Stitch and Glue

In this video Nick Schade and Bill work on fiberglassing the Petrel Play SG sea kayak, addressing gaps at the bow and stern, laying fiberglass cloth, wetting it with epoxy using brushes and rollers, and applying a fill coat to smooth out the texture. The video offers detailed demonstrations and explanations of the stitch-and-glue boat building process.

I am starting to make my boat plans available in digital form so customers can download them instead of dealing with the time and expense of shipping.

We trimmed fiberglass from our Petrel Play SG sea kayak, focusing on rounding the chines and cleaning up the hull for durability. Using careful techniques, we prepared for fiberglassing, ensuring a smooth, strong build. Our meticulous preparation lays the foundation for exceptional performance on the water.

Nick and Bill sand cured epoxy fillets to prepare for fiberglassing the interior of a Chesapeake Light Craft kayak kit. They mix small batches of epoxy, applying it with rollers and brushes. Nick coaches Bill on technique for evenly wetting out the 4oz fiberglass without excess. They use a slotted cup to remove the excess epoxy, ending up with a nicely reinforced interior.

In this Episode Bill and I checked the deck alignments, tightened the wires, and spot welded her all up with CA glue. We focused on the combing and hatches first to get them angles right. Had some twist to wrestle out but got them panels lined up good in the end. Pulled the wires and called it a day.

This episode a detailed description of a boat-building process, specifically focusing on filling seams with thickened epoxy to create fillets between panels. Nick explains the materials, tools, and techniques used in the process, emphasizing the importance of a smooth and strong fillet. The process involves mixing epoxy with wood flour, applying it to seams using a piping bag, and shaping the fillet. Nick demonstrates the steps, offers tips, and discusses the significance of the fillet in reinforcing the boat structure.

In this video, Nick Schade and Bill are building the Petrel Play SG Stitch and glue sea kayak kit from Chesapeake Light Craft. The focus is on continued assembly of the deck and installing the hatch and cockpit recesses. They emphasize the importance of creating a recessed hatch to keep the kayak dry and maintain the boat's sleek look. Throughout the process, they encounter challenges, such as ensuring the panels fit tightly, but they remain committed to creating a high-performance kayak.

This episode Nick and Bill are working on assembling the deck, focusing on various components like the cockpit and hatches. They discuss the use of a heat gun to shape plywood parts, the importance of achieving a good fit, and the comfort and functionality benefits of the assembled components.

In this episode Nick and Bill focus on assembling the Petrel Play kit's deck. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dealing with a puzzle joint issue in the side panels, showcasing the process of using a debonder to rectify mistakes. This highlights the importance of addressing construction challenges decisively for optimal results. The hosts discuss the intricacies of assembling puzzle joints and the occasional need for more drastic measures, emphasizing that such actions can lead to quicker and more effective solutions. The overall narrative underscores the iterative nature of craftsmanship, where mistakes are inevitable, but the ability to handle them promptly and decisively contributes to the overall success of the project.

This video shows the process of fiberglassing the inside of a stitch and glue kayak hull after it has been stitched and glued together. Fiberglassing the inside is tricky since gravity works against properly conforming the cloth to all the corners. The key technique is ensuring adequate cloth is worked into every seam so there are no bridges where the cloth gaps across corners. Rather than perfecting each section before moving on, the goal is to quickly get reasonable coverage across all surfaces, then refine problem areas. Excess resin should be removed with a "grunge cup" - a cup with a slit for the squeegee - since excess resin adds weight and reduces strength.