Endeavor 17 by Steve Killing, a wood strip kayak.Page 2.

TonyBear guarding leftovers. My New Boat.
By, Captain F. Michael O'Lary
(Captain Fuzzy) no! really!

This whole thing started innocently enough. I asked Michael for advise on buying a new boat - after all, he's been building boats since dirt was new.

Silly me, I had narrowed my choices down to either the Current Designs Sirocco or the Prijon Kodiac. Primarily because of my size and the perceived need for a plastic boat. More on that later. During my conversations with Michael he pointed out to me that I didn't have to settle for a pretty good boat that had some stuff I didn't like at all. He said I could have a sea kayak that was built exactly the way I thought my boat should be.

He also mentioned something about . . 10-20 pounds less weight, but I wasn't paying any attention to that.

My first reflex was to take those statements with a grain of salt. Then I remembered - this is a guy who has built kayaks with motors!

I put up the standard arguments against a custom made WOOD boat, namely, expensive and fragile. Using patience I can't imagine where he got, he explained that quality wood boats are actually cheaper in the long run.

Cared for properly, they have an almost indefinite life span - plastic does NOT. This doesn't even take into account the value achieved in paddling a boat that is exactly the way you want it.

Think about it. Everything from the flare of the bow, to the size and shape of the cockpit (I have already stated my desire for a reclining barka-lounger style seat in this new kayak). Simply everything is exactly the way you want it - WOW. How can you even put a price on that?

Having made several trips with Michael on twisty turny rivers lined with limestone and some with oyster beds, I knew down deep that these EPOXY composite boats were plenty tough, I just hadn't thought about it beyond having noticed his boat usually showed less marking on the bottom than our plastic boats. I wrote that off to his experience and skill, not the boat.

Yesterday I took a very close look at the hulls on the various boats he has around his shop. Boy, was I wrong. Because I'm relying on his assistance on this project, I'll skip the commentary on his actual paddling skills, and just say that I now believe these epoxy/wood boats are VERY tough indeed.

So now, I'm convinced.

But, being the thoughtful sensitive type I am, I decided before I really commit to this I need to talk to my Sweetie. Did I mention, my suspicion this isn't going to be cheap? Just kidding. Suzanne is very supportive of my endeavors (pun intended). She reacted right off the bat with "GREAT!". It made my tail-bone feel better instantly. More on that in a minute.

I am not going to go into details on cost out of respect for my consultant, Michael. This gentleman earns every dime he gets for his boats, I promise you. But I will say that I bruised my tail-bone when I fell out of my chair. That happened when Michael told me how much the materials would cost to build it myself.

I cut the molds out of a 7/16 thick sheet of chip board from Lowes. It cost less than eight bucks.

Now before youse guys start getting finky ideas about the cost of these boats - Michael's average about four to six thousand bucks - stop. And think about how much your time is worth. There WILL be a lot of it invested! Now think about how often you will need to replace that boat. Now think about it being an honest to goodness work of art that you can be sure will draw comments far and wide.

Like I said, Michael earns every dime.

But the cost of the raw materials will surprise you. Unless I guess, they don't make trees and sawmills where you come from. Then you'll pay a premium for the wood and shipping. Here in North Florida you can get virtually anything you can name.

Which brings me to what I fear may be the biggest single problem to overcome in this project: Which Woods to use!

There being an almost limitless choice is going to be a problem. And oh my goodness - I don't even want to think about the actual number of graphic design possibilities. I think this is going to have to be done by computer. That's it. I'll let the computer decide.

Regarding which woodsuffice it to say as long as you have a hard wood in the right places you can use virtually any type of wood, any color, or grain structure, you want. My gosh, the inlay possibilities are staggering.

Anyway . . I looked at about a thousand wooden boat pictures and design plans. I decided on John's because it has a light color which I like in boats, it's darker trim doesn't detract from the lines of the boat, it highlights them. I found out later - naturally after I had already decided - that lighter colored wood tends to be lighter in weight also.

After much soul searching and a little blind luck, I have decided to use Atlantic White Cedar and Black Walnut. Naturally, the black walnut will be for the accents and hard points. I can hardly wait. This project will be worth doing just to smell the steam from bending the stems!

