The cambered deck was so pretty I hated to cut the hatch. This finish is all dry. My Bosch Random Orbital Sander worked very well and the MAS epoxy with the slow hardener was relatively easy to apply. I had to be careful not to put on too much when soaking down the fiberglass cloth and I kept checking for drips that could appear hours after application. Instead of varnish I used three coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine Light and two coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine Gloss for UV protection. It took days and days before the Cetol really hardened up. I think I was impatient and didn't wait long enough between coats. People tell me the Cetol is much easier to maintain than traditional varnish and is less brittle. So far it has held up well.

I test-fitted the seat, back-band and thigh pads by lawn-paddling in the front yard where I had some space and good sunlight. I followed rigging recommendations from the manual and from the book Savvy Paddler by Sea Kayaker magazine. I decided to try paddling without a rudder which worked until I couldn't compensate for a stiff quartering tailwind on Bellingham Bay. Thankfully, I wasn't far from shore (because the weather was marginal) and I was able to force the boat around on a wave and keep it pointed toward the beach. After getting "rescued" by my wife at Cornwall Beach I hauled the boat out and started installing the rudder!

Andy at Ocean Kayak showed me how I could pop out the insert to their heavy-duty carry toggle and epoxy in my own carved insert. This is a chunk of wood I took off of something (a dining room chair?) and whittled into shape before carving, sealing with liquid epoxy and varnishing with Cetol.

Here is a close-up of deck rigging. I tied it off with whipping twine and raised the line off the deck with rubber spacers as suggested in Savvy Paddler. The rubber spacers make it easier for clumsy, wet, gloved hands to grab the line if you're in the water. The whipping twine just looks nice to me and is supposed to be at least as secure as tying off the line.

The maiden voyage. The Cetol was still a little soft if you pushed hard with your thumb nail, but it was a sunny afternoon on Easter Sunday and the whole family was around to launch her. So we plopped her in the water and I climbed in. I kept wondering if I would notice a built-in curve to the left or right but everything looked good, except my form. Ever confident, my Mom didn't want to watch "in case it sinks." Later she asked incredulously, "You're going to paddle something YOU built out to the islands!?" Now, many miles and hours of paddling and training later, she is much more enthusiastic and encouraging about the whole thing.

Another shot of the maiden voyage, this time a panoramic view of beautiful Lake Padden in Bellingham, WA. My daughter is paddling our big yellow Ocean Kayak Malibu Two, a great sit-on-top if you're looking for a very stable and unsinkable recreational kayak that can accommodate two adults and a kid. I've even taken it on multi-night kayak camping trips by paddling from the middle seat and strapping dry bags and water jugs to the deck at the front and rear seats.

One year later...

Here you can see how I glued in the closed-cell foam seat and attached the Rapid Pulse Back Band, both unmodified from the kit. They are plenty comfortable for me and give me a little room to tuck the sponge or an extra water bottle behind me. I've read that keeping the seat as low as possible lowers your center of gravity and improves stability. (I've only accidentally flipped my boat once, taking a wave broadside when approaching the beach.) The thigh braces had to be padded out quite a bit. On long paddles the forward edge presses in so I need to sand it down more.

This is the second (or third?) kneepad I've tried. It is really a hip pad but I wanted something that gave my knee more to press against when executing a roll. I like the way this fits and I can still perform a wet exit easily by straightening my legs while falling out underwater. (I'm a little paranoid about ensuring a successful wet exit in the unlikely event that I need one, so the cockpit is clean except for the pads, the rudder pedals and one dry bag with my bail-out kit. I even prefer my NRS Wetshoe booties over sandals to avoid the straps. My spray pants don't have pockets. I test-pull my spray skirt strap every time I launch. I was basically a quivering fearful idiot around deep water when I started so I practice a lot of wet exits and rolls to get over it. The joy of paddling has been SO worth the effort, and the personal growth that comes from conquering fear has been a pleasant surprise.)

