Nadgee Kayaks Australia

When Fibrglass isnt fibreglass

2011-07-08T04:28:00.000-07:00

Doing some research on the internet and I came across this youtube clip.

They might be talking about fishing boats and I might not agree with the outboard motor use !!

But I happen to use the same material and products from the same suppliers for this company and have visited both them and the Nuplex testing site.

It shows the strength and versatility of good quality materials and workmanship

If you need to know what your Nadgee Sea Kayak is made from check this out.

Whats been doing

2011-06-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well I have just come out of the shed for what seems an eternity...its been go go go since about November last year.
So what has NKA been doing, well,we are 90% through finishing off a new design single sea kayak.
Loosely based on the hull of a Nadgee Expedition but we have totally redesigned the deck to include

The most comfortable cockpit and thigh support
New hatch configuration with Kajak sport 10' hatches front and back with a 3/4 day hatch utilizing the 8' hatch and lid
The now obligatory forward day hatch ( which I'm now a fan of as its so easy to get too,no more twisting and searching in the day hatch for those needed little bits and pieces)
Options of skeg or rudder and still retain the ability to paddle in most conditions without either until required that is

The next project that has come along recently has been a double sea kayak.

Like the single I'm about 90% along the way to completing this project.

Based on the Tassie twin double which is a fast stable and enjoyable sea kayak , I have moved the seating position so paddlers dont paddle clash whilst paddling.
Added a center hatch and added all those features that make Nadgee Kayaks a leader in kayak design and manufacture.

This is one double kayak that will stand out as a true double sea kayak.

There is lots of work getting a plug ready for molding.My fingers tips are so raw from sanding that I have to tape them up each morning to save them.

Its such hard work but very rewarding when the final product is ready for the market

Watch out world ..
Nadgee 2 double sea kayak on the market soon and the new Nadgee ........ ( I haven't decided on a name for the single yet )
They will be on an ocean near you soon !!

I hate Kevlar

2011-01-09T00:29:00.000-08:00

"I hate Kevlar" is an often made comment when I'm making a Kevlar Kayak,its so bloody hard to work with and one of the reasons many manufacturers wont go any were near it OR if they do its only in the hull as a deck of a kayak is much harder to prepare for laying up.

Now as I keep on saying you need to know the weight of the cloth and maybe the weave as well to get a full understanding of what your kayak is made of as there is more than just plain old Fibreglass in there (I hope!!)

When I build a Kevlar boat it is a 300gm per sq mtr cloth in a satin weave...bloody hard to cut with scissors let me tell you...what was that" I HATE KEVLAR"!!

Kevlar has been around for some time and has proven it self in many applications.

If I was to have just one choice and one kayak it would be a Kevlar hulled kayak as its super strong when used in a good weight/weave and for kayaking its general all round purposefulness makes it top of the choices.

Its puncture resistant,its abrasive resistant,its flexible and we need all of those attributes in sea kayaks especially if you are rough on your gear
Drag your boat up the beach...get Kevlar...
Like playing around rocks......get Kevlar..... stronger than plastic

Did I mention as a manufacturer I hate Kevlar !!

Now dont get me wrong all of the cloths have their down side ....Kevlar's is that it breaks down with UV something we have plenty of here in Australia but with a good Gel Coat and proper care keeping the sun off the internal bits of Kevlar makes this a fairly low risk of happening.

It also makes a great external keel strip being so abrasive resistant

Now why don't we see its usage so much in our kayaks.
1. Its so hard to work with it takes me 3 times longer to cut patterns for a Kevlar boat than any of the other fabrics
2. Its easy to get air bubbles when doing a handlayup with Kevlar resulting in extra time and resources to ensure this doesnt happen.
3. Won't sit down over bumps and ridges easily with out extra care ..hence decks are a night mare with Kevlar
4. Its so god damm hard to work with !!

As a manufacturer I hate Kevlar for the above reasons but as a paddler knowing the material used in our kayaks I LOVE KEVLAR for all of the good reasons I have mentioned.