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Comments, contributions, or complaints please contact Mike: ctfuzzy@canopy.net

This whole thing started innocently enough. I asked Michael for advise on buying a new boat - after all, he's been building boats since dirt was new. Silly me, I had narrowed my choices down to either the Current Designs Sirocco or the Prijon Kodiac. Primarily because of my size and the perceived need for a plastic boat. More on that later. During my conversations with Michael he pointed out to me that I didn't have to settle for a pretty good boat that had some stuff I didn't like at all. He said I could have a sea kayak that was built exactly the way I thought my boat should be. He also mentioned something about . . 10-20 pounds less weight, but I wasn't paying any attention to that. My first reflex was to take those statements with a grain of salt. Then I remembered - this is a guy who has built kayaks with motors! I put up the standard arguments against a custom made WOOD boat, namely, expensive and fragile. Using patience I can't imagine where he got, he explained that quality wood boats are actually cheaper in the long run. Cared for properly, they have an almost indefinite life span - plastic does NOT. This doesn't even take into account the value achieved in paddling a boat that is exactly the way you want it. Think about it. Everything from the flare of the bow, to the size and shape of the cockpit (I have already stated my desire for a reclining barka-lounger style seat in this new kayak). Simply everything is exactly the way you want it - WOW. How can you even put a price on that? Having made several trips with Michael on twisty turny rivers lined with limestone and some with oyster beds, I knew down deep that these EPOXY composite boats were plenty tough, I just hadn't thought about it beyond having noticed his boat usually showed less marking on the bottom than our plastic boats. I wrote that off to his experience and skill, not the boat. Yesterday I took a very close look at the hulls on the various boats he has around his shop. Boy, was I wrong. Because I'm relying on his assistance on this project, I'll skip the commentary on his actual paddling skills, and just say that I now believe these epoxy/wood boats are VERY tough indeed. So now, I'm convinced. But, being the thoughtful sensitive type I am, I decided before I really commit to this I need to talk to my Sweetie. Did I mention, my suspicion this isn't going to be cheap? Just kidding. Suzanne is very supportive of my endeavors (pun intended). She reacted right off the bat with "GREAT!". It made my tail-bone feel better instantly. More on that in a minute. I am not going to go into details on cost out of respect for my consultant, Michael. This gentleman earns every dime he gets for his boats, I promise you. But I will say that I bruised my tail-bone when I fell out of my chair. That happened when Michael told me how much the materials would cost to build it myself. I cut the molds out of a 7/16 thick sheet of chip board from Lowes. It cost less than eight bucks. Now before youse guys start getting finky ideas about the cost of these boats - Michael's average about four to six thousand bucks - stop. And think about how much your time is worth. There WILL be a lot of it invested! Now think about how often you will need to replace that boat. Now think about it being an honest to goodness work of art that you can be sure will draw comments far and wide. Like I said, Michael earns every dime. But the cost of the raw materials will surprise you. Unless I guess, they don't make trees and sawmills where you come from. Then you'll pay a premium for the wood and shipping. Here in North Florida you can get virtually anything you can name. Which brings me to what I fear may be the biggest single problem to overcome in this project: Which Woods to use! There being an almost limitless choice is going to be a problem. And oh my goodness - I don't even want to think about the actual number of graphic design possibilities. I think this is going to have to be done by computer. That's it. I'll let the computer decide. Regarding which woodsuffice it to say as long as you have a hard wood in the right places you can use virtually any type of wood, any color, or grain structure, you want. My gosh, the inlay possibilities are staggering. Anyway . . I looked at about a thousand wooden boat pictures and design plans. I decided on John's because it has a light color which I like in boats, it's darker trim doesn't detract from the lines of the boat, it highlights them. I found out later - naturally after I had already decided - that lighter colored wood tends to be lighter in weight also. After much soul searching and a little blind luck, I have decided to use Atlantic White Cedar and Black Walnut. Naturally, the black walnut will be for the accents and hard points. I can hardly wait. This project will be worth doing just to smell the steam from bending the stems!
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