"....Gone Fishin' " Well the weather broke a lil' bit. Hadn't been out in a while. Krista (my wife) has been hounding me to go fishin'. We went fishin' on the Combahee River. Didn't catch anything. I received some parts at the end of the week. Started to work on a door on the forward footwell wall, the Old No 7 and the Fighting chair gimble.

...weather over the weekend wasn't condusive to "Epoxy setting". Decided to work on the deck. So far, it has came out pretty good. The whole deck is pyrography artwork. Pyrography is nothing more then "WoodBurning". The problem is, if you make a mistake it's burnt into the wood. Anyway, like I said, the theme is a Jack Daniel's Barrel. The bow has the words "Jack Daniel's", individual oak boards and a Barrel hoop (the only part I'm not too fond of). The Aft Deck has a portrait of "Jack", Old No 7 , individual oak boards. Anyway, did the work with a $10 Walmart WoodBurner special. Ordered parts today. Suppose to warm up some. Hopefully this week will be productive.

...planning on hittin' the yak hard over the weekend. I have most of everything laid out, just waiting on a break in the weather. I have decided on a 4" quarter turn inspection hatch to access the Fighting chair gimble. I'm planning on using the new foam seat from Black Dog Kayaks, instead of the traditional SOT kayak seat arrangement. The seat is a minicell foam seat with hip and thigh pads. I have pretty much convinced myself to finish the kayak in a "Jack Daniels" Whiskey Barrel theme. Planning on wood burning the design on the deck. The "Old No 7 Brand" will be on the bucket recess cover on the rear deck. The bottom of the hull will be Black,(epoxy & wood stain); Carbon epoxy for the lower half. This should help protect the hull from scratches. The cockpit, is going to be Black Epoxy & black wood stain. Should make it look like the charcoal inside of a whiskey barrel. I'm probably going to regret that. I'm sure it's going to get hot. For the rod holders, I have steered away from the original Pursuit, adjustable trax rod holders. I think I'm just going to recess two angled rod holders in the forward deck. Then 3-4 in the converted "Mid deck" area behind the seat. The center one to be home to the RiverRock lantern. Well wish me luck, either the weather warms up, or I'm starting the yak in the house.

...rough week. I worked on the Cockpit support system. I planned the 3 gal. Bucket recess and cover. I almost completed the wood rudder system. Although I'm not totally pleased with it, I think I'll march on and see how it works before I make a new one. With the cockpit supports cut out, I've been measuring and planning where everything needs to go. It isn't going to work like I wanted it to. The new Wadefish design has dramatically reduced the cockpit size. I have the original Wadefish design, but was offered the Wadefish 2 design. The changes incorporated in the Wadefish 2 were suggested by "HairyMick". The original Wadefish was design for him. He was looking for a fast SOT fishing Kayak, capable of taking rough Australian waters. I could revert back to the original Wadefish, but for now I'll march on. As for the deck, the weight of the strips is increasing the weight too much. Opting to keep it more simple, it is suppose to be a fishin' yak. Luckily (...or unluckily) the plans are in my head. Oh, and just because I'm trying to keep the hull weight down, doesn't mean the yak has to be plain or ordinary. Just stand by. If these guys on TV can make a "Theme" Chopper ..... Why not a "Theme" Kayak. After owning a Lounge for six yrs., being the #1 seller of a certain make, in the entire state of SC (...I even have an autographed 1/2 Gal. bottle Signed by the Master Distiller himself, "Jimmy Bedford" .) and my favorite "Adult Beverage". Well, I still have to force on, I need to be done for Mother's Day (...Cobia Season).

The weather hasn't cooperated very well. Starting a project in the Winter, without having a heated workspace can cause delays. I finished drawing the Hull Panels and got one side of the kayak cut out. I still need to draw and cut the other side of the hull. Man, it's alot of drawing and cutting. I need to remember to buy a CNC Kit next time. For busy work, I designed a wood rudder system. I glued up a Maple and Walnut blank for the rudder blade and shaped it. The rudder pivot is oak and mahagony. It has been sanded down to 220 grit, and looks pretty good. Yesterday, I started a Deck design. I am planning on making a hybrid strip deck. I drew it to size and stareted cutting Mahogony and Wormey Maple strips. Tried a few color combinations out, by laying strips out on a poster board deck. Looks good. Now just to see if I can "Pull it Off". Hopefully it should be a busy weekend.

Well I finally received the plans for the new Kayak. The kayak is named the "Wadefish". It is a 15' long wood Sit On Top (SOT). This meansyour body is in an open cocpit, instead of being inside the kayak and having your legs covered up by the deck of the kayak. The Plans , along with a few "Fresh" ideas should make an interesting Kayak. Since I didn't opt for a "kit", I have to draw and cut each piece from plywood. Today I have started the Layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. This is pretty dry stuff right now. SO back to work.