Kayak Outfiting Workshop 11/23 (for real!)

[Brian Nystrom]

Thanks to the generosity of Richard Najarian, we have enough heated, lighted warehouse space in Waltham to accommodate around a dozen boats on the weekend of 11/22 & 23. Since Adam is running his "Rough water chalk talk" on 11/22, we'll do the outfitting workshop on 11/23. Interested parties should respond here.

I'm in the process of obtaining black deck line and bungee cord in bulk. If you want other colors or reflective lines, you'll need to bring the materials to the workshop. Also, please bring scissors and a cigarette lighter or small torch for cutting and melting the ends of the rigging.

I've been able to obtain SOME wood beads for deck rigging, but if you're interested in installing beads on your deck lines, you should probably hit your local craft shop (Michaels, AC Moore). The beads I use are from Lara's Crafts and the part numbers are 10006 (3/4"/19mm) and 10007 (1"/25mm). They run $2.99 for bags of 27 and 18, respectively. I'll bring a drill press and bits for drilling out the beads to fit the deck line material.

I will bring minicel foam in 1/2", 1", 2" and 3" thicknesses. This will give us materials for hip/thigh/knee padding, seats, backrests, bulkheads/bulkhead pads, masiks, bilge pump holders and anything else that we can dream up.

ALL participcants are strongly encouraged to bring safety glasses (or eyeglasses if you wear them) and an organic vapor respirator for protection from glue fumes. These items are MANDATORY for those doing foam work. We'll do our best to keep the fumes to a minimum, but they're unavoidable when working in the vicinity of contact cement and cleaning solvents.

People interested doing "foam art" will also need to bring contact cement (Weldwood Gel is recommended), a Stanley 21-115 Surform tool (the small red one), a pint or more of lacquer thinner (for cleaning surfaces) and a roll of paper towels. All of these items are available inexpensively at your local home center and have uses beyond working on kayaks, so their worth owning anyway (a respirator makes cleaning the shower much more pleasant). If you wish to share tools, by all means arrange to do so. I'll bring some knives, saws, 80 and 150 grit sandpaper, pencils, pens, markers, some pattern stock (cardboard) and assorted tools, but feel free to bring anything that you think will be useful. If you have questions, please ask.

BTW, DO NOT be tempted to buy water-based contact cement. While it may be more environmentally friendly, it doesn't work for our purposes.

If possible, I'll bring a band saw for cutting thick foam, but that may depend on the weather, as I don't want to trailer it around in the rain.

We can also do things like installing back bands, pad eyes for deck rigging and so forth. If there's something specific you want to do that I haven't mentioned, feel free to ask.

If anyone has problems sourcing any of the supplies they need, let me know and I'll do my best to find them for you. All materials will be available at whatever they cost me. If you need specific pricing, just ask for a quote.

I find that sawhorses or other stands make working on boats much more enjoyable. I have a few that I can bring, but nowhere near enough to go around, so if you got 'em, bring 'em. Carpet scraps for resting a boat on the floor are another alternative.

The emphasis of this workshop is on outfitting rather than repairs. If you have a minor repair that needs to be done, by all means ask about it. Ultimately, I'd like to do a workshop on boat repair (fiberglass & gelcoat) and latex seal repair, but those will have to wait for another day. Both of these activities generate truly nasty fumes and I don't want to combine them with the fumes from the contact cement or with each other.

I think that's everything. See you there!

Brian

[stnoonan]

Brian,

I'm excited this has finally come together! Thanks Richard for the space! Please count me in.

Sean

[Guest guest]

Brian,

Although Adam's post says "11/22" it also says "Sunday". I posted something to get clarification, but it looks like he hasn't seen it yet.

Dee Hall

Impex Currituck, Blue over Ivory

[Brian Nystrom]

Thanks Dee, I hadn't noticed that. Either day is do-able for me. I plan to attend Adam's session, too, if possible.

[Brian Nystrom]

Richard Najarian

Sean Noonan

David Lewis

Leslie Beale

Sean Kimball

Deb Dempesy - no boat

Mike Kulick

Don Eva

Gayla Hughgill

Peter Kalanzis

[Guest guest]

Interested, but out of town that weekend. It's great you're doing this.

An alternative to wooden beads -- get creative with FIMO or other plastic clay from the crafts store for colorful, lightweight, plastic beads. 10 mins plus 20 mins baking time.

--b

[Guest guest]

count me in--thx richard for the space and thx brian for your instruction --been waiting for this opportunity--les

[Guest guest]

Brian-

I'm in (either day) providing I can bring that "other" type of boat - meaning whitewater - I'd be interested in learning how to outfit with approprriate foam.

Sean

[Brian Nystrom]

Sure Sean, you're in, but I don't claim any expertise in outfitting whitewater boats.

[Guest guest]

Brian,

Please count me in too....I have glued minicell that I want to remove. Any wise suggestions on a solvent? (used 3M silicone spray that was recommended at the time). Thanks Richard for the space !!!

Thanks

Deb Dempesy

[mskulick]

Thanks, all for this opportunity. Yes, by all means, count me in.

