Making a Strip Built Kayak - Outer Seam, Final Sanding and Prep - E17

In this episode I reinforce the outside seam, apply final fill coats and then do the finish sanding.
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[@twintwitch1]

So much credit must be given to Nick. Does awesome work and is secure enough to let us see when things go a little south, as they do for all of us, and he shows us the way to fix those problems. Beautiful boats are not magic, they are hard work, skill, patience and experience.

[@1a1u0g9t4s2u]

Many similarities glassing and varnishing a kayak to the primer and painting steps in autobody painting. Lots of sanding to get the surface level. Great series, really been enjoying it and taking notes while compiling the supplies and tools. Thanks for sharing.

[@fast4wood]

Great looking kayak ! I built one of Nicks kayaks about 5 years ago , it was the Night Heron high deck strip . It never fails that everytime i go out ,either on the car or in the water , i get complimented on it . They truly are floating works of art . Was out the other day in the Arthur Kill between NY and NJ and some kids were playing basketball , and everyone just stopped playing and stared . So hats off to Nick and his awesome designs and craftsmanship. Nick is topnotch!

[@phillipcarter6654]

If you tape paper to the hull it will catch the drips and save extra clean up and I absolutely love your craftsmanship, stunning work

[@NickSchade]

If I hadn't been impatient and had left the tape for another 30 minutes I wouldn't have had the drips.

[@AndrewMoizer]

As everyone else has commented, this is such a tremendous series of videos. Really brings out a lot of the subtle details of construction. Thanks so much for all the effort that you put into creating these videos, I'm sure it really added to the time needed to build this kayak. Hopefully you get to build one for yourself before too long.

[@NickSchade]

Andrew, I'm glad you and others are enjoying the series. Since I was documenting a build for a customer, I tried to capture the video in such a way that it didn't seriously impact the delivery schedule. But, as a result, I had to do a lot of editing after the build was complete. Essentially producing this series has been my primary project this whole year. Obviously, I have done a lot of other things as well, but this effort has absorbed at least 1 or 2 days a week since January. Each episode requires at least a day to add the voiceover.

[@AndrewMoizer]

I think the voiceover is what really makes this series so exceptional, and significantly better to your earlier (already very helpful) videos. It sets the context and allows you to really share details. I've learned a great deal in addition to what comes through in both your kayak building books, which I have read through several times. The amount of time and the effort it takes to get psyched up to do the voiceover is evident. Many thanks again. Unfortunately my summer didn't transpire as I hoped so my Play building project didn't see the light of day. But I'm working towards it.

[@Lanxe]

Thanks for the videos - I'm a rookie currently building a S&G kayak and it's very encouraging to see how many layers of epoxy and sanding goes into getting a good finish. Without this I'd be less sure of what I'm doing poorly and what's actually OK. Cheers!

[@NickSchade]

I'm glad you are finding it helpful. The fiberglassing and finish work of a S&G is essentially the same as a stripper. Other than the actual woodwork, most of the process is the same.

[@etiennemuller1]

This episode gives a good idea of just how much work there is in one of these boats it you want a nice finish.

[@cherishubby]

Nick, thank you for taking the time to do this series and include "warts" and all to show how easy it is to repair the epoxy. I am epoxying my boat currently and seeing this really gives me hope that it will look good at the end. I have found my lack of patients to be one of my main causes for using expletives in the garage. Probably would have finished a month ago but I have to keep going back to repair my goofs. Thanks again

[@princeedwin4386]

i know I am kinda randomly asking but do anybody know of a good place to watch new tv shows online?

[@brodiegus2473]

@Prince Edwin Flixportal :D

[@princeedwin4386]

@Brodie Gus Thanks, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) Appreciate it !!

[@brodiegus2473]

@Prince Edwin Glad I could help :D

[@robertrandall4759]

Looks great Nick. This is the most informative series I've watched; and believe me, I've watched them all.

[@ClaytonwFirth]

This series has been brilliant. Thanks Nick.

[@markjthomson]

So many of these things would have been great when I first built my boat - I am happy with how many of these things Learnt anyway... :) Great videos.

[@Norwegianwoodworker]

As usual, good informative and captivating video. Hats off for your skills and attention for details.....amazing. Can't wait to see it on the water when it is all done.. Best TR

[@lucasinss]

Great video! I love how this kayak is doing

[@SasquaPlatypus]

I like that hole drill then fill with epoxy trick! Man I'm stealing that one! ;)

[@haworthluke]

I would love to try this. maybe one day i will be in a position to take the time to do so.

[@bretsons1514]

How do I know when I sanded through the resin and into the glass? What would I do if I did sand into the glass? Thanks again for the great video.

