Gotta take a step or two back.

Did some talking with Brian at CFK. Started out asking about spray skirts, and he obligingly blew the wind outta my sails. Its not a bad thing, but have to make a couple of changes, and I truly appreciate his opinion and help.

I have to remake the cockpit coaming. Its 2″ short by his reckoning, and to be honest, I had some doubts about it myself. Even though I fit in it, there were a couple of tries, where I scraped skin around the knees. Just a wee too tight. Width-wise, its perfect for my narrow butt, not so much for my chicken legs. Ah well, I’ll hang on to it and use it for Granbehbies yak. She isn’t very big and could grow into it, at least until she grows out of it.

Due to that, I have to move either/both the deckbeam aft of the cockpit, or the masiq. Likely it will be the aft beam as that will be the simplest, as there are only two mortices involved vs two mortices, center deckbeam, and attendent other issues. To make the difference balance, I can shorten the bow cut water and lengthen the stern the same length, and since neither is in place as yet, no problema. (Brian may read this and just shake his head thinking ‘ it doesn’t work like that,,,’ but that is what I have to work with.)

As for the current mortices of that beam, a couple small wedges of its width, some gorilla glue or titebondIII, drift the wedges in opposingly, but don’t force ’em, put a dowel in from top to bottom, trim flush after setup. Ain’t purty but will be under skin and hard to see.

First kayak build and I’m learning in leaps n bounds. I knew things were going too smooth, in addition, I hadn’t shed any blood for it yet. Its always a bad sign when you have done so much and not nicked a knuckle or something to draw at least a little blood. (My old Fiat X-1/9 DEMANDED blood or she wouldn’t run; a truly bloodthirsty Italian b!@ch, and worth every drop for all the fun I had with her.)