Glossary
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- aft
- The back of the boat. Near the stern
.
- anchor
- Used to hold the boat in one place while on the water.
Shop for "kayak anchor" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Blog
- A blog, is a personal web site or online journal. On this site, builders can keep their own blog and record their projects for friends and family to see and for other builders to use as reference.
- Bow
- The front of the boat.
- bulkhead
- a partition dividing the hull into compartments. Bulkheads provide structural support for the deck, and the compartments are often used as floatation chambers and storage compartments on small craft.
- Chine
- The line where two panels meet. Typically running from bow to stern. A hard-chine refers to a boat with a distinct line between the bottom and sides of the boat. Multi-chine refers to a hull with one or more chines between the bottom chine and the sheer.
- Christopher Cunningham
- Author of Building the Greenland Kayak : A Manual for Its Contruction and Use.
- CLC Boats
- Chesapeake Light Craft - Designs popular kayaks, canoes, sailboats and rowboats. Builders can buy the plans or kits.
CLCboats.com
- epoxy
- Epoxy is used as a glue, sealant and filler in modern wooden boat building.
For more information, read CLC boats fantastic article on the use of epoxy.
Research "epoxy" on the web, discussion groups or BoatBloggers.com
- Port
- The left side of the boat when facing forward or toward the bow.
- Sheer
- The line where the deck and the sides meet.
- Skin On Frame
- A method of building boats that involves stretching fabric over a frame made of wood, metal or plastic.
- Starboard
- The right side of the boat when facing forward or toward the bow.
- Stern
- The back of the boat. Opposite of Bow. See also, port, starboard and stern.
- Stitch and Glue
- Stitch and Glue is a type of boat construction. Wood panels, typically a high grade marine plywood are stitched together with short pieces of wire. Once the panels are completely stitched, and the builder is happy with the shape of the boat, the seams are filled with an epoxy and wood dust mixture.
The wire stitches are used to pull the boat together, and the epoxy mixture is used to glue it into place and fill the seams.
- Strakes
- A chine where a ridge is formed by overlapping panels. Traditionally, the ridge was created by thick planks of wood. Strakes look a lot like siding on a house and create visually pleasing lines that follow the curve of the boat.
Take a look at the Chester Yawl at CLC boats, the strakes really jump out at you.
- Tools
- Here are some of the common tools used in boat building. This list will grow over time.
- Block Plane
- The block plane is used to fair the edges of side panels, smooth seams and shape sheer clamps.
Shop for "block plane" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Carbide Scraper
- Don't try to build a boat without one. The carbide scraper does quick work on epoxy drips and runs as well as fairing out fiberglass seems.
Using a good carbide scraper will save you time sanding, reduce the amount of noise and dust in your shop and help you achieve a fine finish.
Shop for "Carbide Scraper" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Fairing Board
- If you are going for a high-shine finish, you'll want to start your sanding with a fairing board. The resulting reflections will be ultra-fair.
Shop for "Fairing Board" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Japanese Pull Saw
- This hand saw gives the builder fast cutting power and a lot of control.
Shop for "Japenese Pull Saw" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Safety Wire Pliers
- A nice tool to make stitching with wires go quickly and easily. Ordinary pliers and fingers will work fine, but if you start to build a lot of boats or are a gadget freak, this is likely to make you smile.
Shop for "safety wire pliers" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Sander
- As with any wood working project, a sander is essential to creating a beautiful finish. Most builders use a random orbital sander as it doesn't leave swirl marks.
Shop for "random orbital sander" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.
- Spokeshave
- Much like a plane, the spokeshave is used for fairing the hull on a strip built boat and in paddle making.
Shop for "spokeshave" on Amazon.com or used on ebay.