Solo Kayak. Class Manual. Pygmy Boats Inc. 355 Hudson, #9 Port Townsend, WA Phone:

Transcription

1 Solo Kayak Class Manual Pygmy Boats Inc. 355 Hudson, #9 Port Townsend, WA Phone:

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3 Pygmy License Agreement Carefully read the following license agreement before opening the box that contains the license agreement seal. By opening the box you indicate your acceptance of the terms of this agreement. If you do not accept the terms of this agreement, do not open the box and promptly return the entire kit to Pygmy Boats Inc., 31C Workman St, Port Townsend WA for a full refund. LICENSE GRANT Pygmy Boats Inc. grants you a nonexclusive license to: build a boat from the contents of this kit. You may not: Reverse-engineer, copy, or reproduce the parts included in this kit for any purpose. Use the design of this boat or the design of any of the parts in this kit as the basis for anything else. Give, sell, transfer, loan, show or describe the parts in this kit or the boat built from this kit to anyone else whom you have reason to believe would do any of the acts prohibited to you by this license agreement. You may, after written notification to Pygmy Boats Inc., transfer the entire kit or the boat built therefrom to a person or entity provided that they agree to the terms of this license agreement. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY The kit is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose that are made by Pygmy Boats Inc. on this product. No oral or written information or advice given by Pygmy Boats Inc., agents or employees shall create a warranty or in any way increase the scope of this warranty. The entire risk as to the results, effects and performance of this product is assumed by you. US PATENTS D464303, B2 Canadian Patent Other Patents Applied For (c) Copyright , John Lockwood - All Rights Reserved Version October 2017

4 Shop Provided Materials The following is a list of tools and materials typically made available by the facility conducting a Pygmy Boats Building class for participant use: -Stir Sticks -Gloves (4 boxes per 6 students seems to work)*** -Sandpaper*** (80, 100, 120 for hand sanding & orbital sanders) -Acetone -drywall screws (1"x2.5") -Tables* -Brad nails -Material for propping boats and decks* (18 or more small boxes or plywood) -Colored labels (yard sale labels in multi-colors work fine) -Straight 2x4(1 for every 2 students) 8' long "x20" plywood 1/4" or 1/2" thick (to protect tips and glue deck plate on) -Roller Frames*** -Fiberglass Cloth Holder (if we are sending a roll, in some cases it is pre-cut) -2 or more Random Orbital Sanders -16P Nails for holding tip Frames -Draw Saw - 6" Quick Grip Clamps (2-4 per student)*** -Hammer*** -Paper Towels -Hand Cleaner -2" Chip Brushes -2" foam brushes -Dust Masks*** -Ear Plugs*** -Assorted Drill Bits- Extra 1/16" bits *** -Framing Square (2 is generally good) -2 or more cordless driver drills and Chargers -Blue painters masking Tape 3/4"-1" wide -Pencils -Wire Snips -Pliers -Tape Measure -Chisels (for cleaning out epoxy) 1/2"-3/4" -12" Combination Square*** -Trowel, Putty Knife (2") * keep these for future classes -Surform (5") *** ***Students are asked to bring this -sanding block but we recommend instructors have -Screw Driver spare or backups available. If students forget tools they can always -Vacuum be directed to a nearby hardware -Clear Packing Tape store. -Hot Melt Gun & Sticks -Coarse bastard File -File Card -Utility Knife with Blades*** -Plastic Containers for Mixing epoxy (clean plastic margarine tubs or yogurt containers work well)

5 Student Provided Tools and Materials Students participating in a Pygmy Boats Building Class are expected to bring the following tools and materials -7" Paint Roller Frame -Paint Tray and 4-Paint Tray Liners - Exam gloves that fit your hand -Hammer -2pr, 1/8" thick roller covers (available through marine hardware stores or at -80, 100 & 120 grit sheet sandpaper -Sanding block -Cordless drill -Two or more 1/16" drill bits -Utility Knife with Blades -Pliers -Dust Mask -Safety Glasses -Scissors -Hearing Protection -12" Combination Square -Tape Measure -Head Lamp -Surform 5" or Block Plane -6" Quick Grip Clamps x 2 -Wire Snips -Chisel (1/2" or 3/4") -Screw Driver -Coarse Bastard File -File Card Pygmy Provided Tools and Materials These items will be provided by Pygmy Boats for use during a class -wire rolls / 2 per student -Epoxy** -Syringes -Gorilla Tape (1/each student, plus extra for instructor) -2 squeegees / student -2 pairs foam rollers/ student -push pins (approx. 1 box / student)* -6 oz. fiberglass tape / 1-31ydroll / student ** -Wood Flour -Master Manual, 1 per student + instructors -Panels -Temp Frames -epoxy pumps * keep these for future classes ** they take leftover home -Fiberglass Cloth sufficient for glassing the interior of each hull and underside of deck -Mylar

6 Glossary Cockpit Cockpit Coaming Aft: Behind the cockpit. Beam: The width of a boat at its widest point. Bow: The front of a boat when facing forward.. Stern Bow Seam: The seam between the bow ("b") panels Bow Sheer and the middle ("m") panels. Chine Keel Bulkhead: A vertical partition fore and/or aft the cockpit, which provides floatation and dry storage compartments for gear storage. Cabinet Scraper: A rectangular piece of metal with a small bur created along the long edge. Used for taking down high areas of epoxy or varnish. They most often come with a plastic sheath and are available at most hardware stores. Coaming: The lip at the top of the cockpit around which a spray skirt is secured. Cockpit: The opening in the deck where a paddler sits. Chine: An angle running the length of a boat, where 2 panels or planks meet. Deck: The section of the boat above the sheer line. End Grain: The edge of the wood where it has been cut. Fair: Smooth, without any pronounced bulges or dips. Fillet: (pronounced fill'-ett) A band or ribbon of epoxy thickened to a putty with wood flour to fill a tight corner or chine. Fore: Forward of the cockpit. Freeboard: The distance from the waterline to the top of the boat. Green: beyond tacky but not fully cured. Gunwales: Structural supports along the sheer of a boat (wherries and canoes). Hard-chine: A hull style with two chines and a keel. Traditional Greenland style kayaks are hard-chine. Hatch: The access port fore and/or aft of the cockpit the deck of a boat. Hull: The section of the boats below the sheer line. Initial Stability: A boats resistance to leaning from an upright position. Laminate: The act of bonding successive layers of material to create a solid whole. i.e., laminating wood and fiberglass together, or several layers of fiberglass. Keel: The bottom center line of the hull running from bow to stern. LOA: Length Over All. Multi-chine: A hull style with multiple chines or angles running the length of the boat. Traditional Aleutian kayaks are multi-chine. Plumb: Perpendicular to the ground. A plumb stern is at a right angle to the water or ground. Port: The left side of a boat when facing forward. Raked: Angled up from the keel at less than 90 degrees. Rocker: The curvature along the profile of a keel. The amount of rocker is directly related to maneuverability. Usually the more rocker, the more maneuverable. Secondary Stability: The stability of a boat as it is leaned over. A boat with high secondary stability can be leaned further over before capsizing is imminent. Sheer: The seam of transition between the hull and the deck of a boat, or the upper most edge of a hull. Shim: To elevate using thin pieces of material. Starboard: The right side of a boat when facing forward. Stems: The portion of the keel that rises towards the tips at the bow and stern of the boat. Stern: The back of the boat when facing forward. Tacky: When epoxy has begun to harden, yet is not fully cured. There are ranges of tacky. Thickened Epoxy: Adding wood flour to epoxy to achieve the desired consistency. Tracking: The ability of a boat to go in a straight line. Usually a less maneuverable boat. Water Line Length: The length of boat in contact with the water. This is directly related to the top speed a boat will achieve. Only the most athletic paddlers can maintain the highest hull speed of a boat. Wetted Surface: The amount of boat surface area making contact with water. This is directly related to the efficiency of a boat. The more wetted surface, the more friction leads to less efficiency.

7 Plunger Pump Instructions The enclosed plunger pumps can be used to meter and dispense System Three epoxy resin and hardener. They fit directly into the one gallon jugs and with minor modifications can be fitted to the 2.5 and 5 gallon containers. The pumps dispense about one fluid ounce per full stroke. If you do not choose to install a restrictor on the hardener pump then use two strokes of resin to one stroke of hardener to achieve the proper two to one ratio. Enclosed with each set of pumps is a small plastic tube (restrictor) which is slotted down one side. This can be placed on the hardener pump to limit the stroke by 50%. The restrictor must be placed between the pump cap and double flared seal at base. With the restrictor installed on the hardener pump one stroke of the epoxy resin pump (one fluid ounce) and one stroke of the hardener pump (1/2 fluid ounce) yields the proper mix ratio of two to one by volume. NOTE: When pumping multiple strokes for large batches; alternate pumping one stroke of resin then one stroke of hardener- this allows time for the pump to return all the way to the top and also keeps the number of resin strokes equal to the number of hardener strokes. DO NOT pull up on the plunger when it is returning to its original position, so as to not trap air within the pump. USING THE PUMP: Remove the inlet tube and slide it into the hole at base of pump. Install into jug. You will need to cut the inlet tube when putting it into a 1/2 gallon or quart bottle. If you are installing the pump in the pint bottle you will need to cut the bottom of the pump slightly. When cutting, it works best if you cut the tube at a slant. Prime by pumping up and down a few times to make certain that all air is expelled from pump. If this priming is difficult then warm the material in the jug. Double check to make sure that the pumps your are using are metered in the proper 2:1 volumetric ratio. Units that have stood unused for several days or more should be pumped a few times to remove any air that may have seeped into the system. Check ratio if pump burps. Ignore burping if ratio is correct. INSTALLING THE RESTRICTOR: Disassemble the pump by unscrewing the pump body at the cap. Slide cap towards top of pump. Place restrictor between pump cap and double flared seal at base. Make certain that the restrictor is seated in the slot at the base of the pump. See diagram. Reassemble. RESTRICTOR

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9 Introduction This manual is written as a guide book for instructors conducting a Pygmy Boats solo kayak building class. If you have assembled one of our kayaks from a kit before you will notice that we have significantly changed the sequence of steps and assembly techniques used. This allows a class to maximize the amount of work that can be completed over a one-week period. At the conclusion of the week-long class students will be able to drive away with a fully assembled kayak. The work left to do in their home shop is glass laminate the exterior of the deck and hull, install seat and footbraces, install any accessory kits, sand and finish. Those steps are described in section B of this manual. Please read through this entire manual and familiarize yourself with the overall construction sequence before you start putting your kit together. Links to videos of the construction process have been included throughout this manual. These do require internet access to view. When you click a link your computer may ask if you trust the site. Clicking 'allow' will take you the video, hosted by YouTube. Epoxy Notes Epoxy is a two part system. Any reference to epoxy in this manual indicates the necessity to mix two parts of Part A to one part of Part B. It is necessary to have the 2 parts properly mixed in order for the epoxy to cure. There will never be a time when one part is used without the other. Before working with the epoxy and hardener for the first time, place the bottles in very hot water for one hour. Replace the cooled water with more hot water and soak for another hour. Keeping the bottles at room temperature (68 degrees) after this initial soak will keep the resin and hardener thin so it will pump and blend easily. If the space you are storing your resin and hardener is cooler than 68 degrees, warm the liquids before use by placing the bottles in a box with a light bulb. The goal is to warm the resin and hardener sufficiently to allow them to pump easily. It is possible to heat the resin and hardener too much. If the bottles are hot to the touch allow them to cool a bit before using. Note: If the Part A resin gets cold or is stored for long periods, it is likely to crystallize. This will appear as a white mass at the bottom of the bottle. To de-crystallize the resin, repeat the heating technique described above until the whiteness is completely gone. This may take several changes of the hot tap water. Your kit came with a pair of pumps. Assemble your epoxy pumps, placing the restrictor into the hardener pump and an extension on the end of each. Before mixing your first batch of epoxy, prime the pumps to remove any air. After the pumps are primed, confirm they are metering the correct amount of resin and hardener. Using the two 6.5 oz cups that came in your kit, pump one stroke of resin in one cup and one stroke of hardener in the other. Your epoxy resin pump should be metering 1 oz per stroke and the hardener pump with restrictor installed should be metering 1 / 2 oz of hardener. I recommend that you mix your epoxy in a wide mouth plastic container such as a margarine or yogurt container. This will prevent the epoxy from building up too much heat. If you mix it in small amounts (Note: never more than 6oz total at a time) and apply it from a wide bottomed container where the epoxy is never more than 1" in height, it will thicken slowly and gradually. Epoxy generates heat as it cures. If you mix 10oz of epoxy and leave it in a measuring cup for ten minutes it will generate so much heat that it will start to boil. When applying epoxy, it should always be mixed and spread out on the boat within 10 minutes or it will start to thicken slightly and not flow or penetrate as well. This is not as critical when you are using it as a glue. Two parts of resin to 1 part of hardener must be measured carefully and thoroughly mixed. Stir the mixture for at least one minute. Do not add too much hardener on cold days, thinking that it will speed the cure. With epoxy resins, adding too much or too little hardener will slow down the cure and if the ratio is Page 1

