Site updates…
Posted by ctravers in technology on March 9th, 2010
Just a note that I’m making a few changes to the site. As a result various pages will be moving around and may not be where they previously were. Things should make more sense once I finish this build log plugin I’m writing. Stay tuned…
The final strips…
Posted by ctravers in Whiptail, kayak building on March 6th, 2010
With the exception of a couple places I need to touch up, I’m down to the last two strips on the hull. It’s a great feeling getting these two done, but they also tend to be the biggest pain. The two slot are not a full strip wide and need to be shaped to fit snugly. It a bit of a pain. Once these are done I’ll attach the outer stems, shape them, and remove all the staples. Then it’s on to the sanding. I didn’t do a great job getting the strip width consistent so I expect the sanding will take a little longer.
Madeleines…
I saw these a while back on Chez Pim, made them right away, then forgot to write about them for several months. Anyway, these are probably one of the best weekend breakfast foods out there. They are great for afternoon snacks too. Ok, I ate them pretty much constantly until they were gone. Yes, they are that good. Highly recommended.
I couldn’t find any bergamots so I had to substitute standard oranges, but they still tasted great! Also, Pim is absolutely correct, they are best eaten fresh out of the oven when the bottom is just a little crispy. Quality degrades with time so eat fast.
Whiptail progress…
Posted by ctravers in Whiptail, kayak building, paddling on March 5th, 2010
After a several month hiatus I’ve finally got going on the whiptail again. I’ve got to say, while I’m enjoying this build, it’s not as much fun as the Redfish was. I think part of this is the running bevel technique I’ve been using. While it works well, it does take more skill than using a bead and cove. The bead and cove takes more up front work, but I found it a lot easier, especially on tight curves, etc… I think the other thing making this hull less enjoyable is that I’m really looking forward to trying some new techniques for the hatches, coaming, and deck hardware. This has made stripping the hull more of a necessary step that I just want to get past. In any case, we’re moving forward again and will hopefully keep a meaningful schedule this time.
Side Sculling…
While reading this post over at Fat Paddler, I was inspired to watch some of the videos I made while learning to roll and scull. I came across this older one of me side sculling that I don’t think I’ve posted before.
Short Update…
It’s been a while since I posted. Not that I’ve got a lot of readers out there, but hey, this was never about the readers anyway. So, here is a short update, to get things rolling again, hopefully with a little more regularity then before.
A while back I was heading home from work and decided to stop for some “retail therapy”. I tend to do this after a particularly crappy day as it helps take my mind off things. Maybe it’s my wife’s influence, but whatever it is, it works. Anyway, I’d been thinking about getting a new PFD for a while now, and this seemed like as good an excuse as any. I ended up getting the Astral Green Jacket. I had tried one on a while back and haven’t come across anything that fit as well since. There is a lot to like about the Green Jacket. It has a very low profile, so I barely even notice that I have it on when paddling. It also has a huge front pocket that holds everything I need. It has a integral harness with a quick release tow belt, and integrated safety loop in case someone needs to pull me out of some white water. Meh, I know, not likely but it makes for a good conversation starter.
The second part of my retail therapy happened later that night when I ordered a new knife for my PFD. I had been using a Gerber River shorty, but have noticed that the notches on the hard case that hold it in place have been worn out. Mostly this is caused by my own need to fidget with the knife on a regular basis, but the damage is done. After a little research I settled on a Spyderco Caspian2 Salt. There is a lot to like about this knife, but the three critical features for me are the fit, which is darn near perfect for my hand. The H1 metal which apparently won’t rust, and finally, the clip/lock that holds the knife in place. I’m a little skeptical about the no rust claim, but really that’s secondary as I don’t spend a lot of time in salt water. The clip on the other hand is really nice. I can release it while grabbing the knife with one hand, and it’s not a friction lock so it won’t wear out like the River Shorty case did.
In other news the whiptail remains largely unchanged since my last post. I’m down to the football section but haven’t really progressed past that. I hope to pick things up shortly have have the hull done soon. I was hoping to start on the deck in January, but I’m not sure that will happen. That being said, one of the reason this is going slow is that I’m determined to have fun while building. If I’m not enjoying what I’m doing, I stop, clean up, and walk away. The whole point of this is to enjoy the experience, so I’d rather go slow and enjoy it, then rush to get it done and be annoyed the whole time. Of course it would be nice to measure progress in something other then geological time scales. Maybe in the new year.
Along with the whiptail, my other kayaking related activity this winter will be starting to plan a trip up to Georgian Bay next summer. I’m looking at a couple of options but the front running are planned trips with either Black Feather or White Squall. I’ve heard good things about both but I know a little less about White Squall right now. If anyone has some input let me know… I’ll post more thoughts on the trip over the coming weeks…
Whiptail Update…
Progress on the Whiptail is slow but steady. The hull is slowly getting stripped, and is starting to look a little more like an actual kayak now. The bow is pretty straight-forward, but the stern has some pretty tight curves in it. I’ve had to break out a heat gun on more than one occasion. I’ve ordered the glass, epoxy and other supplies from Noah’s in Toronto so I’ll be ready to start glassing once the hull it ready. I’m moving to the 4oz glass instead of 6oz to help cut down on weight. This will also be my first time working with carbon twill, which was on sale. I’m going to be using Dan Caouette’s methods form the Njord he built for the coaming, hatches, and various deck fittings. I really like the fact that multiple cords can be passed under each fitting, something I always thought was lacking in other methods I’ve seen.
Paddling the Parliament
A while back I had the chance to paddle form the end of Blair Road to the Parliament Buildings with Tom and Alfred from TK2O. This was a fun paddle that last about 4 hours. A little over two upstream to Parliament, and a little less than two back. There was a fair bit of boat traffic but nothing unusual. It was a very different view seeing Parliament from the water, and the surounding parks are quite nice.
Here is a shot of Alfred and Tom by Rideau Falls…
Here is a shot of Tom making a hasty launch at out stopping point by the Ottawa Locks. He decided to park his boat on an old dock, but needed to move out quickly when a tour boat pulled up to dock right in front of him. I’m sure the tourists were wondering what the heck this crazy kayaker was doing…
All said, it was an excellent morning and lots of fun. You can check out a few other pictures in the gallery…
Boat Swap!
It might seem odd, but it’s been over 2 years that my wife has been paddling a Impex Cat 4. In all that time I’ve never had it out for more than a few minutes. This past weekend that changed when Nat decided to try my boat for a mid-morning paddle. Having paddled a single boat for more than 2 years, I’ve become rather accustomed to it. In particular I find my seat, a minicell foam seat from Redfish Kayaks, the most comfortable seat in the world. After about 5 minutes in the Cat 4 my butt started to hurt, then my back, etc… After some changes to the back-band, and adjusting my position I found something comfortable, but if I was going to spend any real time in it I would need to make some modifications. I’d probably get ride of the back-band and replace it with a solid foam block.
On the plus side I found the boat handled nicely, and was very easy to hold an edge. I also found it very easy to roll, and balance brace in. Overall, with the exception of the molded seat, I found it to be a very enjoyable boat to paddle.
Paddling with the parents…
My parents were recently up for a visit from Nova Scotia and my Mother really wanted to try kayaking. She had mentioned she’d like to try it in the past, but the timing never worked out. In any case, I got both her and my Father out for a nice little paddle in Shirley’s Bay and both enjoyed it immensely. Here is a picture of Mom executing a perfect stern rudder…
And here is a picture of Dad as we paddled though a nearby marina…
You can check out the rest of the photos here.
-
Random Image