It will result in a longer lasting tougher kayak

Did I mention I hate Kevlar!!!

What is your boat made of part 1 Carbon/Kevlar

2010-10-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

In part one I'll try and demystify some of the fabrics used in composite kayak manufacture

When you go to buy that brand new sea kayak first impressions are everything and what are you really looking at?
Are you just looking at that shiny new gel coat or are you looking at the materials that go into making your kayak?

As the materials that make your kayak make a big difference to the life of your new purchase and the strength as well.

It's easy to be sucked into the whirlpool when your looking at a new sea kayak and the marketing strategies are just amazing with name dropping all over the place.

Kevlar,Carbon,Carbon/Kevlar are just some of the names used to describe some of the materials used.

Now what do they all mean ?

Carbon/Kevlar(CK) is one of those materials that is used by manufacturers to upmarket their product and in some ways it does this but only in the weight saving as other than that its probably no stronger than a average Fibreglass layup ,if you think I'm the only manufacturer who thinks this have a look here

But the sea kayaking market has been totally sucked in by this material,WHY?

Every one wants light weight and you sacrifice strength for the low weight

It looks so damm sexy!!

Most manufacturers who vacuum infuse or vacuum bag love to use this product as it lends itself to this form of manufacturer as CK is a light weigh fabric easily bagged and infused.
This creates a stiff light weight boat BUT that is were the advantages finish for us sea kayakers.

Their is also a general rule in composite manufacturer and that is the strength of your material is equal to the thickness IE a thin laminate will be weak compared to a thick laminate ...its a general rule remember!!

Being a woven fabric of two different materials causes a whole different scenario as you get the strength of both ( but remembering its only a light weight cloth approx 180/190 grams per square meter ) but also the weaknesses of both and in such a light weight fabric your asking for trouble.

I regularly make test panels out of the different layups in my kayaks and CK is by far the weakest even compared to a Fiberglass layup .
Surprisingly when cracked with impact the cracking is irregular and tends to crack along the Kevlar in the weave set and unlike all straight fabric options the cracking is usually a long line where the others tend to spread out in a circled crack.

Now after all that it does have its place in Sea kayaking but not in the hull of our boats.Its best used for what it was originally designed for and that is weight saving.Its great in decks for this reason as it just wont cop the punishment that the hull of your boat gets.

If your careful with your kayak and don't plan on playing around rock gardens etc then this might be the fabric of choice for you but be warned it wont stand the punishment other fabrics can stand up too

Now if I was to use CK in the hull of my sea kayaks it would be a layer of straight Kevlar and then another layer of Carbon on top of the Kevlar....a true Carbon/Kevlar layup and doubly strong without the weaknesses of weaving them both together.

Oh by the way I can make you a carbon/kevlar sea kayak if you think your going to be light and easy with it as it can save you lots of weight and with good care will provide you with a suitable kayak

from a manufacturers perspective..... that is

Tsunami Rangers "Confessions of a Wave Warrior"

2010-10-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago now I attended National Kayaking week over in NZ and whilst I was there I meet two of the major players of the Tsunami Rangers Jim Kakuk and Eric Soares and we chatted and paddled together over the next few days ..They are good paddlers and gave a great talk about paddling in the rough stuff...any way..to cut a long story short, NKA will be manufacturing their kayaks in the not too distant future and cant wait to start.
I ended up traveling over to the USA to finalize the deal and while I was over there I also attended Eric 's book launch of his much anticipated book "Confessions of a Wave Warrior " .

These guys are like Demi Gods in the USA and rightly so as they do stuff in their kayaks which most of us would cringe at and if you dont believe me have a look here

The book is an excellent read and you also get to build a great picture of who Eric is and the team he and Jim built around them

It was excellent fun camping and hanging and paddling with the Rangers for a week and was one of the highlights of my year

NKA have the book for sale for $30.00 plus postage ..get it while you can

CHAOS rules supreme

2010-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Every October long weekend here in NSW a bunch of mates get together for a paddling trip with a difference.
This group of guys meet annually to celebrate life as we know it and its a fun 5 days of paddling and catching up with mates from a diverse background from kayak builders/designers,medical GP's/ house builders and retired paddlers.

