This blog shows my experience building a Pinguino 14.5 kayak.
December 3, 2011 Today, Diana and I visited Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington. The weather was chilly, but the winds were fairly calm. We wanted to "test drive" the Kayaks without the wind blowing. There is a small marina in front of Pygmy Boats where kayakers can go for a paddle.
Pygmy Boats sells kayak and canoe kits. They do not sell completed boats.
December 3, 2011 Diana paddled a Pinguino 14.5 and a Pinguino 14.5 4PD. She tried the 14.5 first and then tried the 14.5 4PD. She really liked the 14.5 4PD and said so after only paddling about 1 kayak length! The 14.5 4PD has a lower cockpit near one's torso and that makes it easier for a smaller boater to paddle.
I built the 14.5 boat first, so what you see here are pictures of the 14.5 boat building process. The hulls of both boats are exactly the same, so I didn't include pictures of building the 14.5 4PD hull.
December 3, 2011 I test paddled the Arctic Tern 14 and both Pinguinos. I settled on the Pinguino 14.5 with the 17" cockpit. Of the three kayaks the 14.5 has the most foot room for my clod hoppers!
We headed home with a pair of kayak kits. Now the real work begins!
December 17, 2011 One of the first things that you realize about purchasing a kayak kit is that it is NOT sea-worthy right away!
The 14' 6" kayak kit fits into 2 boxes - and the largest is only 8' long.
December 17, 2011 Wahoo! We finally get to get started on the kayaks. I cleared out a space in the garage and made an extension to an existing work table. This is the contents of the Pinguino 14.5 kit.
The first thing I did was unpack the box that contained the panels and made sure that I had all of the pieces. A week ago, I opened the accessories box and found that the foot pads and one roll of wire were missing. After a quick call to Pygmy boats, the missing pieces were sent.
December 17, 2011 This is the kit laid out on the work table. The original work table is 6' long by 3' wide. I added a section that is 7' long by 30" wide. Although the finished kayak is longer than the table, I think that it will work out ok. I built the table shorter than the kayak because I need room to move around it and to store other things.
December 17, 2011 This is the bow section of the kayak. What you see are the port and starboard plywood panels of the hull and deck stacked on top of each other. The curved pieces at the top of the picture are the cockpit coaming.
Do these flat panels really end up as a graceful looking kayak??
December 17, 2011 Each panel has a tag affixed to it showing where it goes on the kayak. These panels are marked 1B(L) and 2B(L). 1(B)L is panel #1, bow end, left side. The tags have not been cut very well, but there is a good picture of the panel layout in the construction manual that shows where each panels goes. I can't stress enough that you need to read and understand the instructions before you proceed!
The instructions say to keep the epoxy warm. I put a bottle of resin and a bottle of hardener in the shipping box. I also put a 15 Watt light bulb in the box and leave it on all the time. The temperature stays between 75 and 80 degrees F. The pump heads stick out of the box top, therefore I don't need to remove the bottles to dispense the liquids.
December 17, 2011 I'm excited to actually get started putting the kayak together! I've read and reread the construction manual. I've warmed the epoxy and set the panels in place. It is time to mix epoxy and build a boat.
Bow and stern panels are lined up and glued together to make full length panels. Epoxy is applied to the joint area, light fiberglass tape is placed over the epoxy and more epoxy is applied. The epoxy is worked into the fiberglass tape with a inexpensive disposable brush so that the tape disappears into the epoxy. There was one small area where I just couldn't get the tape to disappear. I'm not sure if there was some crud on the tape or not. In the future, I will inspect the tape carefully. This discouraging boo-boo will be on the inside of the kayak.
December 17, 2011 After the epoxy and fiberglass are applied, a piece of clear Mylar is placed over the joint. Bubbles that are under the Mylar are worked out with a squeegee. Then a block of wood and some gallon jugs of water are placed over the Mylar to hold the joint flat onto the table top. I placed a piece of Saran wrap under each joint to keep the panels from sticking to the table.
Since the Mylar is clear, it is barely visible in the picture. The edge of the Mylar is the faint line that runs parallel to the block of wood. The white piece at the end of the wood block is the end of the fiberglass tape. Now it is time to wait for the epoxy to set up.