10 off by more than 10% it will prevent the mixture from curing at all. If you are working during the winter in a garage or basement that is unheated, it is a good idea to bring in a space heater and try to get the temperature to at least 55 o (65 to 70 o is optimal). At 55 o, epoxy will setup overnight but may take several days to cure hard enough to prevent your sandpaper from clogging. If you are working at cool temperatures (55 o to 70 o ) hold the epoxy in front of a heat lamp, a light bulb, or a hair dryer while you stir it. If the epoxy is cold (below 70 degrees) it will be thick and hard to spread. When you are painting it over glass cloth as a laminating resin, or on wood as a surface finish, you want the epoxy to go on as thin as possible so that it will penetrate the wood or glass. Placing your epoxy containers in a cardboard box with a light bulb in it is an easy way to keep your epoxy warm for use. If you are working below 70 o keep your epoxy bottles in the house or other warm place. At 55 o the epoxy will be too viscous to allow the epoxy pumps that come in the kit to work properly. When you are ready to use the epoxy, bring the bottles in from a warmer place (ideally 70 o ). During saturation, lamination, and fill coats, cold epoxy spreads in a thicker film than room temperature epoxy. You will use more epoxy during the construction of your boat if it is applied at cool temperatures and you may end up needing to buy additional epoxy. Work at a constant or falling temperature when coating new wood. When the temperature is rising, air trapped in the wood, beneath the uncured epoxy, may expand and cause small bubbles to form in the coating. This phenomenon is referred to as "off gassing." After applying epoxy, go back in a half hour and use the yellow squeegee to wipe off any drips. Check again in another half hour. Working clean saves much sanding later. If you have sanding to do, try to keep your work area warm. If that cannot be done, just wait until the panels are more fully cured. An alternative method which avoids the problem of plugged sandpaper is to use a cabinet scraper. A cabinet scraper does an excellent job of smoothing an exposed surface. It works best if you scrape the surface down the next day while the epoxy is still "green". Avoid working epoxy that has been on a panel surface for too long. If you try to brush or squeegee epoxy that is starting to thicken you may get milky streaks under your brush. If this happens, quit working the surface. You can always go back later and apply more epoxy after the current layer has cured. After your epoxy has cured, you may notice an oily film on the surface. This is a normal product of the resin system. The film is water soluble and can be wiped off with a damp cloth. It will normally be removed by either sanding or scraping. It does not need to be removed if you apply the next coat of epoxy within 72 hours. System III epoxy will chemically bond to itself if it is applied within 72 hours. If the previous coat was applied more than 72 hours before, the epoxy surface must be sanded first. Always wear rubber gloves when mixing and using epoxy. Care should be taken not to get epoxy on your skin. Some people develop a skin allergy when they repeatedly come in contact with epoxy. When you are applying the fiberglass tape make sure that your gloved hands are clean. When you are rolling out the tape do not allow small amounts of resin from your gloves to dirty the sides of the tape roll. If you do, later when you use the tape again the hardened resin will stiffen the tape edges and prevent the tape from laying flat. Wood Notes Wood is an organic material. There are natural variations in density and color. By keeping the panels marked left together and those marked right together, you are more likely to have grain pattern and color consistency throughout the boat. The labels on the panels have been placed so that they will be on the inside of your boat, and later removed. If you choose to switch your left and right side, inspect them carefully as there may be minor blemishes found by our shop crew which are intentionally placed on the inside of your boat. Wood will darken when exposed to air or sunlight. This can happen very quickly in direct sunlight. The best results for even color throughout your boat are obtained by working steadily through the project. Here Page 2

11 is why. The rate at which the wood darkens will vary between the areas saturated with epoxy and those that are not. If your project is spread out over a long period of time, the area that was initially saturated at the butt seams may appear lighter in color once you saturate your entire hull. You could attempt to solve this by pre-saturating the boat panels before you begin your project. However, after gluing the chines and removing the wires, you will sand round each of the chines to help the fiberglass lay smoothly. At that point you run the risk of sanding through wood that has darkened considerably and exposing lighter wood underneath. This can cause lighter stripes running the length of your boat at each of the chines. To some extent, color variations diminish over time, after the boat has been completed. It is safest though, to avoid the risk of uneven color by making steady progress on your building project. You may find stickers or stamps on some of your panels placed there by the mill. Scrape stickers off and then sand out any of the residue left. Stamps can be lightly sanded out. Boat Preparation Prior to the Start of class Read through this manual thoroughly prior to the start of class. There are video links for many of the steps but they do require internet access to view them. After reviewing the manual open the boat boxes and label the panels. As soon as you open an individual boat box you will want to mark every component contained in that box colored label or some other unique ID marking so that parts are not confused with parts from another kit before or during the class. Every boat panel already comes with a small identification label on it. The panels are numbered 1 through 4 for hard chine boats, or 1 through 6 for the multi chine models. The bow end is marked with a B, the Stern with an S. If there is a middle section to the boat, the bow end of the middle section will have labels marked with an M. 6B 5S 6M 5B 4S 5M 4M 4B 3S 2S 1S 3M 2M 1M Align to a 3' straight edge Above diagram showing left side panels for Murrelet 4PD 1B 2B 3B Lay out 4x8 sheets of plywood on the floor Unless your shop has ample table surface, you will most likely need to glue up boat panels on the floor. Use two sheets placed end to end for any of the boats with two seams (Coho, Murrelet, AT, Borealis). One sheet will work fine for boats with only a center seam, though the ends of the panels will hang out over the plywood so it is crucial that they are not stepped on. Rope off any work area that has visitors passing through. Page 3

12 Note: we have found that Masonite is too dense and can cause damage as you are pulling up the tacked down panels. Take 48" long strips of Mylar and place them across the plywood where you intend the butt seams to go. Next, lay out all of the boat panels leaving approximately 2 between each panel edge at their closest point. Note: Before beginning to glue your panels together make sure all mill stamps have been sanded off the wood and mill stickers have been peeled off and cleaned (lacquer thinner works to remove most of the glue, followed by a light sanding). Confirm the shapes of your panels are the same as in the diagrams starting in the appendix section beginning page A1. The keel line is straight in the middle and turns up at the ends. Align the keel to a 3 foot straight edge as shown above to ensure the center of the keel line is flat and straight. When you lay out your panels as shown above, the labels on the panels should be up. This will start your epoxy work on the inside of the boat. If needed, deburr the butt ends of the panels by lightly sanding them with fine sand paper. Align and Glue Panels Carefully align the butt seams and then tack the panels down Butt Seam to the plywood with brad nails (2 on each side of the seam). Space these brad nails about 3 away from the butt seam and 1/4" in from the panel edge so that they are well clear of the fiberglass tape and Mylar which will cover the seam. Next, cut a length of 4oz. fiberglass tape for each panel. The 3 tape should be slightly longer than the width of the panel. Also, cut strips of 4 wide Mylar to the same length as the 4oz tape pieces and stage these next to your butt seams. On a table saw, cut strips of ¾ plywood that are 3 ¼ wide. Take these to a chop saw and cut them into individual lengths to be placed on top of each panel butt seam. Cut each approximately ½ longer than the panel it is meant for. Last, find individual weights to be placed on each butt seam. Ideally these weights will be in the 3lb. to 7lb. range. You can use full epoxy bottles, full paint cans, bricks, lead weights, ect. Anything which will evenly balance on top of your 3 ¼ plywood strip. Keep an eye out for panels which have any twist to them, causing one edge of the butt seam to rise. Designate your heavier weights to such panels so that you are sure they will be pressed flat. To glue the butt seams mix up two pumps each of resin and hardener (be sure the restrictor is installed onto the pump in the hardener bottle). Using a 2 foam brush paint a liberal coat on the bare wood over the butt seam. Lay your piece of glass tape over this and then paint more epoxy onto the tape and tamp down lightly until the glass tape is completely wetted out. Next, lay the Mylar strip over your tape and with a squeegee evacuate any air bubbles from under the Mylar. Start this action from the center of the Mylar and work out in either direction. Squeegee up the excess epoxy and discard into a cup. Then set your plywood strip over the Mylar followed by the weight. Repeat for all seams. It will likely take more than one cup of epoxy to complete a boat, but don t get ahead of yourself. Finish completely as many panels as you can before mixing more. You may find that epoxy will continue to ooze creating a long bead along the edge of the Mylar. Check your panels after half an hour and clean off any of this excess epoxy. Let the epoxy cure overnight Page 4

13 Glue Other Side The next day use a thin putty knife to gently pry up the panels from the plywood. You can then press down on the panels to push the nail head up and then pull it out the rest of the way with pliers or snips. Make sure that neither the putty knife, nor pliers are marking or gouging the panels. Next, trim the glass tape and epoxy with a razor knife as close as you can to the panel edge without cutting into the wood. Use a medium bastard file to finish cleaning up the edge of the panels. Be sure when doing this that you are not reshaping the panels. Epoxy will soak into the end grain of the wood, which can be deceiving as you file off the excess epoxy. It can be helpful to elevate the panel off the floor a few inches for this step. You can lift the panel and slide a small cardboard box under the butt seam, but realize when doing this that the seam has strength only in one direction. The seam is strong if it is being flexed away from the glassed joint, but if it is flexed the opposite way, by lifting the ends of the panel up, there is very little strength and the joint can easily snap. After all butt joints have been cleaned up, carefully turn the panels over. To do this spread your arms out wide and take hold of the panel so that the curve of the panel, if there is any, is arcing away from you. As you turn it over allow the ends of the panel to remain touching, and supported, by the floor. Make sure your larger pieces of Mylar are still centered under the butt seams and then follow the same gluing sequence to epoxy and tape the other side. Trim and file the panels the following day. Cut Frame Spacers Each boat will need a set of three ¼ plywood spacers which are attached to the three main frames Note: The Selkie, Freya, and Ronan kits includes the correct size spacers. Rip the spacers on a table saw being as accurate as you can. The spacer heights are critical to the shape of the boat. Cut the spacers to length with a chop saw. Each spacer length should be about 1" less than the overall width of it's corresponding frame. At the same time cut a length of 2x4 which matches each of these spacer widths. The spacer measurements for all boat models are as follows: Bow Center Stern Tern /8" 8 7-3/16" Tern-17 & Tern Hi 5-9/16" 7-1/16" 6-3/16" Murrelet (all designs) 7-1/8" 8-1/2" 7-11/16" Coho & Coho Hi 5-11/16" 7-11/16" 6-3/4" Osprey Std 4-1/16" 6" 5-1/16" Osprey 13' 3-5/8" 5-1/4" 4-7/16" Borealis 5-15/16" 7-1/2" 6-11/16" Ping Sport 5-7/16" 7-7/8" 6-11/16" Ping 145 & 145-4PD 7-1/4" 9" 7-15/16" Bow / Mid Bow Center Stern Ping Pro /16" / 4-15/16"* 8-7/8" 6-7/16" * The Pinguino pro model has one additional bow frame described as the Mid Bow frame. Build tables You are going to build a 2 x 8 plywood tabletop for each student. Use ½ plywood and screw it down to a 2x2 frame to stiffen it and insure the top is a flat surface with no dips or bows to it. Set the fame in 2 in from the edge of the plywood so that students can clamp to the tabletop without having to include the 2x2. These tabletops are then placed on a pair of sawhorses. The sawhorses must not have cross supports Page 5

14 at the floor level which would obstruct a hull or deck from being slid under the table. (An alternative to this would be if your shop had adequate space to safely store all of the student s decks, or hulls, away from the work main area.) Workspace Spacing Spacing. Make sure that each workstation has enough room to comfortably walk around. The diagram show one example of minimal spacing needed. It is nice to have at least three feet between the widest parts of each student s table assembly. Build Fiberglass Cloth Holder This is only relevant if you are working with a full roll of cloth (depending on the circumstances some classes may receive pre-cut lengths of cloth). If working with a full roll you will need some way to suspend the fiberglass cloth while you roll out lengths for each boat. Straighten 2x4s on Jointer Each boat model with a flat section in its keel (see appendix pga7) will need to have a straight 8 long 2x4 which the boat will sit on to control this portion of the keel. If your shop is equipped with a jointer, straighten one of the 2 edges on the appropriate number of 2x4s. If your shop does not have a jointer you will need to spend some time at the local lumber yard sighting down 2x4s until you find the right number of straight boards. Mark the straight side and then run a piece of clear packing tape down the entire length so that the student will not glue their keel line to the board. Cut 18 x 18 Squares from ¼ Plywood You will want two for each student. These can be used to set over the ends of panels that are lying on the ground to protect them from being kicked. Each student will also use one at the end of the first day when they glue the backing plate to the underside of their cockpit seam. Introductions Fiberglass Roll Day 1 Have students introduce themselves: name, city, state, and boat they are building. Give a brief review of how far the class will get and the importance of reaching the epoxy step at the end of each day. Talk about teaching a step and then a second step, but not a third until everyone has finished the first step. If someone is behind, those finishing the second step will help those still on the first step catch up. Talk about lunch, approximate time, and any close by restaurants or other lunch options. Page 6