We have a funny way of doing things on this paddle ........no rules and a theme each year to bring a little bit of humour.... but we always have a few standard(no) rules
No maps..
No forecast's...
No watches....
which makes for a different type of paddling something you might find on an Expedition trips in a remote location
Most of all we meet to remember Andrew McAuley who was a team member before tragically being lost on an extreme trip..It was this annual trip that Andrew tested his kayak out for his Tasman crossing.

This year we paddled from Mystery Bay to Pambula on the NSW South Coast and I had the job of finding new camp spots to land at.
One new spot that I wont tell any one about is called the sacred thong site with an amazing Coastal Mahogany tree that is supporting itself along the ground for approx 15mtrs was a standout camping spot this year.

The down side of camping here was that we had to land on rocks!! The paddler below is just seconds away from hitting a rock in his wooden kayak

Now this is OK but you have to have nerve to do it,lots of people say you need a plastic boat to play with rocks...what a load of goop..I have done hundreds of landings in composite boats without a problem it just takes commitment ....sadly we had a couple of accidents and cracks and splits in boats but that is just a part of sea kayaking.

It was a great trip with lots of good paddling moments and the stand out was when Andy in his Mirage 580 attempted to enter a rock pool that needed good timing through big surges in the swell pushed to go in but missed the timing only to find himself stuck at about a 60 degree angle on rocks ,then the next surge came through obviously with lots of power because as soon as the surge hit his high and dry boat it catapulted him and his kayak through the air ..and I mean through the air like a shot from a cannon ....we were very amused

All up it was a great trip with some great moments

Just for the weight weenies

2010-08-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

Dave Winkworth (original designer of the Nadgee Expedition) is a serious paddler and a man who likes to paddle a light strong kayak.
Now for most of us that means cutting down on a bit of kit,maybe a lighter tent or leaving out some extra food that we dont really need.
Dave works real hard at getting the weigh down.Over the last few weeks he has come up with 2 brilliant ideas that I will definitely be looking at as options for customers and using myself

The first one is a foot pump.The standard foot pump in a Nadgee is just under 500gms which isnt too bad, as I have seen a brand form the US at nearly a whole 1kg for the unit, strong but way too heavy for us paddlers
When you get to a certain level of skill, after a days paddle there really isnt any need for a footpump except to get that slosh out that gets through your skirt.In fact I dont think I have used my footpump in anger in years ,so its a lot of dead weight having a foot pump
Dave is the same but still wanted to get those slops out every now and then and had a plan for a light weight foot pump.
Here is Dave idea and pros and cons of using it

Hey guys,

'Finally got the bulb footpump in the boat.

My verdict:

Pros:

(1) Empties the cockpit down to the last drop (when the boat is angled down the wave).

(2) Pretty light at 120 gms vs 500gms for the bilge pump type.

(3) Cheap at about $8 complete. You can buy them at any marine shop.

(4) Robust - these bulbs survive for years sitting in the sun on oyster farmer's punts.

(5) Easy replacement - only held in by the deck connection and a shockcord loop.

(6) Pumps enough volume to easily keep the cockpit dry on "big water" days or playing in the surf.

Cons:

(1) Low volume - probably not suitable for paddlers who fall out of their boat a lot.

and here is a picture of Daves setup

I'll show you the next weigh saver in my next blog

From a kayak manufacturers perspective.......that's awesome

A excellent write up of stand on kayaks

2010-08-23T03:26:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs that I like to read is probably the most read sea kayak blog on the WEB that most of us have read at one time or another
Derrick recently found out about Nadgee Kayaks and wrote up an excellent article about my business and I though I would share the write up with you

and if your wanting to import these boats into your own country just ask :)

you can read it HERE

Trips,Training and Tours

2010-08-11T02:48:00.000-07:00

I have recently been given an opportunity to expand my business and provide Training and Tours on Wallaga Lake on the Far South Coast of New South Wales hopefully in conjunction with the local Aboriginal community at Wallaga Lake
This will provide excellent sheltered paddling in an area now encompassed by Gulaga National Park.

