
Search found 1340 matches
- Fri Jan 08, 2021 4:17 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Shrike Sit-on-Top
Only a tiny HTML pic of this Shrike SOT from Brazil. I've asked for a better photo.


- Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:50 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
No, she's a fuselage frame kayak, and the frame in this photo will be covered with 6 ounce PVC polyester fabric. It's a very simple method of construction, and I built my first kayak like this in the kitchen when I was 12 years old, with no woodworking skills and with kids' toy tools. However, the m...
- Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:49 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
I give that my seal of approval :) Meanwhile I've been having a whale of a time, wiring up the six frames:


- Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:56 am
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
All wired together
Perhaps the name "Skip" would show more respect for her than "Dumpster"?


- Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:48 am
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Shrike model at 16:1 scale
Chris JK PM'd me to ask if I could produce plans for a model Shrike with overall length of 900 mm. I've now done this, so PM me your email address if you are interested, and I will email you the PDF attachment. Neither of this forum's internal communications methods permit attachments. The total pri...
- Sat Dec 26, 2020 6:39 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Paul, yes, it is 45 degrees, confirmed on my spirit level that has an adjustable angle. I have to wear my ice-climbing crampons to work on the land.
- Sat Dec 26, 2020 9:42 am
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
301 and counting
Courtesy of Chris Tipper of Selkie Kayaks, who reported a couple more last week, we've now listed over 300 builds that have been notified to us, out of over 8,000 downloaded copies of the plans. We've been busy planting trees, and only doing an occasional hour on Dumpster, the fuselage frame. She's ...
- Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:41 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Pedro, I agree. A computer can design a bad kayak quickly, and that's about it.
- Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:47 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
David, I built a wooden prototype, took hundreds of measurement that I then transferred to CAD via Excel. I didn't use a computer in the design process. The CAD is just a means of giving the plans to the world.
Nick
Nick
- Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:41 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Creating the frames
Sorry my question was not clear. What I am trying to understand is how you will derive the shape of each frame itself David, I didn't see this post before now. Probably because you made two posts about the same time. The answer is that some of the frames and temporary forms are the ones from the Sh...
- Thu Dec 24, 2020 12:24 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
In my case, the cheapest clamps are the ones I've had since 1973. A neighbour, with zero interest in woodworking, had inherited a stack of excellent tools, including clamps and a comprehensive range of planes. He exchanged them for a spare set of Dexion shelves that I had been given by an uncle who ...
- Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:56 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
A new Shrike from the Netherlands
Adriaan and his son, from the Netherlands, built this Shrike together in a week:


- Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:44 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
scarf joints on a band saw
Chris, you are right. My bevy of young ladies has an age range of from 0.6 to well over 70 years. Which brings me to another challenging topic: cutting accurate scarf joints. I've cut one beautiful scarf joint in my life. The rest of them were pretty rubbishy, only rescued by thickened epoxy. Christ...
- Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:18 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
I already have another six pieces of table top ready for the other gunwale, and the 12 pieces for the chines will be just more fun. Anyways, I'm a stubborn old coot. I'll get 'er done. I'm using half a litre of Ever Build 502 adhesive and some stainless steel staples left over from a Vember strip hu...
- Sat Dec 19, 2020 12:15 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Laminating a gunwale
Memo to self: don't build a prototype by the seat of your pants when the recycled timber (table top) is less than half the length of the kayak. If I attempt to adjust these clamps, 6 pieces of timber collapse on the floor. The ends aren't fixed yet, as I'm just concentrating on getting the curve sat...
- Fri Dec 18, 2020 3:46 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Yellerbelly wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:57 amWhat do you think about adding a good looking tail? :) #anasacuta
I'm all for attractive tail, (aren't we all?) but perhaps I'll put it in the Build Manual as an option :)
Nick
- Fri Dec 18, 2020 9:56 am
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
- Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:11 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Fish form or Swede form in an Inuit kayak is decided is decided by the relative lengths of the deck beams, of which there are commonly about eleven. The chine shape, and hence the underwater shape, closely follows the same curve. The sheer line is affected by the topside flare, as in the thought exp...
- Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:27 am
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
De-stressing the fuselage frame
Fergus, you neatly and precisely describe the issue. I intend to laminate the gunwales just as I am in the process of doing for the keel. The gunwales in traditional Inuit construction rely on the hull having topside flare to produce the rise at each end of the kayak. Why this is so is not immediate...
- Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:23 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
David, I agree. The lack of bulkheads means a capsize results in water flushing from end to end, no matter how many buoyancy bags you pile in. I wouldn't be happy taking one offshore and solo. I know about sea socks, but I prefer to have a lightweight kayak with bulkheads and hatches, and, as a bonu...
- Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:35 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
David, I'll glue the plywood frames vertically and square to the keel. This is completely different to the traditional steam-bent ribs.
Nick
Nick
- Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:11 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Locking in the rocker
Fuselage frame Shrike LV: front half of the keel rocker locked in with three laminations.


- Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:01 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
The action in the video starts about 5.10, epoxying the glass cloth on the decks.
- Mon Dec 14, 2020 2:48 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Turkish Shrike video^
Tugrul from Istanbul, Turkey has produced a video of his Shrike build:
- Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:56 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Fuselage Shrike LV
I've fixed the forms that will give the Shrike 90% LV fuselage it's accurate keel rocker. I'm just experimenting at present The wood doesn't want to bend that much, so I may laminate the keel. It was time consuming to set up the 13 forms, but this is the most important part if the project is to be w...
- Thu Dec 10, 2020 7:20 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Port Gaverne is my favourite north coast launch site. It is a sheltered inlet, with access to some wonderful cliff scenery to explore. Even if the wind turns nasty and strongly onshore, one can play, surf and roll in the clear water of the inlet without poking outside. Get there early, as there are ...
- Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:04 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Cloudscape from Peter M and his Shrike
Padstow to port:


- Tue Dec 08, 2020 4:03 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: A green Shrike?
Christopher has built a skin-on-frame replica using that material, but it has to be coated, usually with 2-pack paint, and it's rather heavy. I'll bear it in mind, thanks.charleston14 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:47 amBallistic nylon fabric is available from point north. Used in skin on frame boats.
- Sun Dec 06, 2020 7:29 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
It’s a bit like a Spitfire, also skin on frame...it’s also made out of something discarded . . That’s the rub and the beauty of it. R.J Mitchell has long been one of my heroes. No major part of the Sptifire's design was original. Mitchell had the intelligence to select the best wings, fuselage cons...
- Sun Dec 06, 2020 7:07 pm
- Forum: Sea Kayaking
- Topic: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
- Replies: 624
- Views: 64421
Re: Shrike, a lightweight sea kayak for home construction.^
Chris, when I was 12 (1959) I built one of these. Fuselage frame (skin and frame) is the cheapest and simplest way I know to build a decent kayak. Tom Yost has produced many of these designs, open source, but I wish to see if I can reproduce the Shrikes shape and performance by this method. If I can...