


Follow along as I build my second home-built boat. This time from a kit from Chesapeake Light Craft. You can see my first boat build, a Glen-L "Zip" at www.vupilot.blogspot.com
From the ramp I paddled south a quarter mile to "Ricks Cafe Boatyard" The only restaurant on the lake. There are over 100 slips for rent seasonally at the cafe.
From the cafe I paddled across the reservoir to the west, past the dam to the inlet and down the inlet to the Eagle Creek Sailing Club. Roughly a mile.
I enjoy looking at the sailboats and the names on them. The sailing club has weds evening regattas which are enjoyable to watch from the kayak or the cafe deck.
Apparently THIS is where the "Fun Police" are stationed.
Personally, I like "Don't Panic" written in inverted letters. I find it somewhat humorous that people have 26' sailboats on a 4 mile long lake with a 10ft clearance bridge which makes only 2.5 miles of the lake usable to saiboats. We gotta work with what we've got here in Indiana.
This is just a shot leaving the sailing club, out the inlet. In I few minutes I would run up to a couple of other Chesapeake Light Craft wood kayaks just entering the inlet ahead. I learned the couple were paddling a "Artic Hawk" and "Shearwater" models of touring kayak. They are much sleeker and longer than my Wood Duck and I was curious if I could keep up with them so I turned around and paddled in their direction for a minute. It seemed I was working a little harder than they were but I was able to keep pace just fine. They didnt seem interested in chatting about kayaks so I turned around and continued on. I would have liked a closer look at their yaks but just asking the models seemed to bother them.
After exciting the inlet I paddled back across the lake about a 45 degree angle toward "Hobie beach" At this point I got passed and stopped by a older guy on a really cool wooden gaff-rigged catboat about 13' long. He had been behind me pulling into the boat ramp park and was interested in my kayak. We talked for a bit about it and about his boat, after a few minutes we went on our way. I wish I would have got a picture of his boat. I continued on toward Hobie beach where for $500/season the park will give you a gate key to beach your catamaran, or dinghy sailboat here. The people appear to hangout, drink and eat more than they sail. They have a small tiki-hut bar they bring out each year, grills, picnic tables and easy up tents. There are always a few people there chilling out for the day.
I then crossed the lake again at about a 45 degree angle working farther north each time I cross. I found this cool little boat tied up infront of a really big house on the lake. It cant be but 12' long or less. It looks like a ton of fun for kids and adults. I just dont know what the brand or model is. It didnt have much of any markings on it. As I paddled down this finger in the lake a little farther there was a second one of these docked there, very cool little boats.
The last thing I did tonight was finish up the rack for storing my kayak. I bought a kayak wall rack from Dicks Sporting Goods but it wouldnt fit the WoodDuck. So I just made a simple rack with some 1x3 lumber screwed to my garage wall studs. I added a little pipe insulation to the edge of the 1x3 to protect the bottom paint.
Tomorrow is the only day without rain in the forecast so I hope to finish varnishing the deck.
I think 3 coats is all I will need if I can get this 3rd coat applied nicely. The epifanes varnish is pretty thick and gives very good coverage. In the photo below I have already applied the 3rd coat to the sides with the roll and tip method thinned 10-12%. I will let this cure then in a couple days I'll tape along the deck/side seam and do the deck seperate this time, that way I wont get another run from the deck onto the sides. The tape line will be on a wood joint line and therefore be invisible especially if the tape is pulled before the varnish hardens. I will apply the 3rd coat to the deck with a foam brush only so I can work from bow to stern and equally along the cockpit coaming to keep the all important "wet-edge" as I work aft around both sides of the cockpit. I think varnishing with the roll and tip methond would be very easy on the deck if the cockpit coaming were left un-installed until after varnishing so you didnt have to try and work around it quickly. If I ever build another wood kayak I think I would do just that.
Varnishing a kayak this size is pretty easy to do by yourself but I can imagine that doing a large boat would be difficult to keep the "wet-edge" going and not have a section skin over before you got back to it. I would think if doing the deck of a large boat it would be nice to have a second experienced varnisher so that each person could start at the bow and tackle one side of the boat working all the way aft. If I decide to sand a re-coat my Glen-L "Zip" Runabout deck, I might have to train a varnish helper by having them do the build up coats with me before the finish coat.
Hopefully I can get the varnish on the deck done and the seat and seatback done by the end of next weekend.