This will extend to overnight camping on trips from Mystery Bay South to Merrica River with possible stops at beautiful Mystery Bay.

Hidden Valley ( yes it is Hidden)

and a few other secret and hidden camp spots that I know

The paddling on the ocean will be thrilling,exciting and breathtaking to say the least with singles and doubles available.

Paddling on Wallaga Lake will be a mixture of hire and self guided paddles and interpretive trips guided by local indigenous folk providing an insightful look at the area

new kayaks Display

2010-08-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

leakey hatches

2010-07-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks I have seen a few sea kayaks which were in for minor modification's and the customer's all complained of water getting into each of the compartments of their kayaks
.Now I know what its like to go through this scenario, build a beautiful kayak, paying careful attention to every detail, sell the kayak and have the customer phone you after their first outing complaining of water in the kayak!!!aaahhh

Frustration for both me as the builder and for the customer!!!

I had to come up with a strategy that would ensure that every kayak that leaves NKA is 100% dry .

I often hear that we should accept that a small amount of water will get in our kayaks compartments as we paddle through the day.........crap...they should be completely dry all the time as a safety requirement and to protect your gear

How can you ensure that they are dry?

Simple ...I used one of my day hatch lids and one oval lid (VCP type but other hatches should still work).Went to my local tyre shop and asked for two car valves,(the same type that you put air through to blow your car tyre up)

Pump the compartment with air from a bicycle tire and to make sure its 100% I leave it on my hatch lids for minimum 12 hours to ensure there are no slow leaks
I pump the lids till I have a good rise of pressure and a slight bulge in the lids

Now when I complete and sell a new kayak I can say honestly 100% that your new beautiful kayak is safe and dry to paddle

As a manufacturer its the only way....

Introducing the Nadgee Bombora

2010-07-20T01:46:00.000-07:00

OK..Its been a mad 8 weeks since my last post but here it is

The Nadgee Bombora.

5.2 mtrs long

56cm at its widest

Cockpit length 86cm

The cockpit size and shape help keep the paddler's legs together for good paddling technique and still allow good bracing.As with all things NKA the thigh braces have been manufactured to allow the paddler to shape down to their own size/shape

By utilizing the excellent tracking from a Nadgee Expedition we shortened the kayak by 10 cm in the centre of the hull increasing rocker and removed some of the keel line running aft of the cockpit to allow an easier turn when edging or turning

Lastly we moved the cockpit 10 cm forward of the standard seating position to allow a more central position again aiding edging/turning and providing more central balance

Designed to be balanced with a skeg the Bombora can still be fitted with a standard NKA rudder if required .

We have tested this kayak in all conditions by novice and experts alike.One testing area had to be down in Nadgee Wilderness were novice Adam Mcabe paddled the Bombora over 3 days loaded and unloaded in offshore winds through medium size surf and as a first time paddler he loved the kayak comfortable and easy to use

Check this photo out of Adam engulfed by a rainbow ,check the surfboard on the back deck...dedicated surfer this lad

One point of interest that wasn't in the design brief and I cant prove except for what we have seen in testing is that it seems to be faster than both the Expedition and Solo which aren't slow boats .One point I'll be checking out further !!

This quality seakayak built by NKA will be hitting the shelves at a kayak store near you soon check it out when it does,it will surprise

From a manufacturers perspective ............ I'm stoked

a damm good paddler for a first attempt

2010-06-02T02:22:00.000-07:00

Just over 18 months ago I hired a worker, Haakon to help me out with building sea kayaks.
Haakon was just the man for the job he was immaculate with his work and attentive to the detail and he only expected the best from his work,just what I needed in a worker.