December 21, 2011 I have waited several days for the epoxy to harden. The Epoxy Book from System Three explains that the epoxy takes a long time to harden when the ambient temperature is low. Also, if the epoxy isn't mixed at an exactly 2:1 resin to hardener ratio, then it may never get hard! Our garage was seldom over 50 degrees since I applied the epoxy. This morning, the epoxy didn't feel tacky to the touch so I decided to proceed. I removed the weights and blocks. I carefully removed the Mylar sheets and then lined up the joints and placed lamps over them to heat up the epoxy and continue the curing process. The Epoxy Book explains that curing continues for several weeks and is sped by elevated temperatures.
For my next epoxy application I will measure the resin and hardener very carefully and I will come up with an idea for keeping the applied epoxy warm so that it cures quickly.
December 21, 2011 The light fiberglass tape didn't disappear completely into the epoxy. Unfortunately this "boo-boo" will always be part of the boat. (Think character marks!) It is on the inside of the boat so its effect isn't as great. In hindsight, I should have pulled the tape off and replaced it with another piece in the hope of avoiding this problem. There is a learning process to this kayak building.
The 2 light vertical lines are where the edges of the Mylar sheet were. They will be sanded smooth and are not a problem. The epoxy deepens the color of the Okoume wood and shows what the color of the kayak will be when completed.
December 21, 2011 I carefully turned all of the panels over so that I could glass and epoxy the other side. This is the side of the panels that will become the outside of the kayak.
I scraped and sanded smooth the epoxy that had run through the joints. Scraping cuts down on the amount of time that is needed for sanding, but one must be careful not to gouge the wood. I used a single edged blade to do this and then finished up with 220 grit sandpaper.
I discovered that using Saran wrap under the panels wasn't the best idea because it is so lightweight and didn't lay flat. I bought some cellophane wrap from the Dollar Store for use next time. The cellophane is heavier and will be easier to use.
December 21, 2011 Two of the three panels have been glassed and epoxied. The upper panel has it's fiberglass tape next to the joint. The Mylar that was used on the other side of the panels was removed and reused here. Since some epoxy stuck to the Mylar, I marked that side with the word "top". That way the unused side of the Mylar ended up against the fresh Epoxy.
I started using the supplied squeegee to move the bubbles that were trapped under the Mylar toward the edge of the Mylar, but found that it was awkward to use because of its size. I cut the end of a stir stick off and made a stick squeegee that worked much better. I was very happy that all of the fiberglass tape disappeared into the epoxy this time.
December 21, 2011
I was very careful when I measured the epoxy this time. Since I needed 1/2 ounce of hardener, I used a tablespoon measure from the kitchen (1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce). Although the pump in the hardener container was suppose to dispense 1/2 ounce per stroke, I found that it came up short. That means that the first batch of epoxy that I mixed a few days ago probably didn't have enough hardener in it. I was very exact in measuring each component this time. I also preheated the joints with light bulbs.A hint to other builders: Don't stir the epoxy too vigorously because that causes air bubbles to become suspended in the epoxy and that is not a good thing!Another hint: Use a fabric rotary cutter to cut the fiberglass. It is so much easier than using a razor blade or scissors. I "borrowed" one from my wife's sewing kit. I'll get permission to use it later.
December 23, 2011 The epoxy set up quite nicely! I removed the weights, blocks and Mylar and continued by placing my 3 goose neck lamps over the panel joints at close range and let the 100 Watt bulbs warm the joints for several hours. Later in the day I scraped and sanded the epoxy to remove bumps, blobs and the glossy sheen. This step is needed so that the next coat of epoxy will adhere to the existing epoxy. I also trimmed off the epoxy and fiberglass tape that was hanging over the side edges of the panels. Care must be taken so that no wood is removed.
I finished 2 of the 6 port side panels and stored them out of the way (in the dining room) because I am done with them for now.
January 2, 2012
Back to work on the kayak after several days of doing other stuff. We are working on the starboard side of the boat today. This shows two of the deck panels lined up for gluing. There is quit an ugly gap where the panels were not cut very well. It is time to dress the ends with sandpaper backed by a straight piece of wood.
January 2, 2012 The panels ends have been sanded straight. This side of the panels goes on the inside of the kayak and the other side has a tighter fit than what you see here. As a result of the sanding, the panels are slightly shorter than originally. This results in a slight mismatch of the panels edges as you can see where the edges come together at the bottom of the picture. Fortunately this won't be a problem in the finished boat because the area of the mismatch will be under the coaming.
