I re-adjusted the size of the holes for my strongback and re-marked the waterline, sheerline and centerpoint lines. After drilling two holes in the area where the 2x4 goes, I cut out the holes for the strongback. I slid all of the pieces into place on the stongback for position. My next step will be to mark all the areas I need to fix on my forms and then mark my centerline on the strongback and the distance between each form. I will also need to cut new forms for the stern and bow, because I am going to build the 11 foot vs the 10 foot Little Auk. So far, so good.

Cutting out the forms ended up being a little bit of a hassle as the patterns kept coming away from the board. I was able use some duct tape to secure edges and re-spray mount some of the pieces. I wanted to make sure to mark the waterline, centerline and sheerline. The next steps will involve cutting out the holes for the stongback and smoothing out rough spots on the forms. The pattern calls for a larger hole than expected, so I am going to reduce the size to fit a 2x4 snuggly.

I then cutout the patterns and spray mounted them to 1/2" particalboard. I was almost able to fit the full kayak on to one 4' x 4' sheet.

My next step was to trace the full size forms that I purchased from Guillemot Kayaks, so that if something happened, I always will have a backup.

My first step was to create a stand. The stand I built is from the book "The Strip-Built Sea Kayak" by Nick Schade. I still need to do some modification, because I placed my top support a little to high. It will act as a support for the initial build and later as a boat cradle.

Dave's First Strip Built Kayak

I am creating this blog to keep my friends and family up-to-date with the progress of my adventures in kayak building.

I will be building a Guillemot Little Auk. The plans are for a 10' version, but I will be stretching it to an 11' foot version. I still have so much to learn about the lingo and various watercraft specifications, but hope to learn as go along.

But first, I need to learn how to blog : )