Tempest Chronicles: Sea Kayaking the Western Coast of Alaska

- Tempest Chronicles -

A 50 day, 600-mile trip along the western coast of Alaska

Map 2 (Open with google Earth or CalTopo)

Copyright © 1995 - 2024 Ray Jardine

1987: At the Scaled Composites complex, standing in front of Burt Rutan's aircraft Voyager

During our first PCT thru-hike, in 1987, we took a layover day at Mojave, California, and visited the Scaled Composites complex. Burt Rutan's aircraft Voyager had just flown around the world, not-stop, non re-fueled. The aircraft was on display, as well as a visitor exhibit showing how the plane was built. I had made a couple of fiberglass kayaks in the past, but Rutan's methods were on a whole different level. (Note: Burt and I are the same age, both aeronautical engineers, but graduated from different Universities.)

How the plane was built.

So now, (1995) I wanted to make a kayak using Rutan's methods. We bought books on the subject, including Rutan's "Moldless Composite Sandwich Aircraft Construction"

Our project began with designing the kayak. I had written a program to design aluminum and steel sailboats and cut out the parts. So I used my program to design the kayak. The photo is blurry because the actual design is not the point of this story.

The construction began by building a strong-back to hold the boat during its construction.

After attaching the ends to the strong-back, we will attach station 2x4s, spaced to match the mold frames.

Station 2x4s attached, and legs screwed in place.

The strong-back is beefy so it doesn't move - throwing the kayak out of line - and making a banana boat.

Jenny sews a thick fleece jacket for my use this summer.

We make a simple test of the kayak's hull width and deck height, and the length of the paddle, to see if the arrangement will work.

We're laying out the frames on a piece of plywood, and drawing the curves with a flexible wooden spline.

We cut out the frames oversize with a jigsaw. And here I am linishing them to size. The frames will not be a part of the boat, but only part of the mold.

We're cutting out thin strips of lath. The saw is stationery, bolted to the pallet, and I'm shoving the board into the saw. We're working under a tarp to fend off the cold rain.

Frames screwed to the Station 2x4s and the long strips of lath are attached to the frames. Now we are starting to cover the mold with ridged structural foam. The foam will become the core of the actual kayak.

The structural foam is hard as a board, but when heated it becomes bendable.

On the right side, we have screwed the foam to the mold, externally. This arrangement is only temporary, to hold the foam in place while it cools and hardens. On the left side, we have screwed the foam to the mold, internally, and removed the external screws - so the lay-up doesn't trap the screws in place.

With all the pieces of foam attached to the mold, we're sanding them smooth.

Joking around.

We made test pieces of structural foam covered with various fabrics impregnated with epoxy. Then we tested each sample for strength with a hammer.

The pieces of structural foam covered with woven graphite fiber (carbon fiber) were unbreakable.

So we decided to use narrow strips of carbon fiber.

Dry-fitting the first strip. Yup, that should work fine.

After wetting-out the structural foam, I'm saturating the carbon with epoxy using a squeegee.

The first layer of strips were oriented lengthwise. The second layer widthwise.

To protect the carbon from rocks, I'm covering it with a thin layer of s-glass.

We have separated the frames from the strong-back, and rotated the boat right-side up.

Removing the screws holding the mold to the structural foam.

Trimming the gunnels with a jig saw.

Separating the mold from the kayak.

Vacuuming the carbon dust created by trimming the gunnels.

Grinding the cured epoxy that had seeped between the structural foam panels.

Laying strips of carbon on the inside of the hull.

Like on the outside of the hull, we're laying two layers on the inside, one running for and aft, and the other running laterally.

The layup has cured and the gunnels trimmed.

The hull of the kayak is complete. Time to take it to a lake for testing.

Yup, it floats.

It paddles easily; and seems much faster than the old Sea-Tub.

Jenny taking it out for a spin.

Back in the shop/garage, we're starting to make the deck.

Again, we're using structural foam.

Two layers of carbon at 90 degrees.

Then covered with thin s-glass.

Removing the deck from the mold.

We have laid strips of carbon on the underside of the deck.

To make a bulkhead, we set a strip of lath across the hull, and hang a panel of cardboard from it. The cardboard is undersized. Then we tape a bunch of feeler strips around the edges. This makes a pattern that we can use to size the actual bulkhead.

The bulkhead is a piece of foam covered in s-glass and epoxy.

We've cut-out the cockpit and cargo openings.

Making drip rings around the cargo openings.

We made cockpit combings using a length of garden hose.

We've attached the deck to the hull only temporarily, for testing.

A visit by a photographer, checking-our progress.

We're gluing the deck to the hull, tightly, with epoxy.

Jenny starting to make spray skirts.

Starting to look like a kayak.

Making pogies.

Applying fiberglass seam-tape to the inside hull-deck joint.

Making a water-tight cover for the rear hatch.

Sanding the hull to reduce drag and for a smother appearance.

A finished spray skirt. Much more waterproof. Suspenders not visible.

Testing the boat for stability.

Testing our drysuits

We panted the deck white to protect the carbon fiber from the sun.

Shipping frame container built and ready to load onto the van.

We drove the kayak to a shipping facility in Portland, and had the kayak trucked from Portland to Seattle; shipped on a container ship to Anchorage; and flown on cargo plane to St. Marys.