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Cape Falcon Kayak
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Building a kayak from driftwood and scraps

7/26/2006

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It's no secret that I love power tools.  Like any fine instrument a quality power tool is an extension of the mind of the sculptor.  For me, sliding a carbide steel miter saw blade down a perfect pencil line evokes deep satisfaction.    My work is clean, probably as clean as it will ever get.   Yet, after building dozens of kayaks I felt the need to cast aside the precision steel and milling equipment.  It was with uncertainty that I contemplated building a kayak with hand tools out of found wood.    To help with the project I collaborated with Kiliii Yu, hunter, forager, and native skills expert.  
http://www.dancinghawk.com 

Together over the course of four days we constructed this kayak from wood we found on the beach and in the scrap piles of my  wood shop.   We even made tools on site; a mortise chisel from an old screwdriver, a drawknife from a carving knife, and a drill bit from a sharpened bronze nail.  Camping in beautiful lowland meadow on a narrow spit between Nehalem Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Kiliii (also a professional photographer) taught me how to use my digital SLR camera.  In a not so traditional manner, we shot seals and deer.
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traditional kayak building the gunwales
traditional kayak building hand drilling
traditional kayak building hand-drilled mortises
traditional kayak buildingPicture
traditional kayak building laying out the deck beamsPicture
traditional kayak building
traditional kayak building
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traditional kayak building hand tools
traditional kayak building with driftwood
traditional kayak building with driftwood
traditional kayak building with driftwood
traditional kayak building  driftwood deck beams
traditional kayak building  driftwood deck beams
traditional kayak building  driftwood deck beams
traditional kayak building
traditional kayak building  driftwood dek beams
traditional kayak building laying out the ribs
traditional kayak building steaming the ribs
traditional kayak building steambending ribs
traditional kayak building steambending ribs
traditional kayak building from driftwood and scraps
In September Kiliii will take this kayak frame to the Rabbitstick Rendezvous to skin it with animal hides!
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    Brian Schulz

    An avid paddler, builder, and teacher, I'm passionate about sharing the strength, lightweight, and beauty of skin-on-frame boat building.

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