Done!!

At around 3 pm today we put the last touches to the kayak. The first coat was pretty much dry this morning, so we proceeded to install the cockpit coaming , and then took the craft back outside. We then installed the keel, two bilge keels, the rubbing strips and floor boards all of which were already prepared and painted. We then applied the final coat of paint,  and then installed the eye pads into the wet paint thus ensuring a good seal around the screws.

From here on forward we will let the paint dry good and hard for two days before we try it in the nearest river called the Rideau River. This will require  mounting the canoe on the car and driving it about 5 km. to launch. This will be a useful exercise since we will also be taking this craft on our car to Nova Scotia. The trial will be that of properly mounting the kayak on the car so that it will endure the shake, rattle and roll, of the 1540 km drive to Nova Scotia.

There are a few small outstanding items to add like the back rests, if Schuyler wants them, but for my old canoe I used an old board foam life jacket that performed admirably as a seat and backrest and used it throughout the nearly forty years of paddling. I also did a lot of portaging with the old one so this required a specific yoke to carry it on my shoulders - North American canoe style. Seats and backrest just added extra unwelcome weight to the portages. I think Schuyler and his family's requirements will likely be different so they may wish to add a modified backrest and dispense with the yoke idea.This will be a project for Nova Scotia.

About the Paint

I was quite astonished by how much paint the boat required. While the instructions and plans called for half a gallon of paint we went through 5 litres or about a gallon and a quart. I suppose we could have stretched it some by thinning down the first coat which we didn't do but it could not have made that much of a difference. Also the canvas was not "proofed" as the plans require. Maybe proofing means something different but to me proofed meant waterproofed. After the paint is hard I intend to preserve the interior of the canvas by sloshing a litre of liquid wood perservative. This is what I did with the old boat and it worked quite well I recall.

If anybody knows what "proofed" means and if it does not mean to waterproof, please weigh in and add a comment to that effect. It would be much appreciated. We will now take a couple of days rest from the kayak. In the next blog post we will report on its inaugural launch, be it here or in Nova Scotia depending on the time available.