15 3 3/4 Instructor Manual Drill Holes Begin class with all of the hull panels on the table and all of the deck panels as well as the temporary frames under the table. Lay the #2 left and right side panels on top of each other to measure, mark, and drill the stem end holes. The stem ends of the panels are where the left and right sides of the boat are wired together at each end of the hull. To properly space and drill holes at the stem ends of your panels draw a pencil line 1/4" in along both the stern and bow stem ends of the #2 panels. Measure along this line 1/2" in from each edge of the panel and place a mark with a pencil. Then drill the holes using 1/16 drill bit at each mark. Be sure to slide panel on the table so that the ends being drilled are fully supported. This is a good time to point out that students must watch where they are walking and let their neighbor know if they are sliding a panel into that student s work area. For the hard chine hulls add additional holes between the first two you drilled so that you have holes evenly spaced approximately every two inches. Repeat these steps on panels #3 and #4 for the multi chine hulls. Make sure to add a third hole evenly spaced between the first two holes on these panels (the #2 panels on a multi chine hull will only need two holes in the stem ends). Next, drill a pair of 1 / 16 " holes spaced 1 away from either side of center butt seams ¼ in from the upper edge of the panels and a pair on either side of the butt seams 1 / 4 " in from the lower edge of the panels. Slide the #2, and #3 panels if building a multi chine hull, under the table. To handle a full length panel by yourself first tip it on edge with the curved side down, hold your arms well apart, bring the panel to the end of the table and set on floor, then drag the panel under the table lifting up on the leading end so that the tips don t snag on anything. Leave the #1 and #4 for the multi chine hulls, or #1 and #2 for hard chine hulls on the table. On #1 keel panels drill additional holes along the lower edge of for the last 14" of the bow and stern ends, so that you have one hole every 2". Start the first of this series of holes as close to the tip as possible while staying 1/4 away from both 14" edges. Click Here to Watch a Drilling Holes Video Mark Frame Placement 12 1/ /16 Sheer Panel 39 1/2 23 Stern Bow 6 9/ /4 39 1/4 Keel Panel Example of frame placement dimension for Pinguino Measure and mark the placement for the three main frames on the #1 and Sheer panels (#4 on multichine hulls or the #2 on hard chined models). See appendix pg A6 for a table of measurements showing Page 7

16 frame positions for each boat design. Use a carpenters square to draw the line on the #1 panels, marking a right angle from the keel edge of the panel all the way across. For the two tip frames, hook a tape measure on the tip of the #1 panel and pivot it until the measurement you are marking touches the bottom (keel) edge of the panel. Make a 1 ½ mark for the tip frames. Carry all pencil marks to both edges of panels (i.e. mark the 4mm edge). This is especially important on the keel edge for the tip frames. On the sheer panels make a 1 ½ pencil mark at the sheer (long enough so that it will still be there after the panel is beveled). Measure and mark both left and right sides so that you are forced to measure twice. Click Here to Watch a Video of Marking the Placements for Frames Bevel Sheer Edge The upper edge of the hull sheer panel is beveled. This will cause the panels at the sheer to meet on the inside edge of the outer ply. The lower edge of the deck sheer panels will be beveled prior to assembly of the deck. Be sure the edge you are beveling is the inside face of the upper edge of their sheer panel (#2 or #4 panels). Pinguino 150 Pro Builders, do not bevel the section of the sheer edge where the paddle cutout panel will be positioned Bevel here Use a 5 surform or block plane for the majority of the panel and a file for the last few inches at the tips. It will be necessary to slide and rotate the panel as you cut the bevel so that it is always well supported near the edge of the table. Use 2 quick grip clamps to hold the panel on either side of the area you re working on. You will be beveling through the first two ply and leaving the last ply untouched. Page 8 Click Here to Watch a Video of Beveling the Sheer Edge Mark and Drill Temp Frames Attach Frame Spacers Make a pencil mark at each chine on one side of the three main frames. Hold a ruler on edge up to the frame in places where the chine is at a shallow angle and difficult to see. Drill a wire hole at each chine bisecting the angle and 1 ½ inches away from the chine. Also drill a hole for a sheer wire ½ down from the sheer chine. Click Here to Watch a Video of Marking the Temp Frames Use a straight edge and pencil to draw a line across each main frame sheer chine to sheer chine. With the frame flat on the table, align the appropriate spacer to this line and tack it down to the fame using brad nails (these will likely protrude through the back side of frame tacking it to the work surface as well. Gently pry

17 the frame and spacer off of the table). Hold the frame so that the frame top and spacer sit over the edge of the table and secure the spacer with three 1 screws. The Pinguino 150 Pro has one additional bow frame, the mid bow frame. To position the frame spacer draw a line connecting the points that define the top edge of the deck cut away panel as shown Next, stand the frame up with the spacer resting on a flat clean section of table. Align and screw a 2x4 to the spacer to hold the fame upright. After all three frame assemblies are ready, space them out on the table approximate to where they will be in the boat. Watch Video of Attaching the Frame Spacers Assemble The Keel Pinguino Pro Mid bow frame Lay the #1 panels on top of each other so that the outside face of the panels are facing out and insert 3 long wires through the stem holes. Fold the wires over, cross them, and give them one twist by hand. Insert wires though the two holes that are 1 from the butt seam. Open the panels and set them on the temporary frames. Align the frames to their marks drawn on the keel panels. It is easiest to have two students assist each other to drill holes to wire the keel panels to the frames. Have one student hold the panels down against the frames as another drills holes for the frame wires. Drill wire holes through the keel panels so that there is one hole approximately 1/8" from the bow side of each frame, 1/2" in from one side of the keel seam, and one hole 1/8" from the stern side of each frame, 1/2" in from the opposite side of the keel seam. Offset the hole placement at each frame, e.g. if you drilled a hole at the bow side of mid frame through the left side keel panel, drill holes at the bow side of bow and stern frames through the right side keel panels. Offsetting the holes will prevent the wires from pulling the panels out of alignment when tightened. Insert wires through one keel panel, through the hole in frame just below the keel seam, and back out through the opposite side keel panel Make the sure the wires at the butt seam are tight, then tighten the wires at the frames. Double check that your center butt seam is still aligned. Get the wires tight enough that there is no air space between the frames and the keel line. Watch a Video of Assembling the Keel Tape the keel seam between the center and end wires using lengths of Gorilla tape (approx. 1"x4"). taken from 3" wide roll ripped into thirds. Cut several strips and stick them to the edge of the table to grab as needed. Starting at the butt seams, working out towards the ends, apply pieces of tape across the keel seam spaced 6 apart, adding more tape wherever you feel it is needed. You want to make the seam tight enough that when you adjust the seam alignment the friction between the panels will hold these adjustments in place. Watch a Video of Taping the Keel Page 9

18 Insert Tip Frames Set the bow and stern tip frames on the table and drill a hole in the middle of each frame about 2 up from the point. On the boat, drill a hole right into the keel seam just aft of the pencil mark for the tip frame and a second hole a little over 4mm forward of the mark. Cut a long wire, approx. 2 feet, bend it and feed it down through these holes. Feed one end of the wire through the hole in the tip frame and twist the ends of the wire together. Pull the loop end of the wire at the keel up until the tip frame is pulled into place. Set a nail across the keel seam, perpendicular to the keel, and then twist the wire over the nail so that the tip frame is pulled tight into the keel (the nail prevents the wire from pulling the tip of the frame through the keel seam). Snip off the excess wire. (side view) Frame as seen from side Nail Prevents Wire From Slipping Out Watch a Video of Inserting the Tip Frames Install #2 Panels Bring up the #2 panels and set them on the table next to the boat. Drill holes in the upper edge of the #1 panels at each frame, that is 1/8" from the frames bow/stern face, and 1/2" away from the panels edge. These holes should follow the same counter force pattern which you used on the keel seam so that your panels are not pulled out of alignment when these wires are tightened e.g. if the hole at the mid frame is drilled on the bow side of the frame, holes at the bow and stern frames should be on the aft side. Insert long (10 ) wires through these holes and through the hole in the temporary frames at the second chine. Bring up the # 2 panels. You can clamp two small Quick Grip bar clamps onto the bow and stern temp frames to hold up your next panel while you secure it in place. Insert wires through the holes that were drilled either side of your butt seam in the #2 panels, and pull one end back out through the corresponding holes in the Keel #1 panels and loosely twist the ends together. Put a couple pieces of tape at the ends of your panel to hold it in place. Drill a hole 1/8" in front of or behind each temp frame in the #2 panel 1/2" away from the panels edge. Insert the long wires from your temporary frames through the holes you jut drilled in #2 panels and twist these loosely across the first chine. Wire up the corresponding panel on the other side in the same way and then feed wires through the stem end holes, connecting the left and right side panels together. Make the wires tight enough so that there is no gap between the panel ends, but not so tight that the panels cannot be adjusted later. Page 10

19 Go back and lock the butt seam wires tightly with a pair of pliers and then tape your seams from the butt seam towards the ends of the boat. Where you can, stick down your pieces of tape to the tape on the chine above to increase holding power. After taping is completed, go back and tighten the wires at the frames For the tip frames, feed a wire which loops all the way around the tip frame and pulls the boat up snugly to the frame. This means you will drill a hole on the stern side of a tip frame on both the left and right #1 panels, feed the wire through and then drill holes on the bow side of the frame on both the left and right #2 panels, feed the wire back through and twist it to itself. The wire is not attached to the frame at all. For multichine boats you will be continuing with these same steps for the #3 and #4 panels. Watch Video of Installing the #2 Panels Glue the Deck Butt Plate Cover the 18"x18" plywood piece provided with plastic wrap and place on the floor. Lay the center bow deck panels (#6B's if buildindg a muli chine hull, #4B's if buildiing a hard chine hull) or cockpit apron parts (Murrelet, Pinguino 145-4PD, or Selkies) on top of this plywood with the outside faces up. To bring the joint at the aft edge of the bow deck panels together it is necessary to lift one of the panels up at the front edge of the cockpit opening and bring it over the other panel so that the tips overlap. When the butt seam is aligned, the panels will overlap beginning at the front edge of the cockpit opening. Find the center of the pre-cut deck butt plate and mark it with a pencil. Mix 1.5oz into a small mixing container. Stir in a small amount of wood flour to give the epoxy a 'honey like' consistency. Use a bristle brush to paint some epoxy onto the plate, and slide it under the aft edge of the bow deck panels, or cockpit apron. Align the mark drawn on the butt plate to joint behind the cockpit. Position the plate so the bow edge is flush to the cockpit opening and there is a 4mm overhang in the back. Drive in four brad nails on either side of the joint which will both hold the joint and put downward pressure on the plate. Wipe off any excess epoxy that squeezed out from under the deck panel with a paper towel. Important, remember to always wear gloves any time you are working with uncured epoxy resin to prevent direct skin contact. Watch Video of Gluing the Deck Butt Plate Finish Taping Together Hulls Day 2 You can add additional tape and/or wires wherever it seems needed. Use extra wires if needed near the ends of the boat where the chine angle is flat. You might need a few extra wires to help hold your panel tips snug to the ends of the panel above it. If needed, drill a hole right through the boat in the panel above and then loop the wire Page 11

20 around the tip which needs secured. Drill the hole roughly ¾ in from the end of the panel and then fold the twist of the wire over the tip and tighten, e.g. if the tips of the #1 panels need to be secured, drill your hole directly through both the left and right #2 panels ¾ in from the panel ends. Watch Video of Snugging Panel Ends After the hull is complete, lean under and check that your frames are aligned to the pencil mark on your sheer panels and the frame spacers are flat against the table top. Once they are, drill two holes on either side of each frame ½ up from the panel sheer edges and wire the sheer tight against the frames (including the tip frames). Make sure that both stems of the boats are straight and fair. Hold a ruler or carpenters square parallel to the stem. Next, sight down the keel and stem at each end from both directions, first kneeling down on the floor and sighting up from the bow and stern tips, and then looking from the center of the boat and sighting out towards the tips. Once the stems are properly aligned tighten the wires to lock the panels in place. Watch Video of Taping Together Hulls Put one hand inside the boat and the other on the outside and go along each seam aligning by hand. Wherever a seam does not want to hold by tape pressure alone use a push pin to hold it. Push the pins into the center ply so that they avoid breaking the outer veneer. Watch a Video of Using Push to Align Seams Mask The Keel Seam With Tape This Step applies to all boats which have a flat portion in their keel. It does not apply to Coho, Freya, or Murrelet V2 USE PUSH PINS TO ALIGN SEAMS hulls. Look in the appendix section pg. A7 to find the portion of the keel that should be set flat against a straight edge for each boat. Mark this section of your keel by running a strip of blue painters tape down the portion of the seam described in the manual. This section of the keel seam will not be glued at this time. Tape this section of the keel Glue Hull Seams Mix some epoxy and pour it into a dental syringe. Using your dental syringe, fill all of the outside seams with epoxy. Then fill your dental syringe again, this time with some epoxy that has been thickened with wood flour. To judge the right consistency of the thickened epoxy, stir in wood-flour until the epoxy begins to break and clump as it runs from the tongue depressor. Cut the tip of the syringe you are working with back to create a larger opening to allow the thickened epoxy to flow freely. Put enough thickened epoxy in the seams so that the epoxy bead is slightly higher than the wood on Page 12

