1/2 complete with the 2nd 3rd

Again it has been some time since my last post (beginning of December) but progress has been made.  So far I have completed stripping the hull.  This marks a milestone for me as I am now, what I like to say, half way through the second third of the project.

Completed hull

I have divided up the project into three parts.  The first part being the form building and strip cutting.  The second part is the strip installation.  The final part is the finishing.  Since at this point I am complete with stripping the hull, I consider this 1/2 way through the 2nd 1/3.  It makes sense to me!

The final strip installation on the hull.

These final strips took a little bit of fitting, but, they went in and look great.  It is amazing how much easier a sharp plane shapes the wood.  I thought a video of all of the stills which I have taken of stripping the hull.  Enjoy!

I have completed planing and rough sanding. The differences in the redwood and cedar are readily apparent and the beauty of the wood is showing.  I plan to come back to finish sand the hull just prior to fiber-glassing.

Shavings from planing.

Here is a video of me turning the kayak over on it's stands.  I still need to modify the stands a little to avoid the sharp contact points on the hull.  I plan to cut a couple of curved pieces underneath the hull and attach these to the stands.

With previous posts, I have been keeping track of the different 3M products being used.  My total count of different products is now up to 17.  I added the ergonomic sanding block to my list of products.  Surprisingly enough, I did not own a hand sanding block.  So, with a recent trip to the company store, I saw this and purchased it.  It fits my hand well but the only minor problem with it is that ,to me, the spikes which hold the sandpaper onto it are placed too far into the cut outs.  I almost need three hands to attach the paper, but in the end, it works as a sanding block should.

Lastly, I have been thinking that I need a name for my creation.  Since most boats have names, I have begun thinking about what to name it.  I have a couple I am considering and I am open to sugestions.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a name. Stay tuned for more info.  The name reveal will come out during the initial launch which I am hoping to do sometime around the end of May or early June.

Until next time...
Marc