels , wire, heat and clamps were necessary to avoid the 'Big Bang' of the bottom panels during the stiching of the stern transom.