21 either side. After all seams are glued clean up any drips or sags by running a squeegee below the seam being careful not to drag any epoxy out of the chine. At the ends of the boat where the seams become tight use only un-thickened epoxy. Go over each of these seams twice. Let the epoxy harden. Watch Video of Gluing Hull Seams Inspect Hull Seams Day 3 Check for loose panels and mark with blue tape. If any are found, loose panels can be re-glued at the end of the day. Glue Inside Stems Turn the hull over so it is right side up. Unscrew and remove the frame spacers, leaving the temporary frames in place. Watch Video of Unscrewing the Frame Spacers Squeeze a small bead of thickened epoxy up the stem ends on the inside of the boat. This will help secure stem seams as wires are pulled from the panel ends. Try not to cover the wires with epoxy. For boats with plum sterns (i.e. Osprey & Coho) have one student hold up the bow of the boat while another lets a small amount of clear epoxy run down the stem. Watch Video of Squeezing Bead of Thickened Epoxy up Stem Ends Hot Melt Glue Temporary Frames Hot melt glue temporary frames in place along #1 panels to hold the keel up once frame wires along the keel come out. (One hot melt gun can be used. Walk around and hot melt all boats while students are gluing their stem ends.) Watch Video of Hot Melt Gluing Temp Frames Cover the tops of the temporary frames with clear packing tape. Also apply tape across both ends of the hull from the tips to 3" back. This will prevent the deck panels from being glued to these parts when assembling the deck. Watch Video of Covering The Temp Frames & Boat Ends with Tape Page 13

22 Bevel the Deck Sheer Panels and Upper Edge of Deck Recess Plate Bevel Here Inside Right Panels Inside Left Panels Set hulls under the tables and bring up the deck sheer panels (#5's on multi -chine hulls, #3's on hard chine hulls). Bevel the edge that will be on the underside of the deck, where it meets with the hull. Only cut through 2 of the 3 plys as you did the hull sheer panel. Pinguino 150 Pro builders, do not bevel the sections of the deck sheer panels where the paddle cutway panel will be positioned. Use a 5" surform to cut most of the bevel, at the ends use a file. To insure the deck recess plate will sit flush to the stern deck panel bevel the upper inside edge of the deck recess plate. The bevel should be approx. 45degrees. Bevel underside Note: Ronan and Pinguino 150 Pro builders do not need to bevel the deck recess plate The paddle cutaway panel for the Pinguino 150 Pro should also be beveled. Bevel the inside edge of your paddle cutout panels then round the beveled end tip a little to make it conform to the slightly rounded cutout at the sheer seam Drill Holes in Deck Panels Lay the left and right side deck sheer panels on top of one another. Drill Holes on either side of the butt seam on both the upper and lower edges (4 holes total), and a hole at each end. Position the holes 1" away from either side of the butt seam, 1/4" in from the edges. The holes at the ends should be far enough back so that they are at least 1/4" away from both edges. Place the center bow deck panels on top of one another and drill a hole through both positioned 1/2" in front of the cockpit opening, 1/4" away from the edge and two holes 1" away from either side of the butt seam along the lower edge only. Watch a Video of Beveling the Sheer Deck Panels and Drilling Holes Assemble Bow Deck and Sheer Panels (except Pinguino 150 Pro).. Bring the hulls back up to the table. Lay the center bow deck panels on to the hull so that they sit over the center and bow frames. Wire together the left and right sides in front of the cockpit to help hold the panels in the correct position. Tape together the rest of the seam. It can be helpful to move these towards you and use your body to brace one edge of the panels while you pinch the seam tight and tape. Once taped, center the panels in place on top of the temp frames Page 14

23 Next bring the deck sheer panels up one at a time and wire the ends together. For boats that have a very narrow butt seam clamp a scrap of wood over the joint using small c-clamps to support it while the panel is being moved. Position the clamps on the cockpit side of panel. After then ends of the panels are wired together insert but leave open a wire positioned slightly back from where the tip of the center deck panelwill nest. This wire will wrap around the tip and be tightened while fine tuning the endinsert wires through the holes at either side of the butt seams at both the deck chine seam (between center deck and deck sheer panels) and the sheer seam (between deck and hull). Tighten these wires to keep the butt seam in alignment. Tape the deck chine and sheer seams from the butt seam forward to the bow. Work in 2 foot sections, first on one side of the boat and then the other, working up to the bow tip applying a strip of tape every 6" over the seams. Watch Video of Assembling Bow Deck and Sheer Panels LEAVE OPEN UNTIL FINE TUNING THE DECK Pinguino 150 Pro Assemble the Bow Deck Remove the spacers that you screwed on top of your hull frames. Put some clear packing tape, or tape some plastic over the top of the frames. When you glue the deck seams this will prevent epoxy from seeping through the seams and gluing the deck to the temporary frames. Drill a 1/16" hole 1" down from the top center of all of your temporary frames (except the center frame postioned in the cockpit). Cut a 7" length of the supplied fishing leader; tightly crimp a split-shot at one end; insert the other end through the hole and lightly crimp another split shot on it. When the deck assemply is finished you will use the line and split shot to press the deck ridge against the top of the frames Lay your #5BR&5BL (bow deck sheer panels) on top of the hull frames. Insert two wires at the bow tip and twist them loosely. Tape them loosely at the bow tip with masking tape. There is a small notch cut in the hull (#4) and deck (#5) sheer panels where the tip of the paddle cut out will be placed. Align the notch cut in the #5B panels with the corresponding notch cut on the hull sheer panel (#4) and Gorilla tape it firmly in place on both sides.continue to tape the #5BR & 5BL panels to the hull working toward the bow switching from one side to the other as you tape to keep the panels balanced. Page 15

24 . Once your you bow deck side panels are in place lay your two #6 bow deck center panels (#6BR & 6BL) on top of the hull frames. Pull the split-shot and line up through the center deck seam and set aside on top of a center panel. Insert and loosely twist one wire at the bow and another one in front of the cockpit. For now leave them open. Pinguino 150 Pro Assemble the stern Deck Do the same thing you with your stern deck panels that you have just done in the bow. Put up your stern deck side panels (#5SR & 5SL) and align them to the notch cut in the deck sheer panel for the stern tip of the paddle cut out. Position the stern tips of the #6SR & 6SL in the notch where the #5 panels come together. Pinguino 150 Pro Builders Install Paddle Cutout. The Paddle Cutout will first be glued to the deck. To insure that you don't inadvertently glue it to the hull as well put clear packing tape over the top edge of the #4 panels at both ends of the cut out area. Bevel the inside edge of your paddle cutout panels then round the beveled end tip a little to make it conform to the slightly rounded cutout at the sheer seam Tuck the bow end of the paddle cutout into the notch at the sheer of the hull and flex it slightly and fit the stern end in to its notch. Align and tape the paddle cutout to the hull deck panels Page 16

25 Install Cockpit Apron Murrelet 2PD, Selkie, Freya, & Ronan Murrelet2PD, Selkie, and Ronan builders should install their cockpit apron at this time. The aprons for the Murrelet 2PD, Selkie, and Ronan will extend to the sheer seam. For these hulls first bevel the short section of the cockpit apron that fits to the sheer edge of the hull. Bevel this section as you did the deck sheer panels. Align the forward seam of the cockpit apron with the center ridge seam of the bow deck panels and secure in place with strapping tape. Continue aligning and taping the apron in place, spacing the tape approximately 2" apart. You can supplement the tape with wire if necessary. You will need to flex the apron a bit to achieve the proper fit at the sheer seem. Do this by first inserting wires loosely along the sheer seam, then simultaneously lift the back edge of the cockpit apron while pushing down on the edges at the sheer. Have a helper tighten the wires for you. If a helper is not available you can use a scrap piece of wood wedged between the floor of the boat and back edge of the apron to lift it while you apply pressure at the sheer and tighten the wires. Watch Video of Installing Cockpit Apron Mark Deck Sheer Panels For all decks that do not have a cockpit apron place a pencil mark on the sheer panel 3/16" back from the aft end of the bow deck panels. For the Pinguino 150 Pro, Murrelet 2PD and Freya place this mark 3/16" back from the cockpit apron. For the Murrelet 4PD and Pinguino 145-4PD mark the sheer panel as shown in diagram at right. Assemble Stern Deck Panels (except Pinguino 150 Pro) Lay the stern deck panel onto the hull and tape together the left and right sides. Align the forward tips of the panels to the pencil marks and tape the deck to the hull seams from the forward tips working towards the stern. File the tips of stern center deck panels if needed to fit into the notch between the deck sheer panels. To do this, hold up the tips of the center deck panels and slip a tongue depressor under them. While continuing to pinch the two tips together, set a file on the tongue depressor using it as a guard so as not to scratch the sheer deck panels below them. Watch a Video of Marking the Deck Sheer Panels and Assembling the Stern Deck Panels Page 17

26 Install Cockpit Apron Murrelet 4PD, Pinguino 145-4PD and Pinguino 150 Pro builders should install their cockpit aprons now. Remove the clamps and scrap wood from the small butt seam. Align the forward seam of the cockpit apron with the center ridge seam of the bow deck panels and secure in place with strapping tape. Continue aligning and taping the apron in place, spacing the tape approximately 2" apart. Wire Deck Recess Plate You are going to wire the crescent shaped deck recess plate to the stern deck panels and cockpit apron using a total of 16 wires, 8 along the top edge, 6 along the bottom edge, and 2 that will wrap over the tips. To start drill 1 / 16 " wire holes along the upper and lower edge of the deck recess plate (see diagram to right for proper hole placement). Note: Be sure the holes are postioned so that wire will wrap over all deck panel tips that meet at the recess pate. Make sure your holes are at least 1 / 4 " in from the panel edges. To mark hole placement on the stern deck panels and bow deck panels or cockpit apron hold the upper tip of the recess plate against the center deck seam and making a pencil mark for a hole on either side of the seam that aligns with the holes drilled in the crescent. While holding the aft edge of the crescent against the stern deck panels tilt and rotate it a bit to one side to align and mark the additional holes. Mark hole placement along the aft edge of the bow deck panels or cockpit apron in the same way. After marking, drill holes in the stern deck panels and cockpit apron, being sure that your holes are spaced at least ¼ away from the panel edges and deck seams. With a razor knife, cut 2 strips of Mylar, approximately 1 x 4. Place these strips across the span where the tips of the recess plate will fit into place between the cockpit apron and the #3 stern panels and tape the ends to hold them in place. These strips will help support the tips of the recess plate above the deck panels while it is being wired into place. Now you are going to wire the recess plate into place. A trick that will allow you to wire it without having to blindly find wire holes from the inside of the boat is to cut 10 pcs. of wire approximately twelve inches long. Feed one of these wires down through the holes in the deck until just 2 inches remain showing. Bend the end of the wire over so that it will not pull through the rest of the way and then reach into the boat and take the longer section of wire and feed its end 2 inches through the backside of the recess plate in the corresponding hole and fold that end of the wire over so that it won t slip back out of that hole either Don t pull the slack out of the wire yet. Do the same for the remainder of hole pairs, tipping the recess plate slightly with each wire so that you can see to feed the wire in through the hole Page 18 wire wraps over panel tips wire wraps over panel tips

