Last year, I discovered that it is much easier to wet-sand a kayak outdoors, so I did it again:
It was also the first time I saw this 'yak and the OI in the same view. This is a wide-angle view, so its slightly exaggerated, but again, Vaclav's design is much higher in volume than I expected.
I also varnished the Cape, and re-varnished the OI, side-by-side, on sawhorses, in the basement. It was a tight fit, and I think I'd have done a better job on each if I hadn't done it that way. However, I think I'm less picky about perfect finishes than I used to be, after years of using these kayaks.
BTW, the "minor repairs" on the OI look fine after finishing.
I'll have two kayaks this summer: my Outer Island I, on its 3rd season, and the new Cape Ann Storm LT. I brought the OI outside to do some minor repairs:
A patch of 4 oz. glass where the original sheathing was starting to wear. There are some dark spots where water penetrated, but I think it will be o.k.
Surprisingly easy to work on this outdoors.
I painted the cockpit rim, again in my favorite Jolly Green. It fit into the boat rather well. I glued it in with dookie, using some microballons, hoping that they might expand while curing, making a snug fit.
The knee braces are separate pieces of plywood. Because of the way that the rim fits into the boat, I found it easier to do it that way. I glued them in with more dookie, and they will be painted to match the rim.
Most every build, I try a new technique or two. Sometimes, its an innovation, other times, it represents "doing it the hard way". This time, it was bulkheads cut from 3" minicel foam:
These were much easier than I expected. The compress-ability of the foam gives some leeway-you can simply push the bulkhead in until it fits. There are some gaps, but I think I filled them adequately with caulk. Much easier than whittling a piece of plywood until it fits, big fillet of dookie, etc.
Side brace plate visible on the left.
