: thanks John for replying. you seem to understand what I'm going
: for. so you are building the multi chine sea bee right now
: correct? I would be interested in seeing some pictures and tips
: you may have as well as what you are using for materials in the
: construction. thanks

: Justin

Hey Justin,

In process pick of my Sea Bee Frame attached. I haven't taken any real detail shots, and unfortunately skinned it today, so I can't take them now. I'd be happy to give the few bits of advice I can.

I built mine out of Baltic Birch ply, and Fir, both of which are not spec'd by Tom Yost. I went with the Baltic Birch because I had a chunk sitting around gathering dust, and I used the fir because I found two 2x6x12 that where clear and straight for $7 each versus 1x6x8 clear pine or cedar for $15 each.

I used cedar on my first boat. It's very light, soft and flexible. It dents very easily, and when I stretched the nylon skin it actually pulled the curve out of the gunwhales, so that they are a series of straight sections turning at the cross sections. It hasn't screwed with the performance, just the visual lines a little bit.

I really liked the fir. It's harder then cedar, and heavier, and takes a tiny bit more effort to bend. You can make up for the weight a bit by ripping it to 5/8" because it's stronger.

For the baltic birch I didn't epoxy it. I just slapped two coats of spar varnish on. I asked around, and most people don't see the point in epoxying plywood made with water proof glue that isn't going to get submerged for long periods.

In terms of glueing vs lashing. I glued and pegged my first boat per Tom's instructions. My second boat I glued and used brass screws. I really can't see pegging giving you anything that screws wouldn't. the reality is that the skin itself gives so much pressure that it holds the frame together when stretched properly. There are people on here who actually advocate on lashing with no glue. They says it's plenty strong, and allows for easy fixes and changes as you go.

I did alot of research and questioning on skins. Unless you're building a folder, or want a clear skin do not use the vinyl. Alot of people advocate polyester. I choose the ballistic nylon route, because it's a bit more durable, and alot of my kayaking areas are wide rivers with rocky bottoms that I scrape sometimes. If you wet nylon it, and sew it on you can get alot of stretch out of it. I read some people having difficulties, but I really had none. I found it very easy to sew and stretch.

To seal the skin I went cheap, and used spar varnish. My application looked like ass. After three coats it looked like blotchy onion skin that my dogs had peed on. I slapped on three more coats of an industrial elastomeric called Jaxsan. Ahh... crisp white. I'm going to try tinted varnish on the Sea Bee, and apply it with rag. If it looks like ass again I'll make it white.