He is pretty quirky guy .

Hailing from Montana in the USA right smack in the middle at the top with no ocean within 8+ hours either way and no experience with seakayaks or the ocean.
He is an amazing juggler and the quirkest part was that Haakon only hitchhikes and I mean everywhere.Not one day was he late for work and even managed to cross the river to work in major floods swimming ( and still not late)

I took Haakon for his first paddle up along the coast line .

I was in my new Nadgee Solo and Haakon in a rudderless/skegless Nadgee Expedition, heading North early in the morning on a glassy flat ocean stopping for lunch at Middle head.
After a quick break we headed back with the Nor'easterly getting stronger by the minute.

On the way back the wind was an easy 15/20 knots and building as we paddled .

Haakon casually fell in only to quickly roll up!!!

Hows that for a lucky first roll attempt in rough water ,well it happened once more before getting back.

Haakon was in fine form for a new paddler.When we got back to the beach ,he wanted to try some surfing and off he went.

You can see he hasn't got the fine detail as yet but look at his roll after being knocked over surfing

Sorry for the bad editing and filming ....... my bad

Sadly last week I had to wave goodbye to a very good worker who became a very good friend as he is heading home to see family and friends for a few years before coming back to OZ to work for NKA again......Right Haakon ?

clip-2009-12-05 21;52;50 from Nadgee Kayaks Australia on Vimeo.

New model Launch

2010-05-29T04:52:00.001-07:00

I was planning to head down to the beach and finally have a "wet" launch of the new model but the ocean (and rivers for that matter) just werent going to let me.
I woke up excited ready to head down to my local beach but I thought I would get the latest obs from http://www.bom.gov.au/ and they were reading at Montague Is gusts upto 70 knots and a steady 55-60 knots --.......So I went back to bed

Later I went to the beach to check the ocean out,it was amazing ,the sheer size of the swell and strength of the wind just blew me away.....literally :)

Here is a pic of the big seas we are having here at the moment

Places .friends and kayaks

2010-05-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

places,friends and kayaks from Nadgee Kayaks Australia on Vimeo.

a new model is born

2010-05-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

It finally made it out of the mould after heaps of preparation

I get a kick every time I build a boat and pop it out of a mould,spraying gel coat laying in all the fabric ,joining it together and starting the fire to cure the boat in the mould to wake up the next day,undo the bolts and pop out a seakayak,its a complicated process but when that shiny and brand new kayak come out ---whoo hoo !!

So imagine what its like to design and build a plug ,cut and paste new bits in sand and fair all those new joins so you cant see or feel them , buff and polish so its unbelievably shiny ,apply 8 coats of wax with an hour or so between coats and then finally get the plug ready for moulding

So thats the mould made ..then you have to AGAIN sand down any imperfections and getting the mould 100% then finally after another 8 coats of wax on the mould before you can spay and lay fabric in the mould.

Last Tuesday I manufactured my first sea kayak out of this new mould and the new Nadgee ???? is simply stunning

Strangely in fibreglassing you can do all the hard yards to ensure your product is perfect BUT you really dont know till you pull the first one off that mould and I got it right on.The boat is smooth and glossy right out of the mould.

Fantastic result for any manufacturer

Here are a few pics of the new Nadgee ?????

I'll be finished the whole boat in about a week with some more complete photos then

I did it

2010-05-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well its been over a month of hard work and lots of spare time spent sanding and fairing bumps and scratches out BUT I can finally say its done, as the proof is actually cosy and warm in its cocoon and tomorrow I shall release that proof and a new model Nadgee will be born

The paint job should look snazy with Storm Grey hull and Deck and 2 stripes a nice shade of orange running down the deck centre line from Stern to Bow

Cant wait to see the evidence and some photos here tomorrow

I'm like a little kid all excited waiting to open the presents tomorrow

a break in the proceddings

2010-05-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

Having been busy getting the new boat ready for production (I dont want to bore you with the "how much sanding I have done) I haven't had much opportunity to get out paddling,so ith the ANZAC day long weekend I took the time to pack up and go paddling and camping for the three days and two nights.
The added bonus was I was going to catch up with some good friends that I hadn't seen in a while.
The destination was Hidden Valley on the far south coast ......Dont ask me where as its Hidden!!!

