Roy, what is your preferred product for finishing? I need to final sand (some grain raggedness as is to be expected in plantation-grown pine) and seal them. I use tung oil on the GPs but Mike B recommended this stuff that he uses for wood items that will be frequently immersed:
No, I heard rumors there was a hot tub but donāt think anyone used it. I tent camped this time and when i arrived at the beach the first night there were a couple of dozen folks sitting around a cold fire ring just as a gorgeous sunset was forming. I put on my bossy face and began gathering and breaking kindling and delegated collection of tinder. Wanted to show off the new steel striker I had picked up from a craftsman in the Adirondacks last Fall but the danged dry dune grass and dead leaves were still too moist to catch despite my efforts and cascades of sparks and i finally gave in to the loan of a butane lighter and we got a nice fire going. (It was always a point of pride to me to get a good fire going on one match but i donāt sweat it any more.) Attendee Chrissy provided a bagpipe serenade of āAmazing Graceā just as the sun hit the horizon and all was good with the world.
I admit I did not rue the absence of the 90 minute kayak build (which they dropped this year). Not being on one of the build crews renders it a spectator sport so I think a lot of us felt left out when that event was going on in the past years.
And there was an awful lot of very heavy drinking by some of the attendees my first time in 2017, which made me a bit uncomfortable . Much as I like a mellow light buzz myself after a long day , there were some really hammered people and the Saturday night partying got pretty raucous. This year seemed much more moderate and convivial.
I missed some of the coaches who didnāt make it this year but those that were there were great and the influx of 25 first timers and a lot of younger paddlers was invigorating. The shore seminars on outfitting a trad kayak and Sipkeās demo of a fully equipped hunting qajaq were fascinating. Overall I thought it was really well organized while still being flexible and fun.
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I just use tung oil. But just like doing wooden paddles many things work. and you also might end up changing a few things and will have to refinish. I like to keep it simple. Even renaissance wax would work ā¦but expensive. {what is Sipke using these days?} Harpoons are kind of simple and just get thrown a lot. Make sure you have a nice visible white knob on the end. It helps you find the harpoon if you stick it in the bottom of the lake. The white shows up and you can roll over to pull it from the bottom if you can reach. {I use a bamboo skewer to pin it}
A shotgun throw doesnāt go as deep as one that comes straight town. Depends on what you are hunting or in Greenland the shotgun throw seems to be the thing for competition.
Thanks, good tips. I just want to make sure it doesnāt soak up water and swell so the norsaq holes bind. Where I will practice with it there would be a risk of sticking it ā lake bottoms here are sticky clay mud rather than the Michigan sand. So I do need to think about retrieval. Wonder if you could wrap part of the shaft with thin steel and use a strong magnet on a cord to locate and fetch it? Though considering the lake I am most apt to be in is a flooded dam empoundment on land that was farms lord knows what I would dredge up with a magnet.
taper the throwing tip pin . The balance pin is somewhat snug until loosened for throwing. The important pin is the tip pin. It isnāt just a straight pin. it is also used to tune the harpoon. No spin etc.
I have always just rolled over and yanked my harpoon out if it stuck. The white knob shows up.
I also donāt use wood for the pins, I use either antler or Delron ā¦so never have swelling. The norsaq pivot spots are also antler
The pins we used are tapered black plastic (maybe Delrin) that I think Sipke had 3D printed for the workshop class. They are hollow and seated with #2 stainless Phillips head screws. The norsaq holes got waterlogged and puffy after my extended throwing practice, which made them stick.
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My blunt tip and one of the pins. Pretty basic. Needs a lot more sanding (grain raised a lot after its repeated immersions) . The 8 of us in the 6 hour class produced a couple of bushels of shavings shaping them by hand, which was a tinder source boon for subsequent evening bonfires.
Sorry ā¦donāt want to steal the thread. It shouldnāt be about what I did.
Sipke had a very precise set of detailed dimensions and instructions for the harpoons which he had gotten from someone else (I forget who he said produced them). The one I made is 81 inches and, being pine, is 1.12 lbs (per my postal scale).
You should have left it up! I appreciate details on other folks projects and I think others might as well.
Spouse and I are going to Delmarva in a month. Iām very excited to finally learn how to properly use my GP, and how to safely paddle my SOF. I hope it will be as fun as Michigan looks! Feel free to offer a clueless newb advice on what to bring, expect, etc. 
