Here's a link to the story of the Shrike project's origins. The article appeared in in Ocean Paddler magazine 6 years ago, since when the total number of builders who have been kind enough to send us photos and descriptions of their constructions has risen to 259. https://qajaqrolls.com/wp-content/u...

From 9 years ago:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=83094&p=591846&hili ... rn#p591846

https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/4998/1593093605795-7304.png A company in Crete, ENJOYCRETE, is building and using Vember Expeditions. This company is the Cretan agent for NDK kayaks: Romany, Explorer, etc. They run sea-kayaking, rock-climbing and other outdoor activity holidays. The o...

Toha in Russia has finished his Shrike:

So are you going to now make a keyhole cockpit rim? You have all the options at that stage.

A perfect workshop from Stefanos, in Greece, surrounds an ocean cockpit Shrike under construction. I love this workshop. One of my grandfathers was a blacksmith, and the other was a jobbing carpenter, which, according to my family, explains my idiosyncratic approach to wood-working. Both grandfather...

David, in Boston, USA, is building a full-sized Vember for himself. His first Vember was a 95% scale model for his wife. Photo received this morning:

Pedro, a little goes a very long way. I aim for 5% at most, and these excellent scales are all I use for mixing pigment, resin and hardener: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ascher-Portable-Digital-Back-lit-Weighing/dp/B01FQHE25U/ref=asc_df_B01FQHE25U/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309799275746&hvpo...

Fergus, you've made a lovely job of your Shrike. Many thanks for your kind words. There are about one hundred photographs of Chris Tipper's Selkie kit being assembled on this link: https://chris-tipper-thfp.squarespace.com/shrike-builder-photo-resource?p Chris tells me that his kit includes a compre...

Fergus, I'll PM you my email address, then, if you wish, send me the photo as an attachment, and I'll post it on the forum.
I hope you enjoyed the construction process. Best wishes, from Nick

Kavics from Hungary has just launched his new Shrike (Quote from Kavics: "I really like how it slides on the water.") https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/4998/1591699282346-0010.png https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/4998/1591699332267-4366.png https://media.ukriversguidebook.co...

https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/ ... ur-pigment
It's good stuff. I use it.

Many thanks, Pedro. I expect your Petrel Play is nearly complete :) I met Nick Schade, the designer, a few years ago at the kayak show, Canoecopia, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He's not only a highly skilled designer and builder, but he seemed to be an all-round stand-up guy. Keep on sawing! (Superglue ...

adventureagent wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:43 pm

paddling is the join-filler, the cup of joy. We can't explain it, but it's a passion..............paddling is the life-blood.

Jim, I'm most grateful for your concern. I may have to have spinal surgery to lock the two vertebrae together with metal screws, but my next consultation has been postponed for at least 6 months because of the pandemic. The forward paddle stroke is indeed a complex subject. My forward paddling strok...

James, I agree that good teaching can be very important. On a personal basis, I put my money where my mouth is. I regularly used, on a one-to-one basis, over several years, the top sea kayaking coach in the country as recommended to me by Sean Morley, a world class paddler (I worked in the same mob ...

Standard advice for paddling a sea kayak is to achieve greater efficiency by torso rotation, rather than by concentrating on using the smaller muscles of the arms. I was once in the company of a well-known coach from whom I was intending to buy the kayak I was test-paddling. When we had just set off...

Dave and Jenny hit the water yesterday and stopped at the mouth of the River Tavy, Devon, U.K:

https://media.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/uploads/4998/1590942966015-5738.png Manon in Luxembourg is pictured during today's maiden voyage of her Shrike, built by her husband Christian. I'll post some more photos next week, showing the very high standard of craftsmanship, which is definitely above my p...

Peter M. sent me this great pic of the green leaves reflected in a creek on the Fowey River.

Oisin, no signs of age, cracking or fatigue, unlike its builder😊

Oisin, can you see where I put a bucket of fairing filler on the fordeck to fix my SNAFU?

Oisin, a quick and dirty solution is to use West 407 or 410 fairing fillers with epoxy resin to fair in the bulge. (Blue Gee also makes a suitable powder) You'd also need to fill with thickened epoxy any gap between the masik and the underside of the deck. When I was building the prototype Shrike I ...

Oisin, I would remove and replace with fresh ply the portion of the stern deck from the masik to the bulkhead behind the seat. Then I suggest you follow the guidance on page 20 of my Build Manual: " check the size of the excess overhanging plywood. If it is more than about 10mm, it is worth trimming...

It takes about 150 hours for a first-time builder to construct a Vember, compared with Shrike's 100 hours. The stripping of the hull takes all the extra time, as the deck and all other details remain the same. Stripping the hull is enjoyable, and it's exciting to watch the hull taking shape, but it ...

Spikeedog, Vember is the round-bilge version of Shrike. This photo shows Shrike's foot bulkhead sitting in Vember's hull. Free plans and the Build Manual are available at www.cnckayaks.com

Tugrul, in Istanbul, is busy in the Turkish lock-down:

Dave from Cornwall had been paddling his Shrike for a couple of years. He decided that his knees needed a bit more room to ease his back, so he sliced off the entire deck, curved deck beam (masik) and cockpit and the tops of the stem and stern in one piece, raised the entire detached section by 18 m...

Aristrophanis, a Greek restaurateur, has temporarily closed his business, and is making good use of his time. Here's his partially completed Shrike.