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!