Morris Style Skin on Frame

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I started this boat over the Thanksgiving weekend, 2002 and tested it in the pool February 1, 2003. I built this boat for exposure to a new construction style, and especially for rolling and moonlit paddles on a local lake. Based on some feedback on the Kayak Building Bulletin Board, I made the boat somewhat smaller than Morris' recommendations. Even so, it should have been narrower and the masik (kneebrace) should have been lower.

While it was interesting to build a boat without the use of any metallic fasteners and with a very small amount of epoxy, I didn't find this project nearly as gratifying as the Return. For whatever reason, I found wood strip boats to be much more fun to build.

All of the long pieces, ribs, and coaming are yellow cedar, with the cross pieces all western red cedar.

Constructing the coaming was my first significant experience with steaming air dried wood. The Alaskan Yellow Cedar that I used had been seasoned for over a year, than stored in a Phoenix area garage for the better part of a year. As a result, I cut some 4" ABS pipe to length to create a soaking tube, and let the wood soak overnight. I built a new steamer of the same style that I'd used for the deck swirl on the Return. This one uses smaller tube, and is easier to store as a result.

I used 12 oz. nylon cloth from Dyson, and got my waxed nylon thread and needles from the Wooden Boat Store. I'm no seamstress, but sewing on the cover was not difficult, just somewhat tedious and hard on the fingers. I spread the sewing over about 3 days to cut down on the wear and tear on my fingers.

I decided to use water based Varathane for sealing the skin based on feedback from the Greenland Kayaking Forum where several individuals suggested the water based product would remain more flexible than the oil based product over time. In addition, some suggested this product would result in a clear coat while the oil based product would have a brown tint to it. My experience was that it is not clear - adding a creamy hue that wasn't expected. I put 8 coats on the boat, hanging it from pulleys so that I could easily coat both the deck and the hull at the same time.

The first chance to try the boat was in the wave pool on February 1, 2003. I was assisting with a class of new sea kayakers, and this boat certainly raised some eyebrows. I tested it without any outfitting, and found the fit to be much looser than what I'd imagined it would be. Sculling braces were easy, but rolls were more challenging with too much hip clearance. I've since created some hip pads that help considerably in that regard. If I were going to do it again, the boat would be about 1.5" narrower and the masik about 2" lower.

If I were going to do it again, the boat would be about 1.5" narrower and the masik about 2" lower. I ended up with about 1" more freeboard than what I had hoped for when I lowered the back deck. The Coho is Greg Morse - an occasional contributor to the Kayak Building Bulletin Board. The wood paddle is his. I've built one Greenland style paddle, but much prefer my carbon fiber Toksook that Greg is trying in this picture. Maybe with more exposure I'd adapt to the Greenland style paddle, but...