Hi all,
I am about to start a new Wood Duck 12 build from a kit. I’ve built a Eastport Pram a few years back, but never a kayak. So I just wanted to start by asking people who have built it already: any advice? Anything you’ve done differently from the manual (or wish you’d done differently)? Links to documented builds? (I have one by Laszlo: Building a Wood Duck 12)
I am sure I’ll have many more specific questions as I go… Actually, here is one. I am kind of intimidated by the very first step, beveling the panels. How exactly am I supposed to do it? And what’s the best tool to use? (I don’t have a plane, so I was thinking, sanding?)
Eastport Pram didn’t have this!
Thanks all,
Andrew
Hey Andrew,
Welcome to the Duck club. It’s a great boat and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it for years once you’ve finished it. Mine’s coming up on its 16th birthday and it’s still the one I use the most out of my 4 boats. It’s just so easy to get to the water and it hits the sweet spot on stability vs speed, plus it’s comfortable for old damaged knees.
A belt sander and some care will make extremely fast work of beveling the panels. Just be aware that with that much power a slip could cause a lot of damage. If you want to play it safe, hand sanding with a sanding block and coarse paper will take a little longer but be a lot less dangerous to the wood.
After 16 years, I’ve had a chance to see which departures from the manual were useful to me and which weren’t. The ones I’m especially glad I did and would certainly do again are:
- tacking and removing the wires before filleting
- solid stem and stern pieces
- glassing 100% of the inside
- footbraces on studs instead of through-holes
- completing the coaming off the boat
- graphite/epoxy bottom
The only one that I haven’t used to its full potential is the solid stern piece. It was always meant to be there for attaching a rudder (that’s why it’s outsized) but I haven’t really needed one. That may change this year if I can get to building my sailrig kit.
Have fun,
Laszlo
Laszlo,
Wow, thank you, it’s a great list!
For beveling, I was thinking about manual sanding, I don’t trust myself with power tools. I am just having hard time to visualize the end result. The bevels go on the inside of the panels, right?
tacking and removing the wires before filleting
That’s how I built my Eastport Pram, and I really liked how it worked out, so definitely yes.
solid stem and stern pieces
Hmm, that’s a new concept for me, I’ll give it a thought. How wide (or, I guess, deep) should these pieces be, roughly speaking?
glassing 100% of the inside
I did notice that choice in your build description, and was wandering about it. When you say that you are “especially glad that you did and would certainly do again”, specifically for glassing 100%, what makes you so? Does it just feel right? Or are there more specific signs that this was the right choice?
graphite/epoxy bottom
This I was thinking about, and actually was going to ask. I don’t think MAS sells graphite powder, and I couldn’t find any positive confirmation that it’s compatible with MAS epoxy. I would assume it is, but would like to hear about personal experiences.
Thanks again!
Andrew
Hi Andrew, I too really enjoyed building and paddling my wood duck 12. I’d suggest getting a small block plane and use that to make the chamfers. With a little practice I find a plane much more controllable and I found it made flatter surfaces and sharper edges than a sander. It doesn’t need to be a super expensive plane, but keep it sharp and take light strokes, it will also come in handy later when you are fitting other parts. Nick Schade has a blog piece on block planes on his site as well.
Andrew,
Right. Picture the panels all wired up. The ends will be making contact on their inside edges. The bevels remove those edges so that the panel ends are flat against each other. The following picture shows the concept. It’s actually an illustration of how to bevel sheer clamps (from the CLC Shop Tips), but the idea is the same for beveling panels. The screw is replaced by copper wire ties.
The point of solid stem and stern pieces is to give the side panels and deck something to attach to and to give a firm backing to the joint. The exact dimensions aren’t critical. Here’s my stem piece, you can approximate the dimensions from the panel thickness and 1" spring clamp.
And the sternpiece. It was made from a 2x4 to provide a possible anchor point for a rudder assembly, so the top segment is 1 1/2" thick. More details at
my website.
!00% inside glass is not necessary for all builders. I did it because I knew that I’d be using the boat hard. I’ve beached it on rough shores, run into submerged rocks and stumps, carried hard pointy things, etc. and have yet to need anything more than cosmetic repairs for most of the boat (the exception being the hatch which I dropped and had to fix a shattered edge). Inside glass is the best mitigation for punctures. It holds the wood in place against the force of whatever is trying to penetrate the hull. Outside glass resists the initial puncture, but once the thing is through the outside glass does very little to prevent further penetration.
CLC sells West Systems 423 graphite powder which is perfectly compatible with MAS epoxy.
Finally, Peter is right, you should get yourself a block plane.
Laszlo
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Thank you, Laszlo and Peter!
I guess I might as well use this opportunity to get a block plane. Are the ones CLC is selling any good? (https://clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-building-supplies-epoxy-fiberglass-plywood/stanley-low-angle-block-plane-12-960.html)
Another question I had, the manual recommends build some kind of cradles on top of sawhorses to hold the boat . Did you guys do that? Or just assembled the boat on flat sawhorses?
Andrew
I’ve never seen a substandard product from CLC.
As for the boat cradle, I attached vertical 2x2s to the sawhorses, ran a piece of 1" nylon webbing between them and used those for the construction cradle after I’d stitched the panels together. The picture shows the pair at the front of the boat.
