Expedition Sport Kayak in Progress
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
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SpiveyMtnMan
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 6:10 am
Now some custom wooden racks for the Mustang to haul it and you'll be stylin'. 
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Jeff in Farmington, MI
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:19 pm
- Location: Farmington, Michigan, USA
Expedition Sport Kayak - COMPLETED!
After 3 years (off and on), I finally finished my kayak! This is the Expedition Sport design from One Ocean kayaks. It is 16 foot 9 inches in length, 21.5 inches wide, and weighs 45 lbs fully dressed (a few more pounds than I had hoped for).
Some of the early construction details are in my original post, so I won't repeat them here. Since my last update, I finished sanding and glassing the inside hull and deck. Then came the cockpit rim, cheek plates, seatback, and deck hatch flanges. These are all made of (or sheathed in) carbon fiber/epoxy.
The cockpit rim was layed up from multiple layers of carbon fiber and epoxy. It is extremely strong and lightweight. The cheek plates and seatback have a wood core covered in carbon fiber. The flanges supporting the deck hatches were layed up from carbon fiber and glass with molded grooves for the seals. I made a hollow double rib structure from carbon fiber underneath the deck behind the cockpit. This will stiffen the area to support my weight while getting in and out. The hatches are held closed using bungee cords from the inside. All of the anchor points for these cords were again made from carbon fiber. I really like working with this stuff!
There is no shear clamp with this design. The bead and cove edges of the deck and hull are simply aligned and then a bias weave fiberglass tape is applied over the joint. The adjustable footbraces are from SEA-LECT Designs, and secured to stainless steel stud posts. The posts have a stamped steel base which is epoxied to the hull … no holes in the boat!
The deck lines are secured using soft pad eyes constructed from 3/4 inch strap. This construction method is described by Redfish Kayaks, but here's a tip: don't melt the anchor point of the straps with flame; this actually consumes much of the material. Use a heat gun to melt, and a flat screw driver to shape the melted strap material as desired.
The bulkheads are 3 inch thick minicell foam, and simply caulked in place. I still intend to carve out a seat from a block of minicell foam, and also apply a foam cushion to the seat back and thigh braces as well.
Even though the days have turned cold here in Michigan, I simply had to get the kayak into the water at least once before the lakes freeze. So on Sunday, I went for a 2 hour paddle with a friend of mine. Weather was about 45 deg F and light rain … far less than ideal for a first paddle, but so satisfying!
The kayak hull is pinched at the stern, forming a sort of integral skeg, so she tracks very straight, but then carves a turn nicely when leaned over a bit. And fast … she glides through the water so much easier than my fat plastic kayak!
I have updated my set of construction photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19215801@N ... 239153820/
and also made a separate set with just the completed kayak.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19215801@N ... 206160805/
Looking forward to Spring!
- Jeff
Some of the early construction details are in my original post, so I won't repeat them here. Since my last update, I finished sanding and glassing the inside hull and deck. Then came the cockpit rim, cheek plates, seatback, and deck hatch flanges. These are all made of (or sheathed in) carbon fiber/epoxy.
The cockpit rim was layed up from multiple layers of carbon fiber and epoxy. It is extremely strong and lightweight. The cheek plates and seatback have a wood core covered in carbon fiber. The flanges supporting the deck hatches were layed up from carbon fiber and glass with molded grooves for the seals. I made a hollow double rib structure from carbon fiber underneath the deck behind the cockpit. This will stiffen the area to support my weight while getting in and out. The hatches are held closed using bungee cords from the inside. All of the anchor points for these cords were again made from carbon fiber. I really like working with this stuff!
There is no shear clamp with this design. The bead and cove edges of the deck and hull are simply aligned and then a bias weave fiberglass tape is applied over the joint. The adjustable footbraces are from SEA-LECT Designs, and secured to stainless steel stud posts. The posts have a stamped steel base which is epoxied to the hull … no holes in the boat!
The deck lines are secured using soft pad eyes constructed from 3/4 inch strap. This construction method is described by Redfish Kayaks, but here's a tip: don't melt the anchor point of the straps with flame; this actually consumes much of the material. Use a heat gun to melt, and a flat screw driver to shape the melted strap material as desired.
The bulkheads are 3 inch thick minicell foam, and simply caulked in place. I still intend to carve out a seat from a block of minicell foam, and also apply a foam cushion to the seat back and thigh braces as well.
Even though the days have turned cold here in Michigan, I simply had to get the kayak into the water at least once before the lakes freeze. So on Sunday, I went for a 2 hour paddle with a friend of mine. Weather was about 45 deg F and light rain … far less than ideal for a first paddle, but so satisfying!
The kayak hull is pinched at the stern, forming a sort of integral skeg, so she tracks very straight, but then carves a turn nicely when leaned over a bit. And fast … she glides through the water so much easier than my fat plastic kayak!
I have updated my set of construction photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19215801@N ... 239153820/
and also made a separate set with just the completed kayak.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19215801@N ... 206160805/
Looking forward to Spring!
- Jeff
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Re: Expedition Sport Kayak in Progress
Wow and bravo! The kayak is a true beauty.
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alick burt
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:41 am
- Location: united kingdom
- Contact:
Re: Expedition Sport Kayak in Progress
That is an awesome boat you have there.Fabulous
Cheers
Alick
Cheers
Alick
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BearLeeAlive
- Posts: 196
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:00 pm
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Bryan Hansel
- Posts: 678
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 6:36 pm
- Location: Grand Marais, MN
- Contact:
Re: Expedition Sport Kayak in Progress
Nice looking kayak. Must feel great to get it on the water after all this time.
What are you using for a seat in that thing? And how about adding some carbon fiber thigh braces?
What are you using for a seat in that thing? And how about adding some carbon fiber thigh braces?