Iāve been thinking about going to Delmarva too. I didnāt get to take full advantage of the coaching at QTC because I had hurt my back the day before I left home and was unsure if I had slipped a disk ā didnāt want to risk twisting motions that would be required in roll or rescue practice. But since returning I have had xrays and learned it was just a muscle pull and slight vertebral displacement ā got chiro adjustment and the OK to exercise.
Delmarva is actually several hours closer drive from Pittsburgh than Michigan QTC (and I could make a side trip on the way home to visit my godson in Philly).
(Examining the Delmarva website itās hard to determine whether there is a location where I could park and boondock in my camper van rather than the bunkhouses or tent camping. My snoring does not endear me to bunk mates and though I tent camped at QTC, having a considerable hike to the outhouses during the night was a PITA.)
edit: Found an answer by searching prior posts on Delmarva. They do have places to park campers but no RV hookups. My camper is self contained (solar and propane) so I donāt need utilities. And I donāt run the generator when I am parked within earshot of others. Donāt need it anyway - 12v solar system runs all the necessaries.
Roy, Iād like to make toggles for the deck bungees on my SOF and the two composite Greenland style kayaks Iām salvaging and would like to use antler. What can you suggest in sourcing and working with the material? My SOF has wooden toggles and typical black elastic bungee but when I re-skin it I plan to use leather for the lines (the round Singer sewing machine drive belts) and a more durable material for the toggles.
I just registered for Delmarva (3 days with the late Thursday arrival option.) Sounds like a great time! See you there!
Yes! Iāll meet you there and get to see you and your eponymous kayak in the fleshā¦err, skin!
Lemme ask you, what level of wetsuit/ thermal protection would you think is needed? Thanks.
Unfortunately, the āwillow leafā SOF (which I eventually re-named āSisiutlā after the two headed sea monster of Haida legends) is in rough shape and in need of a new skin after 13 years of use, also has a broken frame in its perky stern ātailā from blowing out of my hands while loading last summer. I wonāt have time to get it seaworthy by then. There is only so much Aquaseal you can slather on old seams before it is time to throw in the towel (or skin). Hope to get that done over the winter.
So I will probably be bringing one of the two vintage composite kayaks I have salvaged in the past year, the Perception Avatar 16 or the 18ā Northwest Discover, both of which are Greenland style and reportedly good open water and rolling craft. Just got materials from Sailrite (marine grade bungee, buckles and webbing) to replace the slack deck lines and worn hatch lid straps on those two boats.
This site says average water temperature off Rehoboth Beach is 63 in mid October so that would be definite dry suit need off shore. Though the chart shows they can vary from 55 to 70 and mentions that close to shore it will be warmer (and it appears that most of the training will be in a sheltered bay and there is also a pool for rolling and rescue practice.)
Probably best to get some feedback from prior attendees on actual conditions. I have only used 1.5 mm hydroskins (long pants or Famer Jane plus zip jacket or a dry top) at Michigan QTC but water there was comfortably warm in August. I plan to bring those and a full dry suit to Delmarva.
OK thanks. Too bad about Sisiutl!
No way am I going to have a dry suit, but I guess staying in the shallow water near shore will be fine for me, being as Iām a complete newbie at this. As in, I donāt even know how to get in the boat by myself. Anyway, I have asked the organizers what sort of wetsuit is suitable. Iām really looking forward to it!
Iāll be bringing my older womenās size large Kokatat goretex dry suit that I am planning to sell (cheap ā it still works fine and has a new neck gasket) if it would fit you and you find you need one and want to borrow it.
I suspect you would probably be fine for most of the near shore events with a 3/4 mm wetsuit (like a surf suit) and a dry or spray top (to keep from windchill in the damp neoprene). I have one of those (a full length surfer 3/4 wetsuit) that Iāve used in similar temps ā got it used on Ebay for $25 (I recommend Xcel brand wetsuits ā their womenās sizing and fit is much more accurate than other brands and I see a lot of them on Ebay for under $100.)
They will have QajaqUSA neoprene tuiliks for students to wear for rolling practice if you choose to get instruction in that. They also have club skin on frame kayaks in various sizes that you can use.
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