[@NickSchade]

As you start to hit the fiberglass you will begin to see the pattern of the fabric weave in a series of whitish dots. This is visible at 15:49 where I have sanded into the patch of fiberglass over the deck fitting. I don't mind sanding into this patch too much because there is more cloth below that patch. While it is certainly not desirable to sand into the glass, because it breaks the reinforcing fibers, but hitting the fabric a little bit here and there is not going to make your boat explode. If you sand into the glass extensively, or if you have sanded completely through the cloth, you should probably apply a patch over that area. Adding glass and then fill coating and sanding should make a seamless invisible patch. If you sanded through once, you should consider how and why it happened. Was there an un-fair part of the surface or was there an intentional high spot that you need to be careful with in the future...

[@Bob-More-Than-Enough-WC]

Nick, This series has been amazing!! Having read your books and acquiring shop space, I look forward to building my own floating art!! One question on fill coats... Sometimes you use a heat gun to make it flow and pop bubbles, etc., but other times you use a torch. Any difference between the two or whatever was closer at the time?

[@NickSchade]

I use them almost interchangeably, the torch is more powerful, but risky. The heat gun is slower, but safer. I have found that with if I am using West Systems, the heat gun is ineffective, only the torch seems to do the job. With MAS either works.

[@nedsmith7144]

Do you use bias-cut 3"tape inside and out for the hull deck join? Do you cut your own or buy commercial?

[@NickSchade]

I use standard plain-weave pre-woven fiberglass tape on the interior seam and hand-cut bias strips on the exterior seam. Dealing with hand-cut stuff down at the hard to reach interior ends is just not worth it. But on the exterior hand-cut wets out clear better.

[@nedsmith7144]

I have used that commercial tape and it seems to have a hard edge on one side. Do you cut that off?

[@Wiscmapper]

Thanks for this video. I’m currently fiberglassing and applying fill coats to a CLC paddleboard, and have been struggling to achieve a smooth finish. This helps! Curious, can you explain the “torching” process a bit more? I’ve heard about the heat gun trick, but the torch is new!

[@NickSchade]

The torch is essentially the same as the heat gun, only more so. Heating up the uncured epoxy lowers its viscosity, and expands the air in bubbles. This allows them to rise to the surface and pop. The lower viscosity helps the resin flow out and level. This would be particularly true on a nice level surface like a paddle board.

[@PaulHarker1958]

Regarding adding colloidal sílica to the final seal coat -- any guidance as to how to determine how much can be added without visibly affecting the final results?

[@NickSchade]

I don't have a set amount, but I keep it small. For maybe a 8 ounce batch of epoxy, I might and around a teaspoon, and mix thoroughly.

[@PaulHarker1958]

Several questions regarding hatch opening and cover -- In a previous video you mention sealing the edge grain of the cover with epoxy -- do you then add cloth or is the epoxy sufficient? And related questions to the hatch opening -- First of all, it appears you have added an inner strip to the opening that sets proud. Is this to better the seal or cosmetic? And at no point in the video series do I see cloth being added to the upper surface of the hatch opening. Given your propensity to cover all wood with cloth I *assume* this happened after the grinding of the finger grooves but was not shown -- or?

[@NickSchade]

Hi Paul, I usually add a little colloidal silica to the epoxy I apply to the edge grain. I have sometimes wrapped the edges with fiberglass, but its a real pain. The spacer piece between the deck and the lip is there to account for the thickness of the gasket so the hatch will sit flush while on top of the gasket. I covered the outside of the hatch with glass by glassing the whole deck before cutting the hatch. So, there was already glass on it before I cut it out of the deck. I hope this helps.

[@АлександрВаулин-ь5к]

Good day Nick. colossal work. And why is the cargo hatch only in the stern? Thank you. :-)

[@NickSchade]

The customer only wanted one hatch. It keeps the front deck clean, but means there is no bulkhead up front. For a kayak that is only used for day trips, it does not need the additional storage.

[@АлександрВаулин-ь5к]

It's clear.Thank you.

[@ericsunstrum5380]

Looking good! I have the exact heat gun that was a hand me down from my father in law, I thought it was a museum piece! How long into the cure do you have to heat the surface to remove bubbles?

[@NickSchade]

You can still buy these heat guns: amzn.to/2xtTr2c I try to do bubble popping as soon as I can after I've finished applying the epoxy.

[@cdouglas6]

Do the staple holes just not show up?

[@garymyers6638]

Did you track time on this build?

[@NickSchade]

It took about 3 months. I didn’t keep track of the hours.