• Happy National Apple Pie Day! 🍎🥧😋

20 foot freighter canoe

My back went out two days ago, so work has been halted, but I might grab a couple of kids today and instruct them on the fine art of mounting forms on the strongback, from the comfort of my big leather chair, lol.

Hopefully your back gets better soon, maybe right after the forms are mounted! Guess my next step will be to stretch out my strongback a bit, but it will have to wait until after the holidays, my shop is being converted into a campground for the grandkids.
 
My back went out two days ago, so work has been halted, but I might grab a couple of kids today and instruct them on the fine art of mounting forms on the strongback, from the comfort of my big leather chair, lol.


I found an excellent Chiropractor, that put me back on track ! I suffered for at least two months, this Summer.
No twisting, just thumped on my neck and spine with a solenoid type thing. I first thought it was VODO ! But it worked !
I know I'm off track again, but it's only in hopes that you find relief and are back building !!!

I know Alan's had trouble with his back too. I just don't know if he wants to make the drive to Algona Iowa (Hint Hint !)

Any way Mem get better !!! That's an Order ! ( There I go again !)

Jim
 
Some progress made. It's difficult to show the scale of this beast. I'm still lining things up, but it is huge.
g7kUshe.jpg

I would say the top of the biggest forms are around five feet or more off the ground.

Played around with strips too, here's what a half inch bead and cove looks like.
0ZZ9kuJ.jpg


Bit more fiddly stuff then I'll get right into the fine art of wood butchery.
 
Boy you don't mess around with any flim flam flimsy stuff. I wonder what life will be like below decks amongst the casks of grog and barrels of Spam.
Does everyone get their own bunk? heck, if I gotta paddle I ain't spooning.
 
Last edited:
Are the real strips going to be taller than your test strip? Can't be more than 1/2" as pictured, is it? Would take a lot of strips that way. I'd guess there are some significant sections of the hull with no/little curve. I'd be tempted to use full width square edge strips for those.

Maybe you could pose as a model next to the forms so we can have some scale.

Alan
 
Ya, gonna try to cut back on the cove, hoping to get some thicker wood too. Won't really matter in the end, cause once stripping fever hits, I won't stop till the glue bottle is empty. The shop guy that is helping me is about 6 foot 8, so I figured if I got him to pose, it would look like a normal size canoe.
 
Looks like a 3/4" width strip, The extra thickness makes it look short. Have you calculated how many strips ?

Nice router work ! Was finding B &C bits hard ?

Tilt the strongback, when you get to the football. If you have room in the shop? Maybe get a pair of those Dry Waller Stilts ! :rolleyes:

Great progress !

Jim
 
Make like Tom Cruise and hang from suspension wires.

Mission Impossible: The Memaquay Chronicles of Ginormous Canoecraft :D
 
Already got the name, it will be the SS Hurricane, which is my nickname for my wife. I did calculate the number of strips, and translated it into boards, can't remember now, I've just got a big pile of boards waiting to be processed. Think it came in over 200 board feet.

Jim, the bead and cove bit is a rockler, a two in one deal...it was not cheap, by the time I paid brokerage fees and stuff, think it was about 150 C.

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-bea...tion=shareAPhoto&turntoflow=review#turntodone

I'm on break now, so I'll try to find some time in between ice fishing, winter camping, skidooing, killing bunny rabbits and drinking bud light to finish processing all the wood.

I'll be putting a keel on this one, and I think I'll put splash rails on the outside too.
 
Still working away, but slowly. Hope to have strips all cut and bead and coved by end of next week. In the meantime, I have ordered the fiberglass. Salesman convinced me to try West Pro-set for this build. Considerable cheaper than system three and more of it. He said the surf board guys use it, and he thinks it's pretty good.

On the topic of glassing, when I glassed the Pal a month or two ago, I picked up this cheap shower stall squeegey from my local hardware store, turns out to be the best squeegey I have ever used. Probably the cleanest wet out coat i have ever done.

​​​​​​
TYUPaNU.jpg
 
That squeegee looks like it would be more ergonomic , than the regular ones ! My wrists never did like all twisting and turning they had to do with regular ones ! Thus the Rollers came on to the scene !

How much resin do you think you will need for this hull ?

And yes ! I have to ask how much cloth ?

Jim
 
Memaquay ... are you in Canada ... if so... I would have considered easy System Epoxy as it is made here and is a lot cheaper than the imports.
 
Cruiser, yes I'm in Canada. I order from Composites Canada. The deal they gave me on the Pro stuff was cheaper than anything I have seen, even East system.

Jim, I've got 24 yards of 60 " 10 ounce cloth coming. I'm going to double the bottom of the hull, and generous overlaps on the inside. I had originally calculated a 3 gallon kit of clear coat for wet out and a gallon of general purpose for fill on the outside. I wont be using fill on the inside of course. I'm getting a six gallon kit of Pro-set, that should be more than enough.
 
Ha ha, look at this guy, stirring the pot. It's good to use whichever method you prefer, but in defence of stems....... When done well, I believe the aesthetics of an external stem is superior to a stemless build. Especially because it gives you a nice spot to fasten on your brass stem band. It's kind of like the good old hamburger. Stemless reminds me of the poverty days, when I ate my hamburger between two slices of white bread. Using internal and external stems is like a restaurant burger, with all the trimmings, even the pickles. I've built both ways, and I would never refuse any kind of hamburger, but I've developed a liking for buns.

QG5aX2c.jpg

I agree and I think they look more finish or the stemless look unfinished to my eyes!!
 
Well, -46 this morning, -52 with the windchill, so the kids were told not to come to school. Make hay while the sun shines! Managed to get all my strips cut this morning, will startbeading them this afternoon.
HkMSud4.jpg
​​​​​​
 
That's some good work to have done already.

To me cutting out forms, setting them up, and cutting and beading strips is the drudgery part of the project. You're almost to the fun easy part now!

How big is that planer on the right side of the pic?

Alan
 
Back
Top