27 from the backside..at this point, the wires will nearly be suspending the recess plate above the boat. Pull the slack out of each wire, dropping the recess plate into place. Flex the recess plate (letting the Mylar strips support both tips)and pull the final bit of slack out of all the wires with a pair of pliers. Twist the wires tight with your pliers and then snip off the excess wire length. If the strips of Mylar are preventing the tips of the recess plate from sitting flush, release the tape from one side of the Mylar giving it enough slack to allow the tips to settle into place, then re-stick the tape. To lock the tips in place drill wire holes in the deck and hull panels (or deck shcer panels on 4PD decks) adjacent to each of the recess plate tips, Run a wire through these holes so that it wraps over the top of the tips and snug it tight. When all wires are tight, slide the Mylar out. If necessary you can use thumb tacks to help hold the tips of #4 stern panels flush. Watch Video of Installing a Cockpit Apron and Wiring in the Deck Recess Plate Glue Deck Seams For boats with a cockpit apron that contacts the sheer (Murrelets, Selkie, Ronan, Freya, Pinguino 145-4PD) put a piece of Mylar or plastic tape between the deck and hull at the point where the deck is lowest so that epoxy does not run into the seam when gluing the deck. Also for boats with a cockpit apron clamp a straight 2x2 board covered in packing tape across the cockpit opening. The board needs to be just longer than the width of the cockpit apron. Position the board so that it crosses in the middle of the knee brace tabs. Use two spring clamps to clamp the board at the edges of the cockpit opening to keep the apron from sagging downward. Pinguino 150 Pro builders: Slide each of the split shots along the leader snug against the center deck ridge seam. Crimp them tight against the seam to hold the deck panels down against the frame underneath. Look and feel and adjust the center deck panels so that they are each the same height along the seam and centered over the frame apex. Check all deck seams. Walk around the boat checking all of the seams. Adjust with a razor knife. Where needed use push pins to hold panels in alignment. Glue the deck seams the same way you did the hull using both clear and thickened epoxy. Use only clear epoxy around the crescent. Also, re-glue any loose hull panels that were found earlier in the day. Watch a Video of Gluing the Deck Seams Page 19

28 Glass Tape Underside of Deck Seams Day 4 Snip and pull the wires from the deck seams. Remove deck from hull, leaving the tape on the hull at the sheer edge, and set hull under the table. Turn deck upside down. Watch Video of Removing the Deck Sand the underside deck seams to remove any drips or lumps of epoxy that seeped through when the exterior seams were glued. Cut lengths of tape from the 31yd roll provided to laminate the entire length of each underside deck seam (except around the crescent, see diagram below). Working in 5' sections use a chip brush to paint a 1.5" to 2" width of epoxy on each deck seam then lay one layer of 6oz. glass tape down over the seam. Use a tamping motion wherever the tape doesn't lay down into the seams, or is difficult to wet with the epoxy. Continue working in sections until all underside deck seams are laminated. After the tape is fully laminated use a same chip brush to apply a generous coat of epoxy over all bare wood, being careful to stay a couple inches away from the sheer bevel. Underside Of Deck Watch Video of Taping the Underside of Deck Seams Fillet Inside Stems Set the deck aside and bring the hull back up onto the table. Pull out all the wires except those at the sheer edge of the three main body frames. Pull out the tip frames. Use a chisel to clean out any remnants of the frame that may have been glued to the hull (see video below). Cut down a tongue depressor to approx. 1/2" wide and re-round to use for making a small fillet. Mix together 2 pumps each of resin and hardener. Thicken it with wood flour until a scoopful can be held upside-down on the tongue depressor without sagging. Load this epoxy into a plastic bag. Snip off a corner of the bag and use it like a pastry bag to squeeze epoxy into the stem ends. Finish the fillet by dragging your cut down tongue depressor over the epoxy and carefully cleaning out the excess. The end fillet will gradually taper out where the angle of the keel becomes flattened, usually ending just before the bow and stern main frames. Watch Video of Filleting the Stems Glue Inside Keel Seams This Step applies to all boats which have a flat portion in their keel. It does not apply to Coho or Murrelet V2 hulls. Snip and pull all wires. Have students help one another to lift their boats and place them on the straightened 2x4s. Make sure that the 2x4s have plastic packing tape on the surface touching the boat. Use some small cardboard boxes to prop the boats up, but make sure that these are not lifting the boat off of the 2x4. Re-measure the flat area of the keel (use dimension pro Page 20

29 vided A5 in manual) and make pencil marks on the inside at the keel. Next, have them drill a hole at each of these marks and then hammer a pin down into the 2x4. Make sure they do not drill into the 2x4 or the pin will not grab. Have the students kneel down and look under the boat for sections where the keel lifts off of the 2x4. Put in as many extra pins as are needed to hold these areas flat. Glue the keel with clear epoxy from the inside of the boat. If there are places in the keel where the seam is slightly open go back with thickened epoxy as well. Watch Video of Putting Boat on a 2x4 and Gluing the Keel Tape Deck Back on Hull Use a razor knife to trim the ends of glass tape from the underside of the deck. Place the deck back on the hull for curing to ensure it cures in its proper shape. Let the epoxy harden. Watch Video of Taping the Deck Back on the Hull Day 5 Reinforce Rear of Cockpit and Deck Recess Pull all tape off the deck. Peel the tape off at a sideways angle so as not to pull the wood grain. Watch Video of Pulling off the Deck Tape Remove the deck from the hull and set it upside down on the table. Sand and file as needed to clean up epoxy drips and high spots around deck recess plate and cockpit areas. Next, mix a small amount of epoxy with wood flour until it is a consistency drier than peanut butter. Spread a fillet of this very thick epoxy along the edges of the pre-cut butt plate behind the cockpit. For decks without a cockpit apron cut two pieces of cloth large enough to cover the entire deck recess plate and extend an inch or two past the tips and peak. For boats with a cockpit apron cut one piece of cloth large enough to cover the deck recess plate, and a second piece large enough to cover the recess plate and the entire cockpit apron. Sand or scrape the edges of the fiberglass tape that will be under the fiberglass cloth. This will assure there are no ridges where air can become trapped under the cloth. Spread out the first layer of cloth (for boats with a cockpit apron start with the larger piece) over the recess plate, and cockpit apron. Using foam brushes, wet out the first layer and then lay the next piece of cloth on top and wet it out. The front of the cockpit is reinforced with 3 layers of 1.5" wide 6 oz. tape laminated directly in front of the cockpit opening. Paint a 2" strip of epoxy across the width of the deck right in front of the cockpit. Lay one piece of 6 oz tape on the epoxy and wet it out thoroughly. Apply the next layer directly on top of Page 21

30 the first and wet it out. Apply the third layer in the same way. Watch a Video of Reinforcing the Rear of Cockpit and Deck Recess Glass Inside of Hull Set deck under the table and bring up the hull. Remove all temporary frames. Watch a Video of Removing the Temporary Frames Use chisel to clean off any hot glue left on the hull. Sand smooth any epoxy runs on the inside of hull, as well as any areas where the wood grain will snag the cloth. With an assistant lay a length of cloth into the boat. Do this by folding the cloth lengthwise, hold it above the boat, then lay the folded edge down onto the keel letting it settle all the way into the ends of the boat before unfolding the cloth and bringing it up to the sheer. Spend some time smoothing the cloth out into the boat. Make sure that it is not snagging up at the sheer bevel keeping it from settling into the hull. Once the cloth is smooth nearly to the ends mix up a 6 oz.. cup of epoxy and pour it into a paint tray. Have your assistant mix a second cup while you apply the first batch. Use a 1/8" thick paint roller to wet the cloth with the epoxy. Start in the middle of the hull at the keel and roll upwards toward the sheer. Roll on both cups of epoxy so that you have wetted out approximately 3 to 4 feet in the center of the boat. Use the squeegee, oriented with the lettering up, to pull excess epoxy off the cloth. First, squeegee upwards from the keel to remove excess epoxy. Scrape the excess into a cup. Then turn the squeegee over and squeegee downwards settling the cloth into the chines. This will draw the cloth down into the chines. Make sure the glass is laying down in all the seams. It is very important that you not have air bubbles under the cloth at the seams. Use your gloved fingers if necessary to push the cloth into the chines. It's important that you not leave significant amounts of epoxy in the paint trays while squeegeeing, as it can kick off quickly when puddled, leading to wasted material. Continue alternately applying epoxy and squeegeeing the cloth, working from the middle of the hull out to the ends. Watch Video of Glassing the Inside of the Hull. Page 22

31 Glue Deck to Hull Day 6 Remove all tape from the outside of hull. Peel the tape off at a sideways angle so as not to pull the wood grain. Watch Video of Removing Tape From The Hull Use a razor knife to trim the cloth on the hull so it is flush to sheer. File off any epoxy and fiberglass that is stuck to the sheer bevel. Watch a Video of Trimming the Cloth on the Hull Quickly sand a 1 wide strip down the entire inside sheer edge to prep it for application of an epoxy fillet and glass tape after the deck has been glued on. Bring up the deck. Trim flush to the deck panels any cloth and tape that overhangs. File any drips on bevel and sand a 1 strip along sheer line as you did on the hull. Watch a Video of Trimming the Cloth on the Deck Tape deck back onto hull. Start with re-drilling and inserting the wires at the butt seam, then tape along the sheer seam. Use a utility knife blade pushed into the sheer seam to lever the panels against each other if needed to get the proper fit. Watch a Video of Taping the Deck Back On the Hull Glue the sheer seam with clear epoxy. Reach in through the cockpit and glue from the inside as far as can be reached. Watch a Video of Gluing the Deck to the Hull Clean up. Talk about: Glassing outside of boat Fillet Inside of sheer bring pole and dowel to show how it works Cockpit coaming Hatches bring example jig saw blade. Hip struts and seat Foot braces End pours Toggle holes Varnish Day 7 Group photo. Wrap boats with plastic sheeting if necessary. Pick up boats. Sweep and do final clean up. Page 23

32 Construction Manual Align and Glue Panels Pinguino Sport and 145 Arctic Tern 17 Tern 14 Page A1

33 Appendix Borealis XL Coho 6S 6B 5S 5B 4S 5M 4M 4B 3S 2S 1S Page A2 3M 2M 1M Freya 1B 2B 3B

34 Construction Manual 6B 6M 5B 4S 5M 4M 4B 3S 2S 1S 3M 2M 1M Aligntoa 3' straight edge Murrelet 1PD 1B 2B 3B 6B 5S 6M 5B 4S 5M 4M 4B 3S 2S 1S 3M 2M 1M Align to a 3' straight edge Murrelet 2PD 3B 2B 1B 6B 5S 6M 5B 4S 3S 2S 1S 5M 4M 1M 3M 2M Align to a 3' straight edge Murrelet 4PD 4B 3B 2B 1B Page A3

35 Appendix 5S 6S 6M 6B 5B 4S 3S 2S 1S 5M 4M 1M 3M 2M Align to a 3' straight edge Murrelet SDC 4B 3B 2B 1B Osprey Std Osprey 13 Page A4

36 Construction Manual 3S 4S 4B 3B 3M 2S 2B 1M 3' straight edge Selkie & Ronan 1B 5SL 5BL 4BL 4SL 3SL 2SL 1SL Align to a 3' straight edge Pinguino 145-4PD 1BL 2BL 3BL 5BL 4SL 5ML 4BL 3SL 2SL 1SL Align to a 3' straight edge Pinguino 150 Pro 1BL 2BL 3BL Page A5

37 Frame Position Dimensions for Hull Keel Panels Appendix Boat Model Bow Tip* Bow** Center** Stern** Stern Tip* Pinguino Sport 4-13/ /4" 5" forward of seam 29-1/4" 6-1/2" Pinguino 145 9" 39-1/4" 3-3/4" aft of seam 41-3/4" 6-9/16" Arctic Tern 12-13/ /16 5-1/4" aft of seam 45-1/4" 8-9/16 " Tern /16" 41-13/16" 3-3/16"forward of seam 29-3/4" 7-1/4" Borealis Xl 9-3/8" 24-1/2" 19" aft of seam 59" 7-5/8" Coho 8-5/8" 35-5/8" 21-7/8" aft of seam 69-3/8" 9-3/8" Murrelet v1 9-5/16" 23-3/8" 18-5/16" aft of seam 58-5/16" 7-3/8" Murrelet v2 9-1/4" 23-3/8" 18-5/16" aft of seam 58-5/16" 7-3/16" Osprey Std 6-11/16" 42-9/16" 8-7/8 aft of seam 51-3/8" 10-7/16 Osprey /8" 50-1/16" 7-9/16" forward of seam 27-11/16" 9-3/8" Ronan 9-5/8" 39-5/8" 1" aft of seam 34-3/8" 6-5/8" Selkie 10-11/16" 40-1/8" 2" forward of seam 30-15/16" 7-1/4" Freya 11-1/8" 26-7/16" 12-13/16"-Aft of Seam 50-1/2" 8-1/4" Bow Tip * Bow / Mid Bow ** Center ** Stern** Stern Tip* Pinguino Pro 9-5/16" 32-3/4" / 13-15/16" 7-3/4" aft of seam 47-1/6" 6-11/16" *Using a straight edge measure from tip of bow/stern end of panel down to keel **Measurements taken from the butt seam Frame Position Dimensions for Sheer Panels Boat Model Bow Tip* Bow** Center** Stern** Stern Tip* Pinguino Sport 18-1/4" 48-3/4" 5" forward of seam 29-1/4" 10-9/16" Pinguino " 39-1/2" 3-3/4" aft of seam 41-15/16" 12-1/2" Arctic Tern 23-7/16" 27-5/8" 16" aft of seam 56-1/8" 13-1/4 " Tern /16" 42" 3-3/16" forward of seam 29-7/8" 11" Borealis Xl 23-1/2" 24-5/8" 19" aft of seam 59-1/8" 13-5/16" Coho 22-3/8" 35-13/16" 21-15/16"aft of seam 69-9/16" 10-3/16" Murrelet v1 23-7/16" 23-1/2" 18-5/16" aft of seam 58-7/16" 13-1/4" Murrelet v2 23-7/16" 23-1/2" 18-5/16" aft of seam 58-7/16" 13-1/4" Osprey Std 14-5/16" 42-13/16" 8-7/8" aft of seam 51-5/8" 10-1/4" Osprey /16" 50-1/2" 7-9/16"forward of seam 27-15/16" 9-5/16" Ronan 19-15/16" 39-13/16" 1" aft of seam 34-1/2" 12" Selkie 19-11/16" 40-1/4/" 2" forward of seam 31-1/8" 11-7/8" Freya 24-3/8" 26-1/2" 12-13/16" aft of seam 50-9/16" 14-11/16" Bow Tip* Bow / Mid Bow** Center ** Stern** Stern Tip* Pinguino Pro 24-1/16" 32-15/16" / 13-5/16" 7-3/4" aft of seam 47-3/8'" 13-5/16" *Measure from bow/stern tips along top edge of hull sheer panel. Place a 1" mark at each position. **Measure from butt seam along top edge of panel. Place a 1" mark at each position. Page A6

