Dave Hamber Pygmy Osprey Standard
Throughout the kayak kit building project there have been some major highlights. The first was the excitement of the Pygmy Osprey Standard kit arriving, opening the boxes and laying out the pieces. There is a kid at Christmas feeling to it all. Checking the list, checking it twice… checking to ensure I had all the pieces. I remember trying to visualize the end result and me paddling it. I also remember staring into the boxes and scanning the item list wondering how these slabs of wood and jugs of chemicals will ever float.
Wiring the hull together forming the actual shape of the bottom of the boat was another highlight and huge feeling of great confidence for me (and my family and editors, I’m sure). Once the hull is glued and fibreglassed it is time to stitch and glue the deck in much the same way.
The deck and the hull are then taped togeth-
er. It is important to make the edges meet per- fectly so you can glue them together from the inside. For some reason my tape kept coming away from the hull panel. After wiping along the top panel removing any oily residue from the epoxy and taping again, I still couldn’t get it to stick. Solution? Stick pins and good old duct tape.
Once the deck is glued there is no turning back; the Osprey has taken on its full shape. I enjoyed sanding the deck seams and chine. The
roughness smoothed and some genuine sleek- ness appeared as all my little spots faded and blended into the rest of the woodwork. The most fun highlight was my trial run with Mirabel (pictured below) who agreed to test paddle my Osprey for floatation and levelness. Neither friends nor family were interested in this trial voyage but Mirabel, always keen for a new challenge, agreed without hesitation. I kept thinking there might be more glue on one side than the other causing it to tilt slightly. It was a great lift to the spirit to see the kayak's raison d'etre.
One of the most important things I've learned is exactly what it says in the Pygmy manual and kayak building books—work clean! This means keeping your work area tidy, tools in the correct spot and particularly when you are gluing, keeping the epoxy from dripping by wiping as you go. Be sure to return after a cup of tea and double check to remove any spots with excess residue.
The day of the boat launch had arrived. Dawn of July 6th saw this boat builder still installing the seat and seat back arrangement. The night before [did he learn nothing at univer- sity?], working in the dark with my miner's headlamp [earlier in the winter Dave blew the wiring in the garage using two heaters], I had installed the hip plates. One mistake jumped out at me in the morning and the lesson learned is— never cut a second piece of wood from the first when they are to be installed on opposite sides
of the boat. Word of advice, measure every- thing… twice.
Not being a kayaker, friends and family managed to contribute foam fittings for my roof rack and tie-down straps, as well as a paddle and PFD. With my excitement and focus on the rapidly forthcoming launch I missed a sign at the boat launch reading only for car/truck and trail- er parking. A $20 ticket helped me come back down to Earth.
There were lots of people out enjoying the evening in Hamilton Harbour, some in boats, others taking in the live entertainment we could hear from the parking lot. What struck me most was how quiet it was offshore, with the city right there. I am really going to enjoy exploring other scenic waterways. The real beauty is the light- weight of my wooden Osprey. It is easy to hoist it myself onto the car rack. My favourite daugh- ter and son-in-law have been doing this for some time and now I too can head out on a moment's notice.
Like most people I have many things going on in my life—work, new grandchild and gar- dening—so I still have some final sanding, fin- ishing and perhaps a little design work to do on my Osprey. The boat will see the cottage this summer; I’ll send photos. I’ve truly enjoyed building the Pygmy Osprey Standard from a kit; it has given me the confidence to get the old rowboat plans dusted off, order the wood and carry on building.
Dave
Wooden Kayak’s Sea Wolf was an inaugural mission for both the boat and their kayaking career. If,like on TV,we had to choose a win- ner for this reality magazine feature,we’d have to choose Dale.You see,Dale is one hell of a
husband.After spending the winter cooped up in his tiny garage working around his sweaty hockey equipment and tripping over his lawnmower, he put on this charade that he can’t
paddle.Knowing Tina would never accept the Sea Wolf solely for herself,Dale pretends he can’t paddle the fruit of his labour and Tina will have no choice but to accept this gracious labour of love.
24 FALL2002
So Dale is our winner for his cunning plan, selflessness and gen- erosity. Enjoy the Sea WolfTina.What a guy that Dale! It has been entertaining keeping tabs on this project. Our
builders are leaving with many great stories,a new boat and a huge amount of personal satisfaction knowing they built it themselves.
Many thanks to the builders for taking part and at least trying to meet our deadlines and to the boat companies; Chesapeake Light Craft (
www.clcboats.com), Pygmy Boats
(
www.pygmyboats.com) and Roy Folland Wooden Kayaks (
www.royfolland.com) for providing the kayak kits.
photo by Lynn Hamber
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