Petrel Kayak Build - Cove and Bead Strips - E1
Milling strips for building a strip-built Petrel sea kayak. I'm making 3/16" thick cove and bead strips from western red cedar.
Using and working with cove and bead strips for strip-built boats.
Milling strips for building a strip-built Petrel sea kayak. I'm making 3/16" thick cove and bead strips from western red cedar.
For years, the state of the art in making strip-built boats has been cove-and-bead strips. Since most boats have rounded sectional shapes, i.e. the forms have a curved shape from the sheer line to the keel line, it is inevitable that each adjacent strip is oriented at a slightly different angle relative to its neighbor. If the edge of each strip is left square, this results in slight gaps in the seam between adjacent strips.
A strip built boat is made of small strips of wood so if you were wondering where the name came from, now you know. The method is often called cedar strip, because the wood used is typically cedar. It does not have to be. Any straight grained, light-weight wood can be used.