38 Construction Manual Measure and Mark Keel Seam with Tape The following diagrams show the portion of keel seam that should be masked off with blue painters tape then pinned to an 8' long 2x4 to be glued Note this step does not apply to the Coho or Murrelet V2 designs /8 28 9/16 Center middle frame on 8 long 2x4 Pinguino 145 & 145-4PD Middle frame centered on 8 long 2x4 Pinguino Sport Arctic Tern 17' 40 9/ /4 Tape this section of the keel Tern 14 & Selkie 63 5/8 Borealis Xl Page A7

39 Appendix 36 15/16 4 3/4 27 7/16 Measured fromcenter Frame Murrelet V1, all models Osprey Std Osprey /8 26 7/8 Measured from center frame Ronan 36 9/ /16 Middle frame centered on 2x4 Pinguino 150 Pro Page A8

40 Post Class Instructions Congratulations! You have completed major assembly of your kayak in a very impressive amount of time. Obviously, there are still a few steps to be completed before you can go paddling. You will likely have gained all the skill and confidence you will need to complete construction of your boat without further assistance. However, if you do have questions while working at home our expert construction advisers are available to assist you by phone (360) or (info@pygmyboats.com). Please do not hesitate to call us with questions. We encourage it. The first thing to do when you get home is to move your boat inside. If you are not going to get to the boat for awhile remove the shear tape to prevent uneven oxidation. When ready to proceed, begin here: Fillet the Inside Sheer Seam Prop the boat up on its sheer. Tape a syringe to the side of one end of a 6.5' stick. Get two small eye screws with 3/8" inside eye diameter and screw one in 4" from the syringe and one at the other end of the stick. Insert a 1 / 4 " wooden dowel through the eye screws until it butts up against the syringe. Fill the syringe with epoxy thickened with wood flour, until it will sag but not run. Reach the stick up into the end of your boat and push your thumb on the dowel and squeeze a bead of epoxy down the inside of the sheer seam. Use a head lamp, trouble light, or clip lamp to light the inside of the boat. You will not be able to see the tip of the syringe and will be working somewhat blind. Just apply steady pressure to the dowel and move the stick at a constant speed and squeeze out an epoxy bead that can settle into the seam. Bed one layer of glass tape on the wet fillet of the sheer seam from as far as you can reach in front of the cockpit to as far as you can reach aft of the cockpit. Mix up some epoxy (without wood flour) and using a bristle brush, wet out the tape. Let the epoxy harden and repeat this process on the other side. This will help support the deck in the area around the cockpit where the deck is likely to be put under more stress. NOTE: If you plan to add hatches to your deck you can wait to do this step until after your deck has been glassed and you have cut your hatches. This will give you more access and visibility in the ends of the kayak. Instead of using a 6 1/2' stick you can make the above tool with a 4' stick. You may also choose to extend the fiberglass tape into the hatch area. Round the Seams Turn the hull over so it is upside down. Take a coarse file and file the bow and stern ends of the boat fair and smooth. Take your syringe with some epoxy that has been thickened with wood flour and fill all the seams that have not yet been completely filled. For the stems, stir wood flour into some epoxy until when you remove the stirring stick, the epoxy stands and does not sag back down. Pack it into a dental syringe and squeeze a heavy bead of this very thick epoxy down the outside of the bow and stern stems. This seam will be filed round later. Build up enough epoxy so that you will be rounding epoxy rather than wood. Let the epoxy harden. Page B1

41 Make sure that all the seams are totally filled with epoxy to ensure that there will be no air gaps under the cloth. The cloth will drape better over a rounded edge. First file the excess epoxy off all of the seams. Take a file and wrap some masking tape around the end to pad it. Lay the end of the file down on the center of a plank and file the epoxy bead at the seam flat. Do both sides of the seam until the seam has a sharp corner and the excess epoxy has been removed. Then file and sand the seam round using long strokes so the seam remains smooth and fair. At the bow and stern stems where you have a heavy epoxy bead, file the sides flush with the panels. File a smooth curve in the bead at the curve in the stem, then round the bead. Sand the taped butt seams on the outside of the boat lightly with 120 grit paper. Do not cut into the light tape. You want the area to be flat, with the epoxy on both sides of the light tape feathered smoothly into the wood. Watch Video of Rounding the Seams. Glass the Outside of the Hull NOTE: It is necessary to plan to do all of the steps described in the next 2 sections without leaving more than 72 hours between coatings of epoxy. Remember, if more than 72 hours elapses, you will need to sand the surface before applying your next coat of epoxy. It is important that each fill coat be applied within 72 hours of the previous coat. You must not sand the glass until the weave has been filled or the sanding will cut the glass and weaken it. First, be sure to sand out any uneven coloring caused by oxidation. Then, using a foam paint roller, paint a saturation coat of epoxy over the entire outside of the boat. Get the kind with a thin 1 / 8 " foam surface. After you have rolled a layer of epoxy out, come back and brush the surface with a dry foam brush. This will smooth the surface and break any air bubbles that have been produced by the foam roller. Make sure the air temperature is stable or falling during this curing time. Rising temperatures can cause the wood to off gas which will create many tiny air bubbles in the epoxy. Let the saturation coat cure. Make sure that it has hardened enough to be non-tacky. You want the cloth to slide easily on the surface of the boat. Do not bother to try and fill all the little drill holes along the seams. When you glass the hull, resin will run out of the cloth and fill all of these holes. You will fill the ones that need it later when you do the inside of the hull. Lightly sand any drips or air bubbles that may have occurred in the saturation coat. Spread a layer of 38" wide, 6 oz. glass cloth over the entire hull. Align it so that it hangs 1" over the sheer on one side and smooth it out over the bottom. On the bow of the boat, the cloth will conform to the shape of the hull by smoothing it with your hands. The angle of the stern is too steep to allow the cloth to lay down without bunching. You need to cut the cloth at the stern, removing excess cloth. This is done with three cuts resulting in two flaps each overlapping the stem by 2". Lift up the middle of the cloth at the stern so that a crease runs down the keel. Then cut the crease from the end back to where the cloth touches the keel (cut #1). Fold one side of the cloth out of the way. Then fold the other side over the stern stem of the boat. Trim the cloth so that it wraps 2" around the end (cut #2). Do the same for the other side (cut # 3). There will be a small bald spot where the cut line touches the keel. It will be covered up later when you tape the keel line. Trim all the cloth so that it drapes 1" beyond the sheer. Smooth the cloth out over the whole hull. Mix up 6 oz. of epoxy. Page B2

42 (Note: Never mix more than 6 oz. of epoxy at a time.) Mix it thoroughly and pour it into a paint tray. Now roll out a layer of epoxy over the cloth. Start at the center of your hull. Work the epoxy from just beyond the keel line down to the sheer. Once your first six ounces has been applied to the boat, move the roller over the surface to fully wet out the cloth and adhere it to the hull. Now squeegee the excess resin into a cup. Work in lines from just beyond the keel line down to the sheer edge. Don't try and use this squeegeed epoxy again. It will be foamy and filled with air bubbles. Mix up some more epoxy and continue, squeegeeing after each batch. Wrap the 2" overlaps around the stern. Saturate one layer in one direction first, then saturate and overlap in the opposite direction. Again, squeegee out all of the excess resin. Squeegeeing the surface will make the cloth lay flat and smooth against the boat and force resin through the cloth to wet it out more fully. The cloth should turn completely clear. If you notice any milkiness in the epoxy as you are applying it, stop and change rollers. If the epoxy in your paint tray begins to set up, discard it. Let your epoxy harden for three or four hours until stiff, but still "green". Take a razor knife and trim the cloth at the sheer. If the epoxy is stiff but not hard, it will cut easily. Allow epoxy to harden. Laminate Keel Tape and Fill Coats Take the roll of 6 oz tape and lay one end of the tape on the bow stem starting at the seam between the number 2 panel and number 3 panel. Hold the tape in place with a push pin as you roll the tape out along the keel to the stern stem. It should extend up the stern stem to just beyond the seam between the number 2 and number 3 panels. Cut the tape to length and set aside. Roll a coat of epoxy over the entire hull to fill the weave of the cloth.(do not squeegee fill coats.) As you did with the saturation coat, back brush the surface with a dry foam brush to break any air bubbles introduced by the foam roller. While this coat is still fresh, carefully lay the tape you just cut, along the keel. Using a bristle brush, apply more epoxy on top of the tape to fully wet it out. One edge of the tape is more pronounced than the other. This edge can easily be feathered out after the epoxy has cured. It can be scraped down with a cabinet scraper while the epoxy is still green or sanded out during the final sanding prior to varnish. Let the epoxy harden. Apply a second fill coat over the entire hull. After two fill coats you may still be able to see the cloth pattern but you have enough epoxy buildup over the cloth so that when you sand it flat later you won't cut into the glass. Where the glass was wrapped around the stem, aggressively sand through the overlap. Sand directly into the overlap until the surface is smooth. Apply a thin layer of epoxy to the sanded area Create Adjustable Thigh Braces Murrelets, Selkie, Ronan, Freya, Pinguino 145-4PD, Pinguino 150 Pro (optional) The lower rear cockpit height on these kayaks has been designed to facilitate Greenland style rolls. Pygmy's adjustable thigh brace is slipped into a 3/4" inch deep fiberglass slot under the deck, slid fore and aft to fit you, then locked in place with a set screw. You can either create the slot now or choose to glue a fixed thigh brace in later. It is not hard to roll a kayak with our new arched cockpit with no thigh braces at all. If you choose not to install thigh braces at all you can cut the adjustment tabs off once the cockpit coamings are installed for a roomier fit. To create the fiberglass slot, use the form that comes in your kit. First cover Page B3

43 the whole form with packing tape to prevent epoxy from sticking to it. Turn your deck upside down and align the form with the outside seam of the cockpit lip. Because your cockpit lip is arched, first bend the form down against the lip by clamping it down against the cockpit lip. Mix a small amount of thickened epoxy and fillet the outside edge. Clean off any putty from the top of the form and let it harden to at least the green state. Loosen the clamp and let the form straighten out. Then slide a tongue depressor under the form to shim it up and tighten the clamp. Fillet the outside edge again. Laminate 4 layers of 1.5" wide 6oz. fiberglass tape on top of the form. Center the tape along the outside edge of the form (i.e. half on the form and half on the deck). When the glass and resin are green hardened to tack free, trim the glass off the ends. Let it harden over night, then hold a screw driver against one end of the form and tap it with a hammer until the form breaks free and slides out from under the glass tape. File and deburr the glass edges of the resultant slot. Go on and complete the construction of your kayak. You will make and install your thigh braces after your boat is completed. Glass Deck Take a wood file or a sanding block and sand the deck and sheer seams round. The sheer seam should be about a 1 / 8 " radius round. The glass will not lie flat unless the seam edge is rounded. Note: Care should be taken when sanding the area around the crescent shaped recess and the aft end of the cockpit to avoid sanding through the surface veneer. Power sanders are not recommended for this area. Since more than 72 hours have probably elapsed since the epoxy was applied to the hull, lightly sand the #4 panel. This will ensure a good bond between the hull and the deck glass that will overlap the hull. Paint a saturation coat of epoxy over the entire deck. Let the saturation coat cure. The glass for both ends of the deck will be cut from one piece of cloth cut into two pieces. Run a strip of masking tape down both sides of the boat. Place the top edge of the tape 1" below the sheer seam. Lay your remaining fiberglass cloth over the bow end of the deck. Position it so that one end is in the middle of the boat (use a tape measure or piece of string to find the middle) and the other hangs over the stern end of the boat. Align it so that it just covers the tape on one side then cut the cloth so that it just covers the tape on the other side. Take the triangle of cloth that you just trimmed off and lay it on the stern end of the deck. Overlap the two cloth pieces by 2" at the cockpit. (You will sand this overlap flat when prepping your boat to varnish.) Align and trim it as you did the stern. Smooth out the cloth and then apply your epoxy and squeegee up the excess. Let the epoxy get tacky (about 2 hrs.) and then run a razor knife along the upper edge of the masking tape. Apply just enough pressure to the knife to cut through the glass but not enough to cut through the hardened coat of epoxy and glass underneath. Strip off the rough, uneven edge of the cloth by pulling up the masking tape. Cut the cloth with a razor knife on the other side. Cut the cloth from the cockpit area. Set these scraps of cloth aside, you will use them later. Page B4