Laszlo
Hi Andrew, I’ve not used that plane, but it looks quite nice, not too expensive, and Stanley have a good reputation. I’d also pick up a sharpening stone and spend a little time practicing on scraps before you tackle the panels. You might also want to watch the video by Nick Schade on sharpening planes.
I didn’t use cradles for the wood duck to start with, just a flat work surface until it started to take shape, then after wiring and taping I did use cradles and strung some webbing between two uprights.
Alright Andrew, you asked for it…
I don’t have anywhere near the experience as others like Lazlo but I’m a couple months into my 2nd boat and its a WD-12 Hybrid so the below info should be relevant for you.
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A small apron plane will come in handy for a lot of fitting and even more so if you get into a future strip built boat. Keep it sharp. A light rasp or very rough sandpaper will make quick work of the panel joint if you don’t want to wait for your plane to arrive.
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This is my first S&G and I broke a lot more wires than I ever thought. Getting the wires tight on a tight and properly aligned panel seem is trickier than you might think especially if you are working alone.
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The angle of the panel bevel helps with the above. Lazlo show the concept to mitering them to a tight fit but be prepared to adjust the angle of the bevel as the angle of the panel joint changes along the edges. It’s okay to have the joint be a little open on the inside but there is definitely a sweet spot. If the bevel is too steep, the leading edge where the panels join will be weak and get crushed when you are tightening the panels together. And be sure not to bevel too deep; don’t go past the outside edge.
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I agree on glassing the entire inside. I think it is actually easier and provides a nice uniform finish which appeals to the anal builder I am, even though people will never see it. Adds a little extra weight but the durability payoff is worth it to me for a recreational boat like this.
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Along that line, I suggest fiberglassing both sides of the bulkhead before installing it as well. I guess I just like every piece of wood to be fully coated with fiberglass and epoxy.
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Agree with the solid wood at bow and stern easier than epoxy fills and end pours. You can use the transom panel to cut a matching shape out of a 2x6 and bevel the sides.
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Think about opportunities to customize your boat. I’ve had really good luck with printing custom graphics and epoxying under the fiberglass. Doing this on the inside of the hull is good way to practice and put something fun to see inside your hatch or cockpit. I’ve also inset abalone and other flatish decorations by cutting holes in the deck and filling them with the item and clear epoxy. Have fun with it!
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The anal builder in me again but I ended up taping the edges of my fillets inside the hull to create very straight clean edges. Others might be better at creating these fillets or less concerned with how they look.
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the transom piece in my kit did not fit the way it shows in the kit instructions. The bottom of the transom extended further down and into the bottom hull panel seam. I had to bend this lower section and finagle it tight and flush to all four hull panels. See photo.
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Agreed with the footbrace stud kit installation from CLC. Poking holes and putting bolts on a beautiful wood boat just seems wrong.
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Support for the hull is nice to have once you’ve got it together. The slings are handy if you like to be able to tilt the hull to one side or the other. Or you can use the temp forms and some scrap plywood to create supports. See photos.
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Epoxy/graphite on the bottom of the hull will add some durability and hide a lot of sins. Personally part of the reason I build wood boats is because I love the look of the wood and don’t want to cover it up. My current build uses stained okoume with some light sprinkling of copper glitter in the epoxy coat. It really sparkles!
Good luck with your build and let us all know how it goes!
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Thank again, guys, this is very helpful, and should be enough to get me started. I’ll follow up with more questions as they come up.
Ron, do you have of a sling or support that you used? I couldn’t quite see it on the photos you published.
Agree with the other replies. Didn’t think about solid bow and transom but that would be good. I added through holes with tubes at each end for carrying lanyards and the solid blocks would have made that much simpler.
I built my kayak on two work benches and cut some foam blocks to cradle the boat. This worked really well as it holds the kayak in place but cannot damage it. If you are on sawhorses then the blocks may not work so well.
We bought the block plane CLC sells for our Passagemaker Dinghy build. First class bit of gear which proved its value during the build for cleaning up edges of cuts and other such tasks. Others have urged you to get a good set of sharpening stones and learn how to use them, to which I say, “Amen!” Setting the gap is a bit tricky at the start; start small and open it up as necessary until it bites just enough.
We also used a very small plane (maybe 1" wide and 1-1/2" long - generally called a “finger plane”) for little jobs in tight areas. I forget the make and where I got it - something I’d had from some other project in my dimming past. This is used with one hand, held between the thumb and ring finger, with the index and middle finger supplying the downward pressure.
Remember to have fun, and have what Howard Chapelle described as a “moaning chair” (a comfortable, old chair with a view of the work) where you can sit down with a hot or cold drink in hand, calm yourself down, and think your way through some difficulty you’ve encountered. I wish you all joy of your boatbuilding and ultimate use of the prize! <;-)
…Michael
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Got it, thank you. Ordered a plane and a stone from CLC. Will use this opportunity to learn how to use them!
I looked up finger planes — they run from cheap to expensive — if you guys have specific recommendations, that would be great, too.
I built shaped forms out of some old 3/4" plywood. These hold the boat nicely in a mostly fixed position. I also used some slings I built using a couple strips of 3" wide scrap carpeting suspended from the ends of some upright 2x4s that are nice when you want to be able to rotate the boat to get a better working angle on something.
