I'm almost done with the parts for the hull. The last bit of shaping is rounding off the outside of each of the eight hull stringers.
They will go along the ribs and provide the surface that the skin will rest on.
Some quality time with the spoke shave and sand paper (8 stringers * 18 feet each = 144 feet) and I have nicely rounded stringers that won't wear through the skin where it is stretched over them.
As I've said, the secret of the baidarka's performance in waves is the flexibility of the hull. That depends on all the connections being able to flex. So the boat is held together by lashings made of artificial sinew (aka waxed nylon).
The keel is in three sections with curved joints that can flex. The joints are held together by two lashings at right angles, one around joint and one along the joint.
The keel is subtly notched for the around-the-keel lashing so that it doesn't make a bump that will wear on the skin.
The vertical lashing goes on first, but that squishes the joint apart. So I use two clamps and a very tight string to keep the joint together until the horizontal lashing is in place.
The upper and lower bow need to be connected. Triangular lashings tie both together and can be tightened down nicely by finishing up around both legs of the triangle.
The finished knots crunch the lashings down nice and tight.
The kids and their spouses arrive. Thanksgiving is here. We have a wonderful family party. Then, the day after, I get back to work. If I hurry I might get the float-test in before the kids leave.
I'm running into a time crunch so I draft kids to help! My daughter-in-law, Jamie, does the meticulous measuring to make sure that the keel is exactly centered between the gunwales.
I cut a piece of sinew 1 1/2 times the length of the boat and secure it to the first rib. Then my daughter, Patsy, and I tie a running stitch around each rib and through each hole in the keel. It is so much easier with two people to feed that much line around and through without getting (too) tangled on clamps, feet, saw horses, and other projections.
In one long evening, I get the stringers on and lash boards to sit on. For a wrap test, I only need to secure the stringers at strategic ribs. Eventually I'll need to tie every rib/stringer intersection.
The tail section connects to the keel and deck using the same v-shaped lashings.
Patsy and I put several lengths of 20 inch stretch-wrap long-wise and then spiral-wrap from one end to the other. To finish it off I do another set length-wise. When we wrapped the deck we left a space where the cockpit will be so that I can get in!
It's too late for a test before Jamie and Bob have to leave, but Patsy and Christopher will be here through the weekend!
Saturday was a perfect dead-calm for testing at Hopkinton Reservoir. I love the way the sun shines through the transparent covering. Win took these wonderful photos.
It floats!
If I slide far forward then the balance is about right. I was right, I need to move the cockpit about a foot and a half..
The stretch-wrap doesn't seem to be leaking. Let's go for a little spin, just to see how it handles!
The boat moves right along. I think I will like paddling it. But I'm beginning to hear a lot of noise around the stern - the outer layer of plastic is starting to come unwrapped. Time to wrap up this test!
Hmm, if I move the cockpit then it will balance better when being carried too.
Given the futzing required to move the deck beams in order to move the cockpit I may not get the boat finished before the ice sets in, but at least I have had a chance to try it in the water and know that it will paddle well when it's finished.
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