58. - The 5,300 Mile Drive To Build

The red line shows the path driven out to build the kayak in Oroville, Washington. On the way there I went via South Dakota on up to home. On the way back we travelled across the Canadian Rockies and the flat plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Most of the trip in the U.S. Was at 80mph so the miles flew by. The fastest speed in Canada, on even flatter and straighter roads, was 66mph. That 14mph swing makes a LOT of difference, turning a 2-day drive out into 3 days of 14+ hour driving coming home. The Canadian Rockies were absolutely stunning. Especially Canmore Alberta. Total trip was over 5,300 miles.  I must also say that the drive home, with my wife along was fantastic. She supported this crazy idea from the get go and I cannot thank her enough for making this entire project a reality.

57. LAUNCH DAY!

This Wood Duck performed flawlessly and paddles like a dream. What a wonderful adventure building this with my niece.

56. Day 8 - FINISHED!

The final coat of epoxy is on, hatch hold downs in place, foot braces installed. DONE! Next pics will be of launch day on Wednesday or Thursday. Mission accomplished. Susannah says thank you for an awesome adventure.

55. Day 7 - Deck Glass

With the hull completed (final epoxy coat went on at 0130 this morning!), it was time for the deck. After sanding and shaping, the Fiberglas went on. At the 4 hour cure time we cut out the cockpit and hatch. Next was the cockpit rim, the FINAL piece to be attached to the boat. Construction is complete. We started 1 week ago today and even took Thursday off! A couple fill epoxy coats and some sanding on the cockpit rim and it will be done! What a great adventure this has been.

54. Day 6 - Waiting Game

You don't see a lot of outward progress today. It's a day of filling epoxy coats and waiting for it to cure. Huge plus... This means our goal is really in sight!

53. Day 5 - Fiberglas Happened

Today was another day of great progress after taking the day off yesterday. Started off sealing the interior seams between the deck and hull and then applying fiberglass tape and epoxy to the seams. A couple hours were spent sanding the hull to prep the surface and give the final shape. A pretty good panic ensued when we thought we threw away all the Fiberglas. Took an hour to realize it was in the house, right where we left it. The hull received it's glass and epoxy. Turned out stunning! Finished the day prepping the hatch cover and the cockpit rim.

52. Day 4 - Wedding Day

Today the deck and hull became one. After attaching the foot braces and autographing our work, we stitched the deck to the hull and glued the seam. Some of the wood did not want to cooperate but in the end brute force wins out. Made even more progress this evening by gluing up the cockpit coaming. Tomorrow is a well deserved day off!

51. Day 3 - Gettin' Stitches Out

Another incredible day. Stitches came out and temporary forms removed. All seams received fiberglass tape and the inside of hull and deck were seal coated with epoxy then both were covered in Fiberglas. The humidity from a rain storm started softening the wood so we called it a day and cleaned up. Another push tomorrow with a planned day off in Thursday.

50. Day 2 - We Gotta Boat!!!

Day 2 started with a pile of boards and ends with a boat! These 2 kids are awesome. You explain something once and they are off and going. They did almost all of the stitching and epoxy work. We finished the day by joining the deck to the hull and cutting out the rear hatch.  Tomorrow we take the deck off, remove stitches, and begin building up the seams and laying up fiberglass. Being able to devote a full day to work, and this being my second kayak, makes the project progress very rapidly.

49. Day 1 of Build Done

My 14yo niece and 12yo nephew at work joining panels. I coached them on the first two then they finished the next 4 on their own. This is gonna be awesome. The joints have been glued and reinforced with fiberglass. The bricks will hold the joint in place while the epoxy cures overnight.

48. Repackaged Duck

What is this at 4:30 in the morning? My 4 boxes of tools, gear, and supplies are at the front of the bed of my truck. I have completely repackaged the Wood Duck 10 so it will fit cross-wise in my 6 foot bed, thoroughly wrapped and sealed in 4mil plastic. Next stop... Somewhere in Wyoming... Hopefully. 28 hours of driving and then assembly begins. This Wood Duck is retracing the steps of the CLC Road Trip West!

47. Wood Duck II - The Road Trip

Day 1 of new kayak build is complete. Got all of the panels beveled and ready to go. So you are asking what the road trip is? Well... I will be driving 1,930 miles to British Columbia to build this Wood Duck 10 with my 14 year old Niece Susannah and nephews Dustin and Tristan. I wanted to get the 5+ hours of hand planing done. Now I will repack the panels and load all my tools, sand paper, and epoxy to head west. The plan is to finish this baby in  2 weeks or less! Should be a great adventure. Thanks SO MUCH to my beautiful supportive wife Angela who made this possible. 143!