Its one of my two favourite camp spots but it can be a bugger to get on and off as its very open to NE/SE swells.My family and friends camped their over Christmas..kids everywhere even all over my boat

The kids were playing some game where the grass was the ocean and my boat well...was a boat

My kayak weighed a ton with water,food,refreshments(a few beers) spearfishing gear,weight belt etc and for a three day trip was bloody heavy so I was thankful for a little push from the wind.
After a 2 1/2 hr paddle I arrived late afternoon to meet my mates,Fishkiller,Arunas,Guy and Snoady for a relaxing weekend

I managed to score a bounty for dinner Abalone and some nice fish cooked on the open fire
They were delicious

Guy and I spent the afternoon climbing the nearest peak to get a view of the coast north and the view.....

was breathtaking,so much, we sat and just looked for quite some time.You can see Montague Is in the far distance and our camp spot on the cleared grass

At hidden Valley there is a hut to utilize with basic shelter and a central cookspot .....I love it, its a cool spot to watch whales when they are about in Oct/Nov down this way or just hang around watching the flames of the fire.

All up it was a good break from all the hard work and you cant beat seakayaking to help wash away the dramas of life.just you and your kayak.
I live for those little (and big ones) breaks away from normal life.It provides me with a chance to recuperate
I 'll escape again soon

Oh by the way I have finished the mould and will be making the first Nadgee........??? soon

next post will be photos of the layed up kayak .it looks great

Its happening now

2010-04-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

Just like my last two post's I spent alot of my free time lately SANDING!!!

It killed me in the end but I got there.... super cleaned the plug boat by finely sanding and then cutting and polishing, followed by another finer polish to really bring out the luster in the gel coat and then finally 8 coats of release wax (all over the boat and then a min of an hour in between coats )

Today in perfect conditions for gel coat spraying, I applied moulding gel coat to the plug and after a short wait followed up with one coat of some light weight chopped strand fibreglass and tomorrow I'll have the deck all done and then we move onto the hull

Have a funky glimpse of the mould in construction

You can see a good outline of the boat and where the flanges start in the photo.
They are being made extra wide to accommodate Vacuum infusion techniques

Cool Hey?

Still sanding

2010-04-14T01:03:00.000-07:00

Well I'm still hard at it sanding(Yes I'm a bit behind but I have to fit this on top of my usual daily work) the plug boat getting ready to build a mould for a new sea kayak and let me tell you its bloody hard work but Its exciting seeing it all take shape.
The stern is all shaped and ready to go as is the new cockpit that I have shaped in.We spent a few days getting the new hull section all smooth and in line with the existing hull.
Not much more to do to finish and I'll be glad

Firstly to get it right you have to load up with filler, rough sand and then working your way down from dry sandpaper to wet sandpaper and finer and finer grades.

That ends up being about 10/12 sands of the one bloody spot!!! And they are big spots

From a manufacturers perspective its exciting and I cant wait to make the mould next week

Making a plug

2010-04-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

I'm well on the way to building and completing a new plug for a new model sea kayak.
Building a plug can be hours sanding and filling , getting it right.The floor of my shed was a dust bowl at the end of the day today

You can build a plug a few different ways and I wont lament on the varied ways but I chose to cut and paste into an existing kayak but the down side of that is ALL the sanding I have had to do ,its been incredible how much dust I have created but to get it perfect it has to be done,what ever way you choose to build your plug it will involve sanding somewhere along the way

