Building a Mill Creek 16.5: Wiring the Hull

The next step in the process is wiring the hull together. The kit ships with three spools of copper wire. The wire is cut into 4” lengths for the wiring or stitching of the panels together. When wiring the panels, a 1/16^th inch hole is drilled in each side the edges, creating a pair of holes to wire together. The holes are 3/8^th of an inch in from the edge of the panel. Also, the paired holes are about 4” apart along the seams.

The process starts with wiring the bottom panel onto the bilge panels. The front or bow of the kayak is wired to the bilge, starting at the very tip of the bottom panel. It’s important start the wiring at exactly the right point, where the bottom panel ends and the bilge panels curve up. This point is made clear from the plans. Holes are measured, drilled and wired, about 4 to 5 holes at a time. Starting on either side is fine, and then you alternate over to the other side of the kayak after every 4-5 holes to avoid any ripples in the panels and keep things even. Rope can be used to keep the panels more upright as you work down the sides. The ends are loosely wired to keep the panels upright. When you reach the end or stern, loosely wire it together like you did at the bow. In a later step, you will do any necessary trimming to even things up.

The sheer panels are wired onto the top of the bilge panels. This completely forms the sides of the kayak. Previously, I attached the sheer clamps (3/4” by ¾” solid wood strips) onto the top of the sheer panels. The bottoms of the sheer panels are wired to the top of the bilge panels. Wiring again starts at the bow. The same hole size and distance is the same as was used for the bottom to bilge panel work. Starting the wiring of these panels is a bit tricky. I used some rope to hold up the other end of the panels when I started. This helped keep the proper height so I could align things properly.