Launching: “Vinaccia” Black Pearl, Ontario
Jan 13th, 2012 | By Dan (CSFW) | Category: Featured, Kayaks, Projects
2011 "Vinaccia" Black Pearl, Ontario
Another Black Pearl is leaving the shop this weekend! AND, it’s an international order to boot. Over the summer I was commissioned to build it by a customer from Ottawa, Ontario. I finished work on it this weekend. He’s driving over on Sunday to pick it up.
Full details and pictures taken during and after the build will be found on the project’s page in the portfolio.
The Design
It is a Bjorn Thommason Design “Black Pearl” that was custom sized to my customer. For those who are not familiar with it:
The Black Pearl is a long, low and narrow kayak of East Greenland ancestry – extremely easily handled, instantly reacting to shift of weight, leaning etc, and with enough secondary stability to support leaned turns, balance brace and such. It is very easily rolled. Designed by Björn Thomasson Design, Lund, Sweden.
It’s a fantastic, elegant design.
Other Details About the Project
The kayak was built using a solid core of northern white cedar. The inside of the cockpit area was laminated with carbon fiber (5.5oz 3Kw twill weave). The remainder was ‘glassed with layers of high strength S-2 fiberglass. A tight weave glass was used to save weight (less epoxy usage). It was laminated with Ecopoxy resin and clear hardener. The resin is partially derived from beans and nuts instead of petroleum. The outside will be painted in durable automotive urethane. The color is a vintage Ferrari color called “Vinaccia.”
In addition to the cockpit interior, most of the other pieces of the kayak will be crafted from carbon fiber. The hatches will be black plastic screw-in Beckson deck plates sitting in carbn recesses. The cockpit coaming is carbon fiber as well.
This was the first build I documented on Facebook and it received an amazing amount of positive comments.
- FB: Dan Caouette
- FB Album: 2011 “Vinaccia” Black Pearl – Completed
- FB Album: 2011 “Vinaccia” Black Pearl – Completed
- FB Group: Black Pearl
Final weight: 33.5 pounds (15.2 kg)
Stunning!
WOW!
Beautiful craftsmanship as always! Do you do racing doubles?
Thanks Scott. That means a lot coming from you.
Racing double, huh? It would be a first. I know I can fit a 26 footer in the shop. I did some repair work on a Nelo Waterman K2 a few years back. My shop couldn’t handle much more.