Just to get the new stern right on the plug took over 14 hours of sanding and sanding and then spraying with a filler,then sanding again to make sure its 100% even, as any bumps will come out in the mould and will show impurities and a slack job

You can run your hand up along a boat and you shouldn't find any lumps as these are great places for air entrapment when you build so flatter the better

I'll keep you posted on the new model and am looking at finishing the plug this week

From a manufacturers perspective it very interesting and exciting when you get a sea kayak ready for production and the market

Lots happening here at NKA at the moment keep your eyes out for the new model

Paddling in NZ

2010-03-30T01:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I flew to NZ with my new three piece Nadgee Solo and attended two events
I attended Coast Busters in Auckland and then attended International Kayak week.They were both informative,inspiring,fun and enjoyable

I also gave a talk on my Antarctic adventure with Andrew Mcauley and Stuart Trueman a few years ago.

Notable speakers were Paul Caffyn and Conrad Edwards who spoke on their recent Greenland expedition.This was an exceptional trip by these two as they paddled in an extremely harsh environment in cold and strong winds.I admired the delivery style of Paul's talk.

There were guest speakers from Australia,USA,New Zealand and the topics were varied

One of my highlights of the week was getting to paddle with the Tsumania Ranger's Eric Soares (Commodore ) and Jim Kakuk (Captain)in some rough stuff.

These two were outstanding at delivering there talk and were great fun to be around.If you haven't see what these guys are famous for check this out

There is also the possibility that I will be building there unique style "splash deck" sea kayak,The only true play boat around ,designed and made to their specs

Watch this space !!

the outside to keep it in

2010-03-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

Last BLOG I talked about the inside seam and how important it is in relation to joining your kayak together
Well now I'll talk about the outside seam

Firstly not all kayaks have outside seams,here in Australia many dont come standard with outside tape seams, but at the end of the day the inside one is the most important and will be the one which decides if your join is going to break or crack or not.

But personally as a manufacturer, having one makes a lot of sense as it can add strength to what is probably the weakest spot of your kayak,it will if done correctly seal off the join line were water could seep in and like rust on a car eat away at your glass work without you knowing and that's one reason the extra fiberglass tape helps and a bloody good one.

There are quite a few brands running around with so called tape seams that do nothing but add colour to the kayak--Why you ask?

Most manufacturers are trying as hard as they can to get the boat out the door and in the sacrifice to get them out quick, they rush jobs to get them done and the outside seam can chew the hours.

My kayaks take approx one and half days to complete per outside tape seam and its a lot of work to do

Others have theirs done is a few hours--how I hear you ask?
They can quickly and easily make it look like you have an outside seam but in reality its no more than a piece of synthetic tape that is used
I recently repaired a popular Nth American kayak sold "with an outside seam" and all they used was tape you find in your daughters hair to tie pony tails and I'm not joking ,it was so easy to rip once I had a piece off, that it just crumbled and that is a very popular way to do an outside seam.

They used no resin or fibreglass BUT worst of all they didn't even sand the area that they laid the tape down on !!
No wonder it snapped

If you cant see the tape,they are hiding their work and you have to ask why?

Its the often way!

When you buy a composite kayak make sure that when they say 'Yeah its has an outside tape seam " ...that it really does

From a manufacturers point of view that is

Where two halves meet inside and out

2010-03-09T01:41:00.000-08:00

An often asked question of me is "what about the tape seam" and its one I love explaining.
Its the one part of the kayak that is susceptible to damage as most composiste kayaks are joined in the middle and that were it can get a bit tricky

The strongest way

Basically there are two ways to join a kayak (composite that is ) one is a Chemical bond and that is achieved by laying a fiberglass tape along the join line and consolidating this with resin joining the two halves together .
On the below photo you can see the white tape seam just as I'm closing up the mould before joining,see that it goes all the way to the end--MOST IMPORTANT

To make a chemical bond this should be done on the same day and as soon as possible after laying up the two halves and after this is complete and because its done whilst the resin is all green the boat becomes one a true chemical bond and the strongest way to join a composite boat.
Ask your manufacturer or retailer how they join their boats.