44 Finish with two fill coats just as on the hull. After the two fill coats, agressively sand the areas of overlap in the glass until they are smooth. Then brush a thin layer of epoxy over those areas Figure 1. A B Figure 2. + A B Figure 3. A B. Watch Video of Glassing the Deck CLOTH OVERLAP Saturate and Fiberglass Cockpit Coaming The coaming comes in two pieces per side. The upper lip of the coaming is used to fasten a spray skirt. The coaming also greatly strengthens the cockpit, helping to Upper Coaming carry and distribute any weight placed on it. Before you glue the lower coaming to the top of the Lower Coaming deck, first epoxy saturate and seal the edges of the coaming. Paint a liberal layer of epoxy on the sides of the lower coaming pieces and let the epoxy soak in. You will find that the end-grain of these edges will absorb a lot of epoxy. Let the first coat harden then sand it lightly and paint on another coat. Fill any holes in the end grain with epoxy thickened with wood flour. Take some of the scraps of glass that you have trimmed off your deck or hull and laminate a layer of cloth on the top and under side of the upper coamings. Let the resin harden and trim the glass flush with the edges. Page B5

45 Trim Coaming to Fit (Arctic Tern, Borealis, Coho, Osprey, Pinguio 145, Pinguino Sport builders only) This step does not apply to Murrelet, Selkie, Ping 145-4PD and Pinguino 150 Pro Builders. Clamp a lower coaming piece temporarily on one side of the cockpit. Align it so that the inside edge matches the inside of the cockpit cut in the deck. It will project beyond the deck seam at both the front and the back of the cockpit. There is a little flex in the coaming strips and to get them to match up with the cockpit exactly, you may need to bend them a little. You want to cut the coaming so that the ends are vertical and aligned with the deck ridge seam. Take a straight edge and hold it vertically from the keel seam in the center of the bottom to the deck seam. Mark the edge of the coaming. Lay the straight edge along the center line of the deck and mark the top of the coaming. Carefully cut off the over hang of the coaming at both ends. Remove the coaming and align, clamp, mark and cut the other side. When you trim both coaming sides like this, they will fit flush together. Glue Cockpit Coaming You will glue the lower coaming first. Clamp a lower coaming piece temporarily on one side of the cockpit. Starting at the bow, align the end of the coaming with the deck ridge seam and clamp it in place. Continue to add more clamps as you align the inside edge of the coaming with the inside of the cockpit cut in the deck. There is a little flex in the coaming strips and to get them to match up with the cockpit exactly, you may need to bend them a little. Dry fit the other side of the coaming in the same way. If more than 72 hours have elapsed since you applied the last coat of epoxy on the deck, lightly sand around the cockpit where you will be gluing the coaming in place. Now paint all surfaces to be joined with thickened epoxy. Align them, and clamp them in place. If you have a lot of clamps use them. You need ten 2" C-clamps per side. If you only have ten clamps do one side and then the other. Do not put so much pressure on the clamps that you will leave a deep impression in the wood. Dry fit the upper coaming in the same way you did the lower coaming. Remember, do not put too much pressure on the clamp. A scrap of wood under the clamp can cushion the coaming and help prevent the coaming from being damaged. If necessary file the seams so that they fit perfectly and then glue the upper coamings on. When you are all done with both sides of the coaming, take a short strip of glass tape and laminate it over the top seams of the upper coamings at the front and back where the two sides of the coaming meet. Let cure and trim. Install Seat The seat is made up of a seat back strap, a seat pad, and hip braces. The hip braces are installed first. They are made by gluing a piece of the 3 1 / 2 " reinforcement plate material from the underside of the deck straight down to the bottom of the boat. Laminate some leftover glass cloth to the front and back of a strip of 3 1 / 2 " plate material to reinforce it. Then place the plate 9" in front of the inside rear of the cockpit and mark and cut to length a hip brace for both sides. Page B6

46 Aggressively sand the areas where you will be applying glass tape on the coaming and the bottom of the hull. Position the hip brace under the deck so that it is flush with the inside of the coaming. Glass them in place with epoxy fillets and strips of glass tape on both sides of the hip brace where it touches the bottom of the boat and where it touches the cockpit coaming. There is no place for a fillet on the inside top edge. Just tape that spot. Next drill a 1 / 4 " hole in the hip braces 1 1 / 2 " below the bottom of the cockpit coaming if builindg Coho, Arctic Tern, Tern 14, Osprey std., or Murrelet. Drill this hole 2 1 / 2 " below the bottom of the coaming if buidling a Pinguino Sport, Pinguino 145, Pinguino 145-4PD, or Borealis XL.. Murrelet, Selkie, Ronan, Freya & Pinguino 145-4PD Bungee Seat Back Installation Instructions (all other boats skip to next instructions): The seat back is made from a piece of high density plastic with a foam back pad glued over it. The seat back on the Murrelet is designed to flex down out of the way as you lean back to execute an Eskimo roll. The back is suspended with bungee cord that runs from pad eyes mounted underneath the cockpit coaming on each side and through two pad eyes mounted on the seat back. The pad eyes are positioned so that the tensioned bungee will pull back on the seat back and hold it up in a vertical position. When you sit in the cockpit, the seat will flex into the position you normally paddle. And when you lay back on the rear deck to roll, the seat back will swing down out of the way. Glue the foam pad provided over the front of the plastic strap. First roughen the surface of the plastic with sand paper, then glue the foam to it with contact cement. Crease the back band along the sides as shown. (Do Not score the seat before bending!) The edge of your workbench and a bit of force will start the bend. Then put it on the floor, bend it over and stand on it to get a permanent crease. Doing this will make the back band more comfortable. Mark and drill holes 8 ½ in and ¾ up from the bottom corners with an 11 / 64 " bit. Position the pad eyes vertically, and using the pad eye as a guide drill the upper pad eye holes. Attach the padeyes to the backstrap. The machine screw is inserted from the front of the backstrap and the hex nut is on the back side of it so that the nut seats in the countersink of the padeye. Attach the back strap to the hip struts installed in the boat using the ¼-20 truss head screws and locknuts provided. Put enough tension on the truss head screws to hold the back strap in place and adjust it so that it is vertical. Now mark the position for the pad eyes that you will install under the deck on each side of the cockpit. Position them under the deck aligned with and centered beneath the lower cockpit coaming that you will drive the screws into. They should be positioned slightly aft of the corresponding vertical pad eyes on the back strap. Mark the center of the pad eye holes and fore drill and screw the pad eyes in place using the wood screws provided. Because the rear cockpit on Page B7

47 the Murrelet is so low, you may need to buy a right angle attachment for your drill. Get a cheap one (appr. $17); it will work well enough to get your holes. Now pass one end of the bungee through one of the pad eyes installed on the backside of the seat back, through the pad eye under the coaming adjacent to it, then back through both pad eyes on the seat back, to the pad eye on the other side of the cockpit opening, and back through the seat back pad eye adjacent to it. Tie the two ends of bungee together using a barrel knot at the center of the back strap. Tighten the overhand knot on one side first, then pull the bight end through it until there is significant tension and then throw the other overhand knot to finish the knot. This will double up the bungee behind the seat back allowing your body weight to push it down out of the way when laying back on the deck, and have it easily return to an upright paddling position when you lean forward. Standard Seatback Installation (Pinguino 145, Pinguino Sport, Pinguino 150 Pro, Borealis, Coho, Arctic Tern 17, Arctic Tern 14, Osprey): The seat back is made from a piece of high density plastic with a foam back pad glued over it. Attach the strap eye to the backband using the pre-drilled holes in the center of the backband. Next crease the back band along the sides as shown.(do Not score the seat before bending!) The edge of your work bench and a bit of force is required to get a permanent crease in the plastic. Doing this makes the back band more comfortable. Then glue the foam pad provided over the front of the plastic strap. First roughen the surface of the plastic with sand paper, then glue the foam to it with contact cement (not provided). Attach the back strap to the hip braces using the 1 / 4-20 screws and the nylon lock nuts. Using the two stainless steel wood screws provided, mount a strap eye under the cockpit coaming at the rear of the cockpit. Attach nylon line to the brass clip and tie the other end to the strap eye on the seat back. Hook the brass clip to the strap eye under the coaming. This will hold your seat back up and at the proper angle. A little experimentation will tell you how to adjust the length of the string to provide the seat back angle you find comfortable. Install Seat Cushion all models The seat bottom pad for all boats is the Therm A Rest Trail Seat that came in your kit. It is attached to the floor of the boat with velcro patches. Cut the strip of velcro provided in half. Roughen the floor with some sand paper where your velcro patches will go. Stick the side with the fuzz to the floor and the side with the hooks to the Trail Seat. Paint some thickened epoxy on the hull and on the back of the fuzzy piece of velcro and glue it to the floor. Glue the side with the hooks to the Therm A Rest Trail Seat using contact cement. Page B8

48 Mount Foot Pedals Page B9 The foot pedals are mounted by drilling two holes in the side of the boat and bolting the pedal to the inside of the boat. First drill a 1/4" hole through the boat 1 3 / 4 " below the sheer and 39" forward from the seat back (Selkie and Freya builders should measure 35" forward of the seat back. Ronan builders should measure 37"). If you are over 6' or under 5' 6" tall you should measure the proper distance yourself. Just get in the boat and sit down and mark where your feet come to. Then set the foot pedal in the middle of its range and set it in the boat with the foot rest positioned where your foot mark is. Then mark the hole and drill it. Once you have drilled the first hole, bolt the runner temporarily in place on the outside of the boat and using it as a guide, mark and drill the second hole. Then remove the runner and mix some epoxy and saturate the end-grain in the holes to seal the wood. Allow the epoxy to harden. Bolt the runner to the inside of the boat using the self tapping screws and "o" rings. The "o" rings and screw head are on the outside of the hull. Bulkhead and Hatches If you purchased the bulkhead and hatch kit, now is the time to install it. Refer to the instructions that came with the kit for installation. Complete Thigh Brace Installation (Murrelets, Selkie, Freya, Pinguino 145-4PD, Pinguino 150 Pro & Ronan) Laminate both sides of the thigh brace backing plates with fiberglass cloth. Lay out the two backing plates as shown. Insert a t-nut in the hole in each backing plate. Use a hammer to seat the flange firmly against the backing plate. You will glue the foam to this side of the backing plate. Insert the backing plate into the slot and mark the backing plate at the edge of the slot with a pencil. Remove the plate and using epoxy thickened with wood flour, glue a 2" thick block of ethafoam or minicell foam on the line. Packing tape can be used to clamp the foam to the backing plate while the epoxy cures. If you received the pre-cut white foam from us, align the foam to the edge of the backing plate. Mark the foam at the line you just drew on the backing plate and trim the foam to this line. If you are using grey mini-cell foam rough shape the foam with a surform or serrated knife. Sit in the boat and see how the foam fits you just above the knee and reshape as necessary. Repeat until the foam is positioned and shaped to fit you. Then screw in place. If the tab on your boat does not have holes pre-drilled in it you will need to drill them. You can choose to drill several holes evenly spaced, centered in the tab, or just drill the holes that you know you will use. If you choose to make the thigh braces fixed rather than adjustable, glue the braces to the underside of the deck with epoxy thickened with wood flour. We offer pre-shaped braces made from white ethafoam and un-shaped blocks of grey mini-cell foam. T-nuts and screws are included with the purchase of foam.