This is my normal paddle-to-work deck configuration. For me, parallel bungies hold charts and gear better than crisscrossed bungees. The hat and water bottle are no-brainers, I just keep them away from the spray skirt. The water bottle has a groove in the plastic so it stays put. The Seattle Sports bilge pump could be held under the deck by inside bungees or a net but paranoia prevents me from installing anything like that. The paddle float doesn't look good in front but during wet exit and re-entry practice it was easier for me to remove it from the front. I could use an inflatable paddle float tucked behind the seat but I've seen folks find leaks during practice re-entries. That wouldn't be a show-stopper in a group but I usually paddle solo and I don't want to fumble with blowing anything up if I'm bobbing alone in 50-degree water. The compass is a Suunto Orca attached with bungees and clips. I kept wondering how much time I had to play with the seals before work so I looped a cheap waterproof wristwatch around the compass bungee. (As an amateur naturalist I always follow marine mammal regulations, letting seals follow me if they choose but not approaching them.) On the clean deck you can also see where I tuck the end of the bow line. Doesn't the deck still look pretty after all that saltwater paddling?

The carry toggle feels good and I like the wood insert. The deck line, raised with the rubber spacers, makes it easy to grab and hold onto the boat with thick gloves when I'm in the water. I loosened the bow line so it would be easier to distinguish from the deck line in this photo. Usually it is held taut by the rubber spacer at the bow end and by tucking under a bungee at the cockpit end. The 3M 3150A SOLAS reflective tape does wonders for visibility at night and looks OK if you trim it a bit. (See the Paddle-To-Work Visibility page for more information.)

When I paddle to work the collapsible cart is in this rear hatch. Notice the additional reflective tape that would reflect the kayak's dimensions from the air or from the water. (There is even reflective tape on the hull so it can be spotted from the air if capsized.) Paddling solo means carrying spare paddles so my original Ocean Kayak plastic paddles are held under the bungees. A throw rope is clipped on where the bungees cross and is tucked under the first hatch strap, also helping to hold the paddles in place. Nigel Foster recommends (and sells?) paddle bags for the rear deck which sound like a great idea since most of the scratches I have on the deck are from the paddle shafts. On the end just ahead of the rudder I have my solar powered garden light glued to a closed cell foam base and held on the deck with velcro strips. (See the Paddle-To-Work Visibility page for more information about the lights.)

This shockingly precarious-looking photo of loading the kayak on my stylin' minivan is actually a clever, simple and fairly stable way for me at 5'8" tall to load the kayak onto the top of the van when I'm alone without scratching the van or the kayak. (Thanks to Emily who demonstrated this technique at her training class at Lake Padden.) A towel or chunk of neoprene is placed on the van behind the Yakima Hully Rollers. The bow is lifted and placed on the towel between the Hully Rollers and the Hully Rollers keep the kayak from sliding off to the left or right in a breeze. (I normally keep a hand on the boat at all times when I do this just in case something slips or a stiff wind comes up.) The stern is resting on the ground and is protected by a patch of rubber held in place with electrical tape. For safety when driving I hold the rudder in place with an elastic strap from an old headlamp and a red handkerchief is clipped on. The stern is lifted and the Hully Rollers allow me to roll the kayak forward until it is centered over the van and the Thule Set-To-Go Saddles safely catch the front of the kayak.

The Yakima Hully Rollers sure make loading the kayak easier and are designed to solidly mount on the crossbars of the Yakima rack. I added some pipe insulation held in place by duct tape to give the forward keel something soft to rest on. (Notice the SOLAS reflective tape on the hull.) The Thule Set-To-Go Saddles were the best thing I could find to grip the hard-chined hull of the CLC LT17. Pipe insulation and duct tape are added here, too, to protect the keel when loading and unloading. Because the mounts for the Thule Saddles are built for a Thule rack, they pivot on the Yakima rack when bumped. I still prefer them for holding this hull shape.

I have Thule and Yakima straps that came with the rack hardware and they both have rubber around the buckle so they don't scratch the kayak or the car. I really like the Thule QuickDraw bow and stern tie-downs that use a ratcheted pulley and hooks since I am still learning how to tie knots properly. This configuration, with the cockpit combing trapped between the straps and the straps holding firmly but not too tightly, has proven very stable at freeway speeds over long distances.

The CLC LT17 in action, leaping out past the breakwater at the Ski-To-Sea race. What a beautiful kayak! And did I mention how much I enjoy paddling this sleek wooden wonder?

©Mike Massey. All rights reserved. That said, all images on KayakCam.com may be used freely for non-commercial purposes.