Started Stitching the Boat

February 15, 2006 at 3:55 pm · Filed under Tern 14 kayak

I started stitching the panels on the Tern14 the other night. I hadn’t done much work on the boat recently, and it was good to get into the shop and make some progress.

If you click on the photo below you will see my most recent photos with a bit of information which may/may not be helpful to you, if you are also building a kayak from Pygmy.

stitch

  • frenchie

    Looking good sluggo. It is finally taking shape. If this damn weather would warm up I would be right behind you. But alas…

  • sluggo

    Frenchie de la French, there are a few things you can do to start your project. First, assemble your workbench. Secondly, get some plywood and trace out your forms. Make sure you offset the outline by the width of the boat plywood. You can then cut out this shape for your strongback. Think of some method for attaching these strongback forms to the workbench or sawhorses such that their height off of the bench/horse is adjustable. As far as I know, the only way to place the height of the strongback forms is by trial and error. I’m thinking about placing 1x4s vertical from the workbench, and then temporarily clamping the forms to the 1x4s. I can then easily adjust the heighth of each form until everything is in place.
    Another good task is to take one spool of wire and cut it into small pieces (as instructed in the manual).
    You’ll also want to get some supplies for future work. For example, get a good plastic drop sheet that you can put under the kayak when you glass/epoxy the hull. Buy your sand paper and tools. Make a fairing block for sanding. Google for ideas on how make one. The basic idea is to take 1/4″ plywood, cut it into a plank 12 to 18″ long, 3.5″ wide, put handles on one side and attach the paper to the other side.