Dee Ann: A beautiful job that you have done on the kayak- the work(wo)manship, detail and persistence really show. I hope that you enjoy this craft for many years to come.

Win Aldrich

: I finally launched!!! I started this project a couple years ago and got
: detoured along the road of life and just couldn’t get er done!! At last,
: it is done! It’s a Pygmy Arctic Tern 14,with a purple heart and birch
: onlay stripe down the middle. There is only one coat of Spar Varnish, with
: two or three more to go, but hey, I needed to get it on the water! The
: hatches are flush with hatch cams, and an internal bungie system will
: follow as a backup. I tried to be frugal with the epoxy and the fillets,
: and fanatical about temperatures and epoxy. The only disappointment is it
: came in at 43Lbs fully rigged. (ouch!) I suspect the extra glass I put
: under the deck to help reinforce the hatch areas and padeyes added to it,
: as well as the birch ply I had to use for a bulkhead. I have Sea Dog
: rudder pedals at the moment, and they are pretty heavy too. The weight
: adds up fast! Oh well. This is my first real wood project! I’m a mom of
: two young boys, no previous experience with fiberglass and epoxy. I bought
: my own ROS for this!!!!

: I have to thank all of you that frequent this forum for answering my
: questions and providing me with encouragement and the information I needed
: to keep the project going. I read all the books that you suggested both on
: strip, S&G, and building a Greenland SOF (next project after the GP
: paddle!) I lurked on this web site for over a year before I started my
: Tern. I spent many hours pouring through the archives!!! I love this
: forum!! Thank you Nick!!! I encourage anyone that’s still lurking or
: wondering if they can do it, to just DO IT! If I can, anyone can!!!!!
: Thanks again for all your help!!
: Happy Paddling,
: Dee Ann