49 End Pour If you plan to drill a hole in your bow for either a bow line or hand toggle you will need to create a solid plug of epoxy commonly referred to as an end pour. Take the boat outside and stand it on its bow tip and lean it against the house. Secure the kayak so it will not fall. Mix up some epoxy (3-4.5 oz) thickened with wood flour to the consistency of molasses. If you have cut hatches pour the epoxy through the hatch opening. If you do not plan on installing bulkheads and hatches, stand on a step ladder, and looking down through the cockpit, pour the epoxy down into the end of the boat. A head lamp or trouble light hooked inside the kayak will help you to see the end of the boat. Do this during the coolest part of the day. A concentrated amount of epoxy like this can build up a lot of heat. To keep it cool you can put the bow in a small hole in the ground and fill the hole with water. Let it set until cured. Repeat this process using another oz of epoxy if a larger end pour is required. Repeat this process with the stern if you plan on drilling a hole for a hand toggle, or if you are installing a rudder. Finishing Your Boat Once your boat is completed, go paddling! Take that trip that you have been dreaming of! But, before too much time has passed, you need to protect it from the elements. Epoxy resins are ultraviolet sensitive. Prolonged exposure to sun will eventually cause the epoxy to dull or get chalky. This may happen in a few months in intense sunlight. High quality marine spar varnish is a good way to protect your boat. Painting the boat is another. Some folks choose to do a combination (i.e. painting from the water line down and leaving the rest natural wood). If you choose to paint your boat, a high quality marine paint should be used. Most of our boats are finished bright (clear), top to bottom. The quality of finish on your boat is most affected by the effort you make sanding it. If you have lots of drips and runs now is the time to remedy them. A rubber-sanding block will work fine. A palm sander is quicker, and a random orbital sander is quicker yet. As you sand, keep your sander flat against the boat s surface. Tilting a sander on edge can cause material to be lost very quickly. Before you know it, you can sand much deeper than you wanted to. The same negative effect can happen if you sand directly on a chine. Prepare yourself for sanding by wearing a dust mask. Begin your sanding with a medium grit (120) paper (if the surface has large drips and sags, or is very uneven you may consider using 100 grit paper to start). Concentrate on taking down drips and runs, feathering cloth and tape edges, and making the surface flat and smooth. Continue to smooth and flatten the surface with 150 grit paper, then finish with 220 (Note: Be sure to check the finish manufacturer s directions for application over epoxy. Some finishes require more tooth for a good bond and therefore recommend finishing with coarser grits of sandpaper). Sand until there is no remaining gloss on the surface of the boat. If you notice the weave of the cloth showing up, stop sanding in that area. Most varnishes will clear it up later (Note, water based LPU will not clear this up. Apply a thin coat of epoxy to any areas of exposed cloth if using LPU finish.). When you are finished sanding the entire surface should have a whitish matte appearance. If you discover small white dots on the surface of the boat, they are remnants of small bubbles broken by sanding. Epoxy dust will settle in these tiny pockets. You can try to vacuum them out, but our experience is that they need to be manually cleared with a pin. Prepare the surface by removing all the sanding dust with a vacuum followed by a damp cloth. If you have design work that you would like to add to the boat, now is a good time. A water based sign paint, from a local art supply store, works well for design and lettering work. It can be varnished over. We typically roll varnish on with the same rollers used for applying the epoxy, and then "tip it off" with a foam brush. It can be applied with a brush as well. Thinning the varnish can reduce brush marks and help the varnish flow better but we have had good results without thinning. Follow the manufacturer s Page B10

50 recommendation for thinning if you choose to thin your varnish. Apply varnish in thin coats to minimize sags and runs. Three coats are generally sufficient for protection. Typically all of a one quart can is sufficient for a kayak; two quarts will suffice for the interior and exterior of the canoe or wherry (Note: Additional coats of varnish will increase the UV durability of the finish. If you live in an area with intense sunlight, or your boat is stored outdoors adding additional coats of varnish will increase its longevity). Follow the finish manufacturer s directions about sanding between coats. A brighter color below the water line is functionally a better choice for visibility s sake. An LPU top side paint is a good choice if you choose to paint the bottom of your boat (ignore cautions regarding application below the waterline. These warnings do not apply to boats that are not being stored in water). To find the waterline of your boat, simply put the boat in calm water and mark the water line at the bow, stern and center seam. A long batten can be aligned to the three marked locations and define the waterline. Tracing and masking will allow you to finish the area below the waterline a different color if you choose. Most of the boats in our showroom have a black stripe along the sheer. We first did this during a photo shoot to accentuate the sweep of the sheer. We have used both electrical tape and auto detailing tape for this purpose. The electrical tape holds up surprisingly well and is much cheaper than auto detailing tape although it is not as glossy. Masking and painting a stripe under the varnish would also work well if you choose to put a stripe along your sheer. However you choose to finish your boat, keep in mind that UV protection or varnish is sacrificial and should be reapplied every few years. Brands of varnish that we recommend: System Three's Spar Urethane Varnish Z-Spars Flagship Varnish Before purchasing a varnish other than one of the brands recommended by System III, please review section VIII of System III's The Epoxy Book. There are marine spar varnishes which may not cure when applied to epoxied surfaces. Which finish? There are many topcoats to choose from and the decision can be quite difficult. Here is a brief discussion of our experience. 1. Spar Urethane Varnish, whether System Three, Z-Spar or Interlux are the easiest to apply. They flow out nicely and it is relatively easy to get a fine finish as long as your surface is adequately prepped. Twenty-four hours and sanding is required between coats. Spar urethane varnishes are solvent based and a charcoal filter respirator is a good idea and essential if you are working in a closed area. Varnish has a high gloss and depending on the use and storage conditions for your boat, varnish will last 2-4 years. It is softer than polyurethanes. 2. System Three's Water Reducible Linear Polyurethane (WR-LPU) has a few advantages; it is water reducible and cleans up with water, it dries very quickly allowing multiple coats to be applied in one day and it is much harder than varnish. It also has a couple disadvantages. When applied by hand (roller or brush) it is very difficult to get perfect results. In our shop we have been unable to apply LPU without seeing some brush marks in the surface. We have heard anecdotal evidence of good results from thinning 30% with water and wiping the product. System Three suggests spraying this product for best results. LPU does not have as high a gloss as varnish or solvent based polyurethanes. Page B11

51 3. Two part polyurethanes can give fine furniture quality finishes. They are hard and have a very high gloss. Surface preparation is crucial. These products are not forgiving and best reserved for experienced finishers. Dust and other particles can cause these finishes to "fisheye" leaving little craters wherever a particle exists. These finishes can be applied with roller and brush with good results but for truly showroom quality, spraying is the way to go. Like the WR-LPU, recoat times are very short (usually an hour or so). Two part polyurethanes are loaded with solvents and protective respiratory equipment is essential. One option for this high quality finish is to approach a body shop about spraying your boat. For most people spar urethane is the best choice. It is the least expensive, the easiest to apply and the easiest to touch up. If you are going to be using your boat heavily and can live with some brush strokes, the WR-LPU might be a good choice. If you are trying to win 'best at show', professionally spraying the boat with a two part polyurethane is your best bet. Have your wallet handy for this option. Hand Toggles You can mount a hand toggle at the bow of your boat by drilling a 1/2" hole through the end pour. At the bow we put the hole 3.5 inches from the tip of the boat and cenered between the sheer and the bow stem. At the stern, we put the hole 2.5 inches from the tip centered between sheer and stem. Then take a 5 foot piece of 3 strand rope and unwind one strand. It needs to be a hard nylon rope or other rope that will hold the kink in the rope as the strand is unwound. Throw away the other two strands and take the single strand and insert it through the hole and make an 8 inch loop. Then wind the strand over itself following the kink in the strand. Keep winding until you have a three strand loop. When the ends meet, whip the ends. The result is a continuous three strand loop that runs right through the hole in the end of the boat. The next step is to take a 4 or 5 inch piece of 1 inch wooden dowel. Whittle a grove around the center of the dowel and pinch the rope loop over it. Whip it in place and you have a nice wooden hand hold. We offer molded plastic hand toggles, Deck Rigging Pad Eyes 1 inch from edge Just behind peak 5 in front of cockpit Pad eyes 9 apart bow cord for paddle park I rig my deck with shock cord and a paddle park. When I am traveling I normally carry a self rescue float and a dry bag with my lunch and rain jacket on the rear deck. On the deck in front of me I usually have a dry bag with my camera and a map. When I am not using my paddle I push the blade under a shock cord at the bow and clip a shock cord over the shaft to park it securely on the deck. The deck rigging shown below is available from us as an accessory. Page B12

52 The ends of the bow cord and the shock cord in front of the cockpit are simply tied off with an overhand knot which prevents the end from slipping back through the padeye. Each end of the cord behind the cockpit has an overhand knot tied over the other cord with the knots pulled together.(see diagram below) In front of the cockpit, the stainless clip is put over the cord and a hog tie (the thing that looks like a large staple) is crimped over the end of the cord with a pair of pliers. The hog tie prevents the clip from coming off. The padeyes are secured using machine screws with washers and hex nuts. Pre drill the holes for the screws and epoxy saturate the end grain of the holes. Allow the epoxy to cure before installing the padeyes. Flotation There are two main reasons why kayakers put some sort of flotation device in their boats. In the old days people would put air bags in their fiberglass kayaks to keep them from sinking straight to the bottom like a stone if they filled up with water. Since our boats are made of wood they will not sink. When I am paddling fully loaded, I have one watertight stuff sack that I put in the bow of the boat and another one in the stern. Almost all of your camping gear except the water you are carrying and your camp stove is lighter than water. Storing about a third of your gear in watertight stuff sacks will ensure that your boat stays afloat. The second reason for flotation is a safety issue and it is why sea socks and bulkheads have become popular. When you capsize in a boat that only has air bags an enormous amount of water can get in the boat. When you reenter such a boat it will ride very low in the water with waves washing over it. The large quantity of water inside the boat will roll from side to side and make it extremely unstable. You are very unlikely to be able to keep such a boat upright in seas that have already capsized you in a dry boat. The solution is to use a flotation device that allows very little water to enter your boat so that the boat after a capsize will still ride high and be stable enough to paddle. We recommend that you either use a sea sock or install bulkheads and hatches. Sea socks are easier since no installation is required. They also are somewhat safer, since less water can get inside a sea sock than between two bulkheads. Bulkheads and hatches are a little more convenient and more common. Sea Sock A sea sock is a bag that fits over the cockpit coaming (underneath your spray skirt). The bag is as long as your legs and you literally sit in it. If you swamp your boat the only thing that fills up with water is the sock and somewhat less water can enter a sea sock than can flood in between two bulkheads. Sea socks keep the boat both dry and clean since at the end of the day you can just take the sock out of the cockpit and shake out all the sand, dirt and water that you tracked into the boat. We sell sea socks that fit our boats. I have cut a false bulkhead out of two inch thick Ethafoam, that I insert in the end of my sea sock. The foam is cut to the shape of the inside of my boat and is pushed up against my foot pedals with my feet pushing against the foam. The sea sock is stretched tight around the cockpit coaming, flat under the deck, and then over the foam bulkhead. The bulkhead holds the end of the sea sock open and prevents it from draping on my legs. Page B13

53 Hatch Kit The hatch kit consists of several wooden "lips", strapping and hardware. The hatch is constructed by cutting a hole in your deck, gluing a spacer strip of wood to the underside of the deck, and then gluing another wider strip of wood under the deck. This will form a recessed 3 / 4 " lip around the inside of the hole. The piece of wood that you cut out of your deck becomes the hatch cover and is simply set back down on the "lip" in the same hole it was cut out of. The lip is bedded with a strip of foam. The hatch cover is cinched down tight on the foam with some specially manufactured "cinch cams" to produce a water tight seal. The hatch kit comes with four pages of instructions and all the webbing, buckles, loop locks, cinch cams, pre-cut wooden lips, foam bedding strips and stainless steel lock nuts and machine screws. The installation is easy. Rudder Installation We sell as an accessory two types of rudders, Smart Track and Feathercraft. Try your boat without a rudder first and then order a rudder if you decide you want one. Under Deck Knee Brace Installation (Accessory available for Arctic Tern, Borealis, Coho, Osprey, Pinguio 145, Pinguino Sport builders only) Knee Braces are available from us as an accessory. Knee braces consist of a triangular piece of Ethafoam which is nine inches long that is glued to the under side of the deck. To make knee braces yourself, cut a piece of 4 lb. Ethafoam into a 1" equilateral triangle that is 9" long. Ethafoam works best. You need a foam that is quite rigid, will not crush or tear, and yet still has a little flex and give. Do not try to use either styrafoam or a soft, open cell foam. Get in your kayak, spread your knees and push off your foot braces. Press the underside of the deck with your knees. Take a pencil and mark the underside of the deck along the inside of your knee and thigh. Then glue the foam triangle under the deck with contact cement. Then glue the piece of 1/4" foam over the triangle and the underside of deck over to the sheer where the side meets the deck. This will pad the top of your knee and the triangle will give you something to grip with your knee. Note that our foam triangles are not symmetrical. Glue the steeper side towards your knee (i.e., toward the outside of the boat). Getting Comfortable in Your Boat Being comfortable is a very important part of enjoying your new kayak. We have tried many seats over the years and the air cushion provided in the kit is the most comfortable we have found - it contours to more bottoms than any other. To use the seat first inflate the seat and stick to the Velcro patches with the valve facing forward. Sit on the seat and reach down and open the valve and slowly let air out until you just start Page B14