Building a Redfish King
I have built three other boats: first the Bear Mountain Redbird canoe with my brother-in-law John, next
was the One Ocean Storm LT kayak for my daughter, and my friend Guang's Bear Mountain Ranger
canoe.  Each was an enjoyable experience yet I don't have a boat of my own.

After paddling the Storm, I was quite smitten and thought long and hard about building a kayak.  The
hardest part was deciding which design.  The boats I considered were the One Ocean Expedition,
Guillemot Night Heron, Outer Island.  In the end I settled on the King, a Redfish Kayak design.

I purchased the plans in September 2007 and began work on the forms while I milled the wood into
strips.  Stripping began September 26, 2007.  I completed the kayak in July 2008.
I plan to use redwood and western red cedar in this boat with
accent strips of basswood and walnut.  The cockpit will be
made of mahogany, as are the outer stems.

At first I considered a deck pattern similar to the one on the
left, with the dark areas in redwood, against a cedar
background.

However, this changed due to wood selection and a general
feeling once the deck was stripped.  The image to the right
shows the final pattern.
the plan
in process
finished