News archive
News from July 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 1 comments
Hello Bjørn
My Kavat is finished at last. She is named Ronja, from Astrid Lindgren´s Ronia the Robber's Daughter .
Launched in Glarskogen in Wermland this july – she is after all a swedish kayak!!!
Built with neoprene covered hatches, bulkheads but without skeg!!!
It turns on a high brace and is a very handy and ful kayak. My wife eyes it longingly, but if I am to build another kayak, I think it will be an Isfjord or a BP.
I have not logged the time but it has taken some...
Regards
Jens Lund
Kolding, Danmark
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Sunday, July 29, 2007, 4 comments
Hello Björn!
At last the canoe yawl is launched and I just have to write and say that she is wonderful.
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Saturday, July 28, 2007, 0 comments
As you probably have noticed, and some contacted me about, the site has been down most of the time the last few days. Strange errors that have caused the database to become unavailable. We am not sure of the cause, but most likely it is a defect at the servern running the database, maybe "helped" with a unsuitable matching of software and/or coding. I really hope thing will work now...
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Thursday, July 26, 2007, 1 comments
Hi Björn.
After a healthy dose of sweat, a tear or two and even a drop of blood (from carving the seat) my pearl floats steadily, as can be seen, in lake Sommen. It is built "slow and dirty" as Peter Bengtsson in Åsaso well put it.
Great thanks for advice and inspiration and to Petrus with family who stubbornly stopped me from tearing down the half built kayak in frustration over my more or less imagined all thumbs (OK, at one occasion I was too quick for them ;-).
This is my first woodworking project since a cutting board in elementary school, and it was inspirational. Next will be a Njord, since this is a lake of many Islands.
Regards, David, Tranås
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007, 0 comments
Hi! Launched my new Kavat this sunday. The project started in september 2004 in a building class with Jan Karlsson, but has been on hold for a couple of times. In total I have put approx 450 hours into the kayak, including two paddles, seat and back support. The kayak have a fixed skeg and fixed footrest, no bulkheads or hatches. It tipped the scale at 20,5 kg. The premiere was memorable, since I capsized in a gust after 200 m, losing my glasses. My brother Rolf, who as opposed to me, is an accomplished paddler helped me back into the kayak. With a bucketful of water (no pump!) we continued. In spite of that the kayak was easily driven and handy, and tracked nicely even in the sometimes gusty side wind. Looking forward to familiarize myself with Claire-Estelle (named after my daughters). Thank you for the informative plans/manual and your site, always worth reading.
Regards, Lasse Hagerö, Kristinehamn
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007 (kajakträff, Petruskajak), 0 comments
Lördagen 4 augusti är det kajakträff i Tranås vid sjön Sommen. Träffen sammanfaller med finalen på den traditionella "Sommaveckan" – ett mellanting mellan hembygdsvecka med artistframträdanden, lokal mat, hantverk och andra specialiteter, och vattenfestival med bland annat sommaroddens final (en roddtävling med gamla anor mellan samhällena runt sjön, i traditionella sommaskepp, som är en gammal bruksbåt från sjön - numera ofta nybyggda).
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007, 1 comments
Hi
Trials done. Feels very good. Looking forward to further explore the qualities of Black Pearl. Thanks for all the sound advice during the process!
regards, Jonas
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Monday, July 23, 2007 (paddling, veckotur), 0 comments
Malmö Kanotklubbs veckotur i år är lite speciell. Huvudstyrkan for till Stockholm för en tur i den norra skärgården mellan Värmdö och Arholma. Några hade av olika skäl inte tid eller möjlighet att följa med och så uppstod en robinsonad i Bohuslän som alternativtur.
Mitt skäl för Bohuslän var främst en axel som gjorde ont – överansträngning/sträckning/inflammation eller något sådant – som till min förvåning och besvikelse inte låtit sig botas med paddling. Annars är jag bortskämd med att så gott som alla krämpor enkelt kuvas med paddling. Med släktingar och vänner strategiskt boende längs västkusten skulle det vara betydligt lättare att vid behov bryta där än om det hände uppe i Roslagen.
Sålunda sjösatte en liten grupp om tre i Lökebergs Kile vid Marstrand på lördag eftermiddag och landade på Lövön efter en kort rundtur på halvannan mil runt Dyrön, Hättan, Älgön, Katten med flera öar. Ett piggt lågtryck angav temat för veckan: 6-7 m/s SV och skurar.
En försmak av vad som komma skall...
