1 WOODEN STRIP KAYAK WITH WOODEN STRIP COCKPIT

Due to the slow curing time of the glassed epoxy on the hull of the Cedar strip Evolution, production ground douwn to a halt.While waiting for the epoy to cure, I started on a new project.
This is a 5.5 m long touring kayak that Bruce Challenor ( Stealth Performance Products ) designed for himself and is keen to see it made from strips.

This time it will be a "sit-on-top" kayak as per the picture. The cockpit area will be roughly shaped in strips of wood and the final shape will be milled out using a CNC milling machine.
During my extensive travels on the Web I never came across a fully enclosed, stripped, sit-on-top kayak. Will this be a first?

Did I mention before that Bruce is full of innovative ideas?

I am not keen on using staples or nails to hold the strips in place after gluing because the tiny holes are always visible afterwards - or even worse, using permanent copper or brass nails as is done in some factories. So, I am sticking to the method of gluing individual strips - one after the other.

When stripping the Evolution, the most time was spent in aligning the clamps so that the strips are angled correctly when the epoxy cured. Some of the strips also gradually slipped out of alignment when the epoxy was curing.

When the stripping of the deck of the Swift was done, I used the following clamping system which saved a tremendous amount of time. Due to the cost of the C-clamps, I made my own.

Usung wooden wedges, the angle of clamping force can easily be adjusted.

Having done the glassing of the Evo - and the shining surface emerged - I realised how important it is to lay the strips fair, flush and with great care to avoid even the slightest "hollows & bumps" on the surface later on. My sanding of the Evo was also a bit heavy-handed in some areas - resulting in slight hollows which only became apparent on the shiny surface. I shopuld have used the fairing board more as Bruce had suggested and (dare I say it?) not the belt sander.

The backbone of the 6m long strongback being constructed:

I managed to salvage the white butcher's band saw literally minutes before it was loaded onto a truck bound for the dump. It had been used in the Pathology Department of a hospital and it took some time cleaning "stuff" from the insides. I installed a 3/4 HP motor and is being used to cut the strips.