Interesting story and nice looking boat. You must be feeling much better if you're doing rolls!
I'm curious about the protective tips.....what are they made of and are they built as part of the boat (flush) or added like a cap?

Ian

: Well this was a year I’d like to remember. Late last fall I was
: diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease and what we think is a case
: of mercury poisoning mixed in. Between that and the drugs they
: gave me I was a mess. Imagine crushing fatigue, a bad hangover
: and experiencing a senior moment, 24/7. At times I couldn’t
: even complete a sentence much less a thought. To my surprise I
: discovered I felt better when I was distracted by building
: something, so I figured I’d build another boat and ordered
: Black Pearl plans from Björn Thomasson.

: It was like building the boat drunk but I felt better when I was
: working on it. As soon as I stopped for the day I instantly felt
: like crap again. The brain fog never left though. I found myself
: staring at the boat forcing myself to concentrate more than
: once. The concentration was the cure.

: It had been 5 years since my last boat and every boat I like to try
: something new so I figured I would stain this one. I was trying
: for a homemade look which I think is beautiful on Greenland
: style kayaks. I even purposely put staple holes in for the
: effect. Then the test strip I stained came out purple. The cloth
: and epoxy darkened it into a gorgeous brown so it was quite a
: leap of faith when I stained my hull dark purple. That's when I
: found out anxiety isn’t part of the cure.

: Well it is finally done. We launched it this past weekend and I
: took a few pics.

: http://homegrownboats.imgur.com/all

: It paddles and rolls better than I could have hoped. So if you ever
: find yourself with a mind altering disease... try building a
: building a boat.