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Friday, July 13, 2007, 4 comments
Time to move into the kayak and tent for a week. No postings on the site, no mail answers, no telephone support, no plans or publications shipped etc. This time it is southern Bohuslän, round islands Orust and Tjörn, followed by a couple of days south along the west coast - to some extent depending on the weather.
Surpricing amount of gear piling up in the hallway, in spite of my efforts to minimize – is all that really needed? And yet – I travel light compared to most of my paddling pals (Vitas the cat is not coming along, though he is trying every time).
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Thursday, July 12, 2007, 2 comments
Tunna ribbor i epoxy och glassfiber lämpar sig till mycket. Åke Jonsson skickade för ett tag sedan en bild på en blekingeka under byggnad. Nu är den sjösatt...
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Wednesday, July 11, 2007, 4 comments
Hi Bjorn
My new Isfjord is now finished. I launched yesterday and it is really fast. I think I wait with a retractable skeg until I have done a little more paddling, but a hip support is needed. The wooden hatches were absolutely tight, nice!
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 0 comments
Hello
Here are a couple of pics of my kayaks, Isfjord, Thule/2 and a Kavat. The Kavat was finished some years ago as my first kayak. Then came the Isfjord, with all the bells and whistles, hatches, bulkheads, lines, back support, seat - and now the Thule/2. The Kavat took approx 110 hours, the Isfjord 150
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Monday, July 9, 2007 (roll), 10 comments
Den här sommaren har jag återigen fått höra den gamla myten om den säkra rollen med framåtlutad uppgång. Den bygger på missförstånd, får sin näring ur bristande insikt och har fördärvat rollandet för många, utsatt dem för onödig fara och berövat dem självförtroendet alldeles i onödan.
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Sunday, July 8, 2007, 13 comments
Erik van Woerkens finished his wooden frame of the SOF Black Pearl. This conversion has been done some 4-5 times before, with very good results. Erik´s is 580 x 47 cm, with gunwales, deck beams, stems in pine, ribs in oak and longitudinals in ash. Covering will be covering her with Dyson 8 ounce nylon with PU coating. But first the inevitable saran wrap test.
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Friday, July 6, 2007, 11 comments
Half past five we launched at the kayak club for a rolling session at sea. Just because it rained so that major roads in southern Skåne were flooded and closed and there was a northwesterly force seven with waves breaking on the shore, my students were not deterred - so it was just to accept the weather and come along.
From the draining culverts in the city canal the water flooded at such force that whitewater technique had to be employed to pass them. The water level was almost a meter higher than normal.
Sofia, who started from scratch with the rolling, had trouble managing the kayak in the wind – force 7 gusting to 8 – but rolled competently in the waves after a very short while. Impressive! She will not accept the common myth among ignorants that rolling is nothing to trust in adverse condition!
Katarina, with a reliable standard roll, wanted to try rolling with forward leaning finish, but unfortunately the wind increased steadily and we had to return after a brief demo and instruction.
You think it is hard to learn rolling? – you should have been there…
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Thursday, July 5, 2007, 6 comments
Om some of my kayaks I have attached decals with the model name. Many builders have asked for original decals to use on their own kayaks. The decals will be available for download from the download page – when I get them ready.
The files are png- or pdf-format. Png can be opened in most image editors and adjusted to size (printed the decals are in the size used on my kayaks). Click on the png-file to see the decal enlarged on the screen. Pdf is ideal for printing - if you print it yourself or with the help of a print shop.
Print the image on a piece of thin japan paper (aka rice paper). Attach it to an ordinary printer paper with a thin line of glue round the perimeter (otherwise the printer shreds it). With a laser printer you can use the print as is, but with an inkjet writer you may need to stabilize the image with fixative, to avoid smearing. Put the cut out image on the wooden surface and very cautiously attach epoxy with a brush. When the epoxy has cured you continue as normally with laminating fibre glass.
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Monday, July 2, 2007, 9 comments
John March, owner of one of the Black Pearls Dan Caouette built this winter, has written a review for Paddling.net – submitted here:
Reviews for Black Pearl by Bjorn Thomasson Design
Submitted by: John March
06-29-2007
The Black Pearl is a strip built East Greenland kayak designed by Bjorn Thomason as a low volume rough water and rolling day trip kayak: www.thomassondesign.com/entry.aspx?id=113.
My BP (painted white to reflect the NC summer sun) was built by Dan Caouette of Clear Stream Fine Woodworking: clearstreamwood.com/WordPress/?p=170. Bjorn´s website has extensive information on the genesis of the BP and Dan´s website will take you through it´s construction step-by-step. My experience with Bjorn and Dan during the building process was extremely positive. Highly recommended.
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