January 2, 2012
Diana applying epoxy to the panel end joints.
January 5, 2012 The excess epoxy and fiberglass tape are trimmed from the edges of the panels with a sharp knife making sure not to cut into the wood. A surform is used to take off material that was not cut off with the knife and then sandpaper is used to finish the job.
January 6, 2012 Drilling holes for the wire stitches.
The home made guide keeps the holes 1/4" from the panel edges & 6" apart. Left and right side panels are stacked so they can be drilled at the same time.
January 6, 2012 Placing & gluing the deck reinforcement pieces in place. Epoxy is mixed and then wood flour is added to thicken the mixture. The reinforcement pieces are 3 1/2" wide plywood that are part of the kit. They are held down with jugs full of water.
January 9, 2012 Today was an exciting day! I started stitching the panels together and the kayak started to take shape.
Last Saturday I cut and formed the stitches with the supplied wire. Per instructions, I cut the wire to 3 1/2" and then bent the pieces into a staple shape. The stern stem is pictured.
January 12, 2012 I finished installing the last hull panels and then installed the 5 temporary frames. The temporary frames hold the panels in the proper position while the panels are epoxied together. The bow stem is pictured.
January 18, 2012 I placed the kayak on a straight 2X4 and then pinned the keel to it to set the boat's rocker. This is done by drilling 3 holes at the keel seam and inserting long push pins in them and tapping the pins into the 2X4 with a hammer.
January 18, 2012 I mixed up a batch of epoxy and applied it to part of the keel seam with a syringe. Now the kayak must sit until the epoxy sets up. At the right edge of the picture is one of the pins used to hold the boat to the 2X4 during this step.
January 21, 2012
Today I installed the 2 plywood spacers. These are used to true the hull before gluing the hull panels together. I chose to first level the hull on the workbench and then level the spacers before I attached them to the temporary frames. I put the center screw in snugly, but no so tight that I couldn't rotate the spacer. I leveled the spacer, put the other two screws in and tightened all three.
January 21, 2012 Next, I placed a pair of sawhorses the same distance apart as the kayak frame spacers and leveled them (side-to-side) by placing shims under the legs. Diana and I placed the kayak on the sawhorses. We were pleased that the hull had absolutely no twist to it and the spacers fit flush to the sawhorses.
January 21, 2012
Next, we checked and adjusted the bow and stern stems for alignment. We added a few wire stitches to pull errant panels together. The blue arrow shows where a stitch in the bow was added to eliminate a gap twixt the keel panels and the number 2 panels.
Along the length of the kayak, I adjusted the panel seams so the neither panel was sticking out or in from the one next to it. I tightened stitches as necessary to hold the panels tightly in position.
January 21, 2012 I mixed up 1 1/2 ounces of epoxy and used the syringe to glue all of the seams. I had to mix another 1 1/2 ounces to finish all of the seams. Next I mixed more epoxy and added wood flour to the mixture to thicken it. I used the thickened epoxy to add fill to the seams that needed it.
When I mix small batches of epoxy, I use 3 ounce disposable cups that I bought at the Dollar Store. The cups are the right size and stiff enough to mix epoxy in, if you keep 2 stacked together. When the epoxy is mixed, I pull out the cup with the epoxy in it and squeeze the cup enough to make a pour spout and pour the epoxy into the syringe.
January 24, 2012 Today I removed the stitches and started scrapping the excess epoxy from the hull seams. I used a scraper as well as a single edge razor blade and sand paper.
I found the scraper in the paint section of Home Depot and the razor blades came from Harbor Freight.
January 26-27, 2012 Yesterday I continued to sand and scrape the hull seams smooth. Next I filled all of the seams that needed extra epoxy. The epoxy in the seams needs to be at the same level as the top of the panels so that there is a smooth transition from panel to panel.
Today I mixed up a very thick batch of wood flour epoxy and applied it to the bow and stern stems to build them up. The thickened epoxy had to be packed into the syringe because it was too thick to pour. After the epoxy hardens, I will use tools to shape the stems.