I have some things I can bring. Including the skeg cable cutters.

Mike.

[Don]

Brian,

We'd love to finally get around to outfitting our boats.

Awaiting clarification of Adam's get-together. In any case, we can make it early Saturday (would have to leave by mid-afternoon) or all day Sunday.

Don Eva

Gayla Hughgill

[Guest guest]

Count me in! I am happy to come boatless just to learn. On the other hand if space is available.... Romany needs a new saddle.

[Guest guest]

Brian:

I talked with Adam about setting up the Chalk Talk workshop. I believe he meant Sunday, 11/23.

Scott

[Guest guest]

Outfitting ww boat is pretty much the same as for a sea kayak. However, Sean, if you're looking to create a front bulkhead instead of foot pegs (highly recommended if no one is sharing the boat), look to use a good amount of foam and do a lot of shaping. Take the front center pillar out, measure the depth from bow to foot peg to get a general length. Then work on matching general shape by comparing the foam to the shape of the bow area. Foam gives/compresses, so you can shove the shaped bulkhead in. Make sure that you make a loop with duct tape around the bulkhead before inserting it in, especially when you're testing fit. If need to pull out and shape some more, the duct tape loop will give you purchase to pull the foam out. Otherwide you can end up tearing bits and pieces trying to get it back out (don't ask how I know).

sing

[Brian Nystrom]

Lacquer thinner will remove it. 3M also sells a special remover, but it's not necessary. I've added you to the list.

[Brian Nystrom]

Thanks Scott. Since the Chalk Talk doesn't start until 4:00 PM, I think I'll keep the workshop on Sunday, starting at 9:00. That will give us six hours to work on boats and still have time to get to whatever venue Adam ends up at.

[Brian Nystrom]

You're both in.

[Brian Nystrom]

You're in Mike. Feel free to bring anything you think might be useful.

[Brian Nystrom]

You're in, Peter. By all means bring your boat.

[donperry]

< If anyone has problems sourcing any of the supplies they need, let me know and I'll do my best to find them for you. All materials will be available at whatever they cost me. If you need specific pricing, just ask for a quote.

I find that sawhorses or other stands make working on boats much more enjoyable. I have a few that I can bring, but nowhere near enough to go around, so if you got 'em, bring 'em. Carpet scraps for resting a boat on the floor are another alternative. >

BTW, where is the warehouse and what is the lighting like? Is there a good source for stainless steel fasteners and hardware near nearby other that the Home Depot? The nearest West Marine stores are in Dedham & Woburn.

I’ve found that working upside-down on a kayak sucks. Suspending it deckside-down and poking the head into a lighted cockpit makes things a lot easier. The segmented freestanding ladders that can be folded into several configurations are good. Two in the shape of an A-frame can be arranged to hang the kayak by the car top straps passed over the ladder rungs. I have one folding ladder if someone else has another.

There are also six sections of 26” wide by 5’ high ladder scaffold and braces. They could be used to make three workstations with some pipe insulation on the top crossbars. Let me know if you’re interested.

[Guest guest]

I find that a compact headlamp lights the inside of my cockpit and hatches quiet well while outfitting and repairing.

Dee Hall

Impex Currituck, Blue over Ivory

[christopherG]

then, of course, there is the Talic Seahorse -- see talic.com

[Brian Nystrom]

"BTW, where is the warehouse and what is the lighting like?"

The warehouse is located at:

Waverly Oaks Office/Industrial Park

411 Waverly Oaks Rd. (Route 60)

Waltham

Richard assured me that it is lighted and heated, but since it's only warehouse, it's probably safe to assume that additional lighting will be needed. I'll bring extension cords that can be used with supplemental lighting.

"Is there a good source for stainless steel fasteners and hardware near nearby other that the Home Depot? The nearest West Marine stores are in Dedham & Woburn."

I'm not familiar with the area stores other than the West Marine in Woburn. Perhaps some else can help?

"I’ve found that working upside-down on a kayak sucks. Suspending it deckside-down and poking the head into a lighted cockpit makes things a lot easier."

That's why I suggested sawhorses. I use them in combination with a short stool when working inside the cockpit.

"The segmented freestanding ladders that can be folded into several configurations are good. Two in the shape of an A-frame can be arranged to hang the kayak by the car top straps passed over the ladder rungs. I have one folding ladder if someone else has another.

There are also six sections of 26” wide by 5’ high ladder scaffold and braces. They could be used to make three workstations with some pipe insulation on the top crossbars. Let me know if you’re interested."

Good suggestions, Don. At this point, I'm going to leave it up to the participants to take care of their own boat support needs. I've got my hands full with tools, foam and other supplies.

[djlewis]

>"Is there a good source for stainless steel fasteners and

>hardware near nearby other that the Home Depot? The nearest

>West Marine stores are in Dedham & Woburn."

There's a BoatUS store on the other side of the same building. It's basically the same stuff as West Marine. In fact, West Marine recently bought BoatUS and brought all BoatUS's prices into line with theirs -- that is, they raised them a lot!

--David

http://www.boatus.com/news/images/richard_west_sm.jpg