Underside

Here's the underside of the bow. You can see the mortises for the ribs. The kayak is 10'-10" in length, with a 23.25" beam.

Aft

Here's the deck from the aft end. Frame is of peg and lash construction. The gunwales are glued and pegged to the bow and stern end blocks.

Deck

Here's a picture of the top deck with bow toward the front. All wood is pine except for the four curved beams which are green red cedar.

Started

A lot has changed since I posted last. I bought some lumber from a local lumber mill, cyprus for the gunwales and ash for ribs. I couldn't get the cyprus gunwales to bend the same, even after planning. So I purchased a 1"x4" pine board from Menards and ripped it in half. After shaving one of the gunnels down I could get them both to match around the forms. At this point I have the top deck built. I've got a few pictures I will post later.

Book Arrived

The Morris book arrived yesterday. I really didn't have much time to read it since we had company but I did discover there's a difference between the "Alaskan Retrieval" kayak and the "Alaskan Recovery" kayak. It turns out the Retrieval kayak came into being with the use of the firearm. Game would be shot from the bank and then drug back using a Retrieval kayak. The Recovery kayak is a Morris modification of the Retrieval, turning it into a recreational kayak. Now I just need to decide which one of the two I'm going to build. Time for a little more research. The materials from Tandy also arrived yesterday.

Purchase of Latigo and Sinew

The latigo is for deck lines and the sinew to bind the frame.

Purchased from Tandy.

Latigo 5/32"X50' for $19.99
Artificial Sinew 8oz (about 300 yards) $16.69
Shipping $8.00
Tax $2.57

Total: $47.25

In retrospect I should have visited my local store. The sinew was $8.00 off so I might have come out OK if the local store sells the sinew at regular price. I should have plenty of material left over after building one kayak.

Skin on Frame Project

I've been interested in Skin on Frame Kayaks for several years now. I'm finally getting around to building one for myself. I've ordered Building Skin on Frame Boats, by Robert Morris and will be building his Alaskan Recovery Kayak. I should receive the book within the next couple of weeks. Until then I'm going to be busy preparing my work area and assembling some of the tools and supplies I know I'll need.