The first steps consist of gluing together the 8' long plywood panels (that make up the kayak hull) to make even longer 17' panels. The joints where the panels are glued are called "Scarf Joints" and are beveled which increases the surface area and thus a stronger bond. Epoxy is used which is a super duty adhesive/glue/bond-o compound that I mix together just before use.
At this stage in the process it's prudent to make sure all the panels and joints are lined up according to the plans as misalignment now probably will spell disaster later on. The hull panels are 17' finished but are made up of three piece glued together. In order to assure proper alignment of these panels I stretch a string baseline along the length of the construction area. From this straight line I can measure the correct offsets of the panels along that line. For example, the manual lists the mid-point offset from the baseline as 1 11/16".
I will be gluing for a while. Each of the 4 finished hull panels consist of 3 sections which each need gluing at the scarf joint. Each glued joint needs at least 24 hours to dry and harden. In some cases, though, I am able to glue multiple joints at the same time to save time.
It's exciting to finally start the construction process and already see progress happening. As I am experiencing, though, a lot of patience is necessary. Patience to read (and re-read and triple read) the instructions and patience to make sure everything is correct and finally patience to wait while the glue dries.
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