If they are a retailer they probably wont be able to tell you because they dont know and the manufacturer shouldn't have a problem telling you if they do it the above way if they dont want to tell you start running now !!!

The often way

The way most manufacturers join the boats is by making the two halves and that's about it, they then wait till you phone them up and ask for the blue deck and white hull.They then look around and grab them (if they are made) , they grab their sandpaper and if they are a good builder they will sand the two halves

The sanding action will make the little glass fibers stand up and that's what your relying on for a join that and the hope the builder has done a good job of sanding and if they haven't ........ you will probably have a crack in your tape seam sooner or later

The above way is called a mechanical bond and isn't anywhere as strong as a chemical bond

Watch out for

Some other bits and pieces to watch out for are

what the manufacturers actually use for the tape seam and how wide,
How far the tape seam goes along the kayak ,I have seen good joins but they only go as far as your arm can reach,ideally it needs to go all the way round the kayak from end to end
is it a smooth job or rough are their air bubbles?

now that's just the inside tape seam next BLOG will be the outside seam

three piece No 2

2010-03-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

Well how did the three piece turn out---Great after trialing different size nuts and bolts and how many to use I settled on a standard 6mm size Allen head bolt with wing nuts to keep it all together.
Initially using o'rings to seal the bolts and nuts I have decided to use a hand punched inner tube rubber off a pushbike (sorry about the flat on your bike son!!) as the o'rings worked well but they were a hassle to work with.

We came up with an easy system to get the rudder lines and up/down lines installed ,in fact the rudder lines make putting the rear and middle compartments together that much easier as they help with alignment

I had an excuse to use the three piece on a recent trip to New Zealand and I can report that no extra charges were required to ship the kayak with me as personnel luggage and that was a great outcome

One lesson I did learn though was keep all your gear in the one compartment as customs may want to check your gear especially your tent.I had the poles in my day hatch and the tent in the rear compartment ,so I had to unwrap both bits to get at them

So if your wanting to take a seakayak overseas and want a hardshell to paddle while your there --get a threepiece
It was awesome to use a standard boat in another country with no hassles

It only took 37 mins to put the three bits together and hey presto ..I had a boat

A three piece

2010-02-09T03:05:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was left with a fibre glass kayak that I had made for a customer, the GEL coat paint job was a little challenging to say the least.

It looks simple but you don't see the finished result till you pull the kayak out of the mould
I hadn't lined up the joints perfectly and it wasn't up to NKA or the customers quality so we were left with a well laid up kayak with only an imperfect gel coat paint job

So what could I do with this kayak...

I chopped it into three pieces

I had been researching options of getting the Nadgee brand overseas for awhile now and had some interest from overseas but the cost of transporting a single piece 5.3mtr kayak around a country from aircraft to aircraft and back again was ridiculous.

The simplest way is too chop your kayak into thirds, (we are looking at a 2 piece at the moment but more of that later) build some extra beefed up bulkheads and fit these in each end

But its not that simple,we spent a few hours going over correct, how to correctly align,what kind of layup for the bulkheads,how and where to cut and what to use to cut , making sure we had it all covered, not wasting extra time getting it wrong, as its easy to do.
It was down to a hand held hacksaw for the slowest straightest cut we could do and to ensure we had a straight line to follow we used a level and a good eye and tripled checked our work

It worked a treat and came out absolutely perfect and we were off to a flying start but that was only the first hurdle

A Manufacturers perpesticive

2010-02-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start this blog to help sea kayakers learn a little more about Kayaks in general and get paddlers more informed about what they are physically getting when they buy a kayak
I have decided to do this as I have heard so little correct information about composite kayak manufacturing and the information I have heard is largely a lot of misinformation from other manufacturers/retailers trying to beat up a quick sell

Lets say its from a kayak manufacturers perspective....