 | After
the deck is completely fiberglassed and the coaming rim done, cut the hull
cradle wires to free the kayak from the mold. Install the outside deck cradles
on the strongback and position the entire kayak facing hull up. For this
procedure, the hull and deck should still be attached at the sheerline (wire,
hot glue or both) so that the hull retains its fair sheerline curve.
The filleting between the plates and filling of the wire holes is exactly
the same as was done for the deck earlier.
Here I am gluing on a piece of tiger maple keel strip on the last 2 feet
of the keel at both bow and stern. Prepare the keel by planing or sanding
a flat spot on top being careful not to cut too deep into the internal epoxy
stitches. Glue on an oversize keel strip of your choice and hold it down
any way you can. I am using glass reinforced packing tape. By the way, this
is completely optional procedure as the kayak will be fine without any keel
strips or stem bands. |
 | Planing
of the raw keel strip to blend it into the surrounding hull. The strip must
completely cover the patch you sanded underneath. |
 | Installing
a more flexible decorative stem band after the keel strip is shaped. |
 | Here
is what the transition looks like after the hull is glassed. The bow is
to the left. |
 | |
