Boat Building: Cockpit Carlins, Deck Beam & Daylight

The frame for the kayak is almost finished. Still a few more things to do and we're ready to stretch the skin over it. Next step is to install the deck beam and cockpit carlins. The cockpit carlins are the stringers that attach to the aft side of frame #2 and extend all the way back to frame #6. When installed they will define the form of the cockpit.  I cut them a little long to start with and clamped them in place so I could see how the bend would establish the bevel that had to be cut on the forward ends of the carlins.  

The forward ends of the carlins are beveled to fit flush with the aft side of frame #2. The plans call for two gussets to reinforce the carlins where they meet the frame. Screws through the forward side of the frame along with glue secure the carlins and gussets together. Space is left between the forward ends of the carlins so there will be room for cockpit combing slats that will be installed later. The notch in the frame will hold the aft end of the deck beam which I installed after the carlins.

The aft ends of the carlins extend to frame #6 and need to be secured to it. There are several ways to do this. The plans aren't specific about this so I decided to notch the frame deep enough so that the ends taper down lower than the gunwales for a smooth transition when the skin is applied. 

 

With the cockpit carlins in place the deck beam is installed next. I notched frame #1 to cradle the forward end of the deck beam. Again, there are other ways to do this but I think this is the most stable method since the forward end of the deck beam needs to fall below the level of the gunwales. Once I was satisfied with the level of the deck beam I secured both ends with glue and screws.

 

While the frame was still secure on the strongback I used a low angle block plane to smooth the sharp edges and any rough spots found along the stringers. A plane does a much cleaner job than sandpaper and using a sharp plane that has been adjusted properly really puts your mind and body in tune with the wood. If that sounds corny you haven't used a sharp plane much. 

At this point I decided to remove the frame from the strongback, invert it and secure the keel. It has only been fastened to the stems at this point and must also to be fastened to the bottom of the cross frames. I used the low angle plane to fair the keel into the stems. 

It may have been easier to install the floorboards (next step) with the frame secured but I was ready to for the kayak to see some daylight.

 

Installing the floorboards and applying some stain and finish is about all that's left before skinning. The fabric is ordered and on the way.