Dio vs Yak rnd 3

Is it being lazy, or just wanting to be a little different, or maybe a little of both? I dunno, but no matter, I’m having fun, learning, experimenting, etc.

Here is the coaming yesterday evening.

I ran out of 30min epoxy while ‘fixing’ the rope in a more permanent fashion. The dark line is a single strand of #21 tarred twine I ran as a whip stitch (I think thats the proper term) and once ran, walked around the coaming twice taking up slack. That thing is on TIGHT. The tarred twine is common enough in these parts thanks to trotlines being legal here. (They are not, or weren’t, when I last lived in the socialist state due north.)

Part of my problem, if you want to call it that, is the rope. I wanted sisel or manila, but could only find cotton. That cotton sucks up the epoxy fast, so it ran me out of epoxy faster than I had planned. It may be to my benefit though as the sections I was able to complete are hard as rocks (or as hard as the oak they are attached to.)

A little detail of the back side.

Note the whipping on the rope ends. I bought a roll of electrical tape when I picked up the rope because the store wasn’t whipping/wrapping their stock. I had to cut free a couple of feet of frayed rope to get good stuff, and I did ’em a favor and wrapped the end I cut, on both sides of the cut, so the next guy isn’t in my shoes. Its funny that stuff like that is no longer taught, even at the job stage. I did an actual whip for the installation and used a toothpick to feed epoxy between the two ends. Same toothpick is being used to force the epoxy down into all the little crevices to make complete contact. Thats why I chose 30min epoxy; longer working time as well as higher strength bonds.

I’ll pick up more epoxy today and finish out the job I started. I can tell that this will work though. It will hold the spray skirt I will make/purchase for it, and is wide enough that I can use a sea sock and the skirt if such a need arises (like another race in the rain and rapids? LOL) (I am planning on making the skirt and sock. The coaming is not a standard size so both would need special order, aka; expensive.) The added bug feature of the rope is texture. It will likely hold the skirt better, even under pressure, like getting sideways in rapids. (Happens, and a imploded skirt means you are going to bail water if not wade to shore dragging a really heavy, funny shaped water barrel, and thats on a good day; I don’t even want to mention what makes a bad day there. )

An aside, for the record: I had planned on making this a touring kayak, but since the race, I’m leaning more towards speed than tour, and I’m still at the “design stage” of the build. The Perception Carolina I have works well for weekend trips with its bulkheads and hatches, but plows water like a barge above 4mph. And you REALLY have to hammer down to keep it there. (Hmm? Wonder why I’ve been building upper body strength and endurance?) The yak I’m planning/building will be narrower(21″ beam vs 24″), a touch longer (15’vs14.5′ or there abouts, but not much longer to stay in the same class, under 17′), LIGHTER(30ish lbs vs 63lbs unladen), and have a sharper bow shape to cut into the water with less effort. I’ll stay with an arched deck to shed water, but the freeboard showing will be less than what the Perception has, but not quite the near water line of a fullbore Greenland yak. (Note: from a dead standstill with gusting breezes, the Perception can hit 2mph, sideways! She has a big image exposed to the air. She is beam helmed which can be disturbing in rough water. She’ll stay into or away from the wind IF you pay attention, but slip that attention and you’ll be abeam the wind fast. I found I can raise the rudder and stay weather helmed, but that isn’t always the right choice. But I digress,,, )

Yeah, I want first place next time. 🤑

And I want to learn to do this,,,

FYI, that is Brian Shultz from Cape Falcon Kayaks in one of his Greenland Yaks. Many thanks to him, and a few others to be mentioned later, for information freely given here on the nets.