January 28-31, 2012 I spent some time over the last few days shaping the bow and stern stems. I used a surform to remove most of the material and then a coarse file, a belt sander and sandpaper to finish the job. I used a random orbital sander to smooth all of the uneven areas along the hull and now it is ready for the saturation coat. Jan 31, 2012
Saturation coat day! This really brings out the color of the wood! I applied a total of about 12 ounces of epoxy to the hull.
February 2, 2012 Today I placed the fiberglass blanket on the hull. This blanket will become a permanent part of the kayak to give it strength.
February 2, 2012 I applied epoxy over the fiberglass to adhere it to the hull. Epoxy is rolled on, 6 ounces at a time, worked in to cause the fiberglass to disappear, and then the excess epoxy is squeegeed off. The squeegeed epoxy is very milky in appearance and can't be reused. This step took a long time to complete.
I used a clothes pin to hold the fiberglass against the hull to aid in rolling the epoxy on.
I used a cut up milk jug to hold the waste epoxy. The handle made it easy to hold on to and I will discard the jug when I am done with both kayaks. I used sacrificial clothes pins to hold the fiberglass together at the tips of the boat. I left them on until the epoxy cured and cut them away when I removed the excess fiberglass that was hanging beyond the edge of the hull.
February 3-9, 2012 Over several days I added fill coats (more epoxy) to the hull. I added the reinforcing tape to the keel at the same time. Now the outside of the hull is essentially done.
I added the deck panels and wired them together. One of the first things that you do to the deck is to glue the top 2 bow panels together just behind the cockpit opening. I set the panels together on the table and YIKES! There was a problem! These two panels are not suppose to have a gap between them. I called Pygmy boats in a panic. I had uploaded the photo of the gap so that the person at Pygmy boats could see what my concern was. It was determined that the panels were not fully cut and that I could safely file the panels so that they would butt together without the gap. They assured me that if that didn't work then they would send new panels to me. I filed, glued and found that everything worked out OK - so far.
February 10, 2012 I finished putting the deck together. Next I taped the deck to the hull for alignment and epoxied the deck seams. The deck is not attached to the hull yet. There is a lot of work to do inside the kayak before that is done.
I cut a cradle from 1/2" plywood to support the boat while working on it.
February 14, 2012 Today I applied fiberglass reinforcing tape to the seams on the underside of the deck. The underside of the deck will only have two small pieces of fiberglass blanket applied to it.
February 15-16, 2012 Today I added two pieces of fiberglass blanket to the underside of the deck at the rear of the cockpit opening and covered all of the underside of the deck with epoxy. The fiberglass that appears at the back of the cockpit opening will be trimmed away as soon as the epoxy sets up a little.
Yikes! Now the bad news. Today I noticed that a couple of my deck panels have shifted and are not in alignment. The result is that the butt seams on the deck panels are not in a straight line anymore. Bummer. They were aligned when I first wired them together, but they must have shifted when I was manipulating the panels together at the bow and stern. Sadly, it is way too late to do anything about it now.Feb 16. I added a second coat of epoxy to the underside of the deck and the first coat of epoxy to the inside of the hull.
February 17, 2012 Today I applied fiberglass to the inside of the hull. Not an easy task because the fiberglass didn't always stay where I wanted it.
After the epoxy had set up for a couple of hours, I cut the edge of the fiberglass by running a blade along the lower edge of the blue masking tape. As I cut the fiberglass, I pulled the tape away. When I had finished cutting the fiberglass and removing the tape, I pressed down the newly cut edge of the fiberglass. Next I will add fill coats of epoxy to the inside of the hull and then install the optional foot brace studs. Without these studs, you must drill holes through the hull to install the foot brace rails - and I didn't want to do that.
February 25, 2012 After installing the foot brace studs, I placed the deck on top of the hull. I used tape, cargo straps and a woodworker's clamp to position the deck correctly on top of the hull. Then I epoxied the joint between the hull and deck.
April 23, 2012 Finally I'm back to working on the kayak! I have waited several weeks for the weather to warm up. After reading an article, that was suggested by a friend, I realized that I needed to have the temperature in my garage at least 70 - 75 degrees. The article explains how to get a good epoxy coat on a boat. I found that the epoxy was much thinner and went on the boat MUCH better when the temperature was up.
Pictured is the kayak with the fiberglass blanket in place and trimmed.
April 24, 2012 The picture shows where I have started rolling the epoxy onto the deck. As with the hull, the fiberglass disappears into the epoxy. The epoxy works into the fiberglass much better at the elevated temperature.
Although my Pinguino 14.5 waited several weeks for warmer weather, I wasn't idle. I started building Diana's kayak. It is on the bench in the background.
April 24, 2012 The glassing of the deck is complete. I waited about 3 hours and then trimmed the excess fiberglass from the cockpit opening and also the excess that was just below the sheer line.
April 24, 2012 The excess fiberglass is trimmed just below the sheer line. Tomorrow and the next day I plan to roll on 2 fill coats of epoxy.
May 5, 2012 Today I installed the cockpit coaming. The instructions suggested that the builder use lots of clamps...
May 15, 2012 I taped a temporary handle onto the front bulkhead so that I could hold it in position properly while I taped it in place in preparation for epoxy.
June 15, 2012 Adjustable foot pads installed. I bought the optional foot pad studs because I didn't want to drill holes through the hull and have the foot brace rail bolt heads showing from the outside.
To maintain proper distance between the studs while the exopy was setting up, I threaded a nut part way down the studs and put the foot pedal brace on the studs.
July 16, 2012 I stood the Pinguino on its end in a bucket of cool water.
I poured several ounces of epoxy into the bow & stern ends (not at the same time) so that I could later drill holes thorough the hull for the carry straps. Because the epoxy creates its own heat when it cures it was necessary to have the end of the kayak in water so that the epoxy wouldn't get too hot.
August 8, 2012 After several coats of spar varnish were applied to the outside of the boat, I installed the seat back and seat cushion.
August 8, 2012 I decided to hold the hatches down with internal bungee cords. The anchors are strips of pine.
August 8, 2012 I installed hooks for the bungee cords and a tether. Then I applied a dab of clear silicone sealer to the ends of the tethers to keep them from unraveling.
August 9, 2012 Ready for its maiden voyage!
August 9, 2012 Pretty wood pattern.
August 9, 2012 Another angle.
September 3, 2012 It floats! The maiden voyage was on Labor Day 2012 on the Columbia River. We had a picnic on an island in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
May 28, 2013 I added a pump holder to the kayak. It is made from a piece of 2" ABS drain pipe and an end cap. This is very handy since it stores the pump out of the way in unused space.
First I sanded the inside of the endcap so that the pipe would be easy to install into it with a light push. No glue needed here. Then I attached the end cap to the front bulkhead with a stainless steel machine screw and nut. I pushed the end of the pipe into the end cap and attached the other end of the pipe to the underside of the coaming with a screw. The pipe is cut lengthwise to accommodate the pump and is cut so the pump is snug in the pipe
October 2012 - May 2013 The finished 14.5 4PD
His and her Pygmy kayaks at Lake Merwin, Washington.
His: 14.5
Hers: 14.5 4PD (on right).
Foot brace stud kit. I chose to use the stud kits because otherwise you have bolt heads showing on the outside of your kayak.
Stud alignment markings.
Epoxy-wood flour mix applied.
Stud pressed into the epoxy. Note the nut partially threaded onto the stud. This will hold the foot brace rail up keeping it from getting into the epoxy.
Nut removed and the fiberglass added.
Smother with epoxy.
Foot brace rails are sitting on both studs AND on nuts threaded part way down the studs so that the braces don't end up in the epoxy. This method keeps the studs in alignment while the epoxy cures.
Bilge pump and holder pieces.
Bilge pump in holder.
End cap of pipe installed on front bulkhead.
Light tape.
Miscut pieces from Pygmy. I was able to sand down both pieces so that there wasn't a gap.
Heavy tape.
Milk jug cut to hold waste epoxy that was squeegeed off. Notice how milky the waste epoxy looks.
Wire used to make staples.
Billions and billions of staples....
Bag of wood flour.
Diagram showing where you fill the gap twix the panels with thickened epoxy.
clothes pin used to keep fiberglass from lifting from end of kayak.
Clothes pin use.
Cradle to hold kayak.
Cups from the Dollar Tree for mixing epoxy.
Fabric cutter from wife's sewing kit.
Epoxy warmer. A 25 watt light bulb warms the epoxy and hardener.
