First Canoe

[WoodsNWaters]

Trick to seal Staple holes !
After applying seal coat, wait an hour, and with a small brush, paint over the staple holes, with epoxy. The second coating really seals them.

Jim

Earlier you posted a link to your build "Pearl". In that thread, you have a pic of your stemless method showing where you file what I'll call "cross-coves". The longer strip alternates sides and each one fits into the cross-cove of the previous longer strip from the other side.

You can probably follow that but clear as mud for other readers. Here: https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/pearl.73909/#post-74275

Thanks
Dave

 

[WoodsNWaters]

I have caused a curve in my strongback. This is 100% my doing.

It looked like twist was going to be the problem. It doesn't have twist but it has a vertical curve, i.e. low in the center and high on the ends.

Tomorrow morning I'll be able to see exactly how it ended up.

Actually happy it's not twist.

Dave

 

[Alan Gage]

Earlier you posted a link to your build "Pearl". In that thread, you have a pic of your stemless method showing where you file what I'll call "cross-coves". The longer strip alternates sides and each one fits into the cross-cove of the previous longer strip from the other side.

You can probably follow that but clear as mud for other readers. Here: https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/pearl.73909/#post-74275

Thanks
Dave

You'll find lots of things like that. As a first time builder many things won't make sense and you will often be bewildered by the multiple ways different builders do things. At least I was. I just wanted someone to say, "do x, y, and z." Instead I got all sorts of seemingly conflicting and confusing information on how to do essentially the same thing and I was left to try and decide which way was correct.

The freedom comes in realizing there is not a correct way. All those different ways work and will all get you to the same goal. It comes down to what is best for you as a builder and how you prefer to build. And you often don't realize what that is until you've built a couple hulls. I believe that's where Brian was coming from earlier when he mentioned people trying to make their first hull unique.

If someone only plans to build one hull and and it's kind of a bucket list type of thing then by all means, they should knock themselves out. But if they plan on building more than one boat and building their skills then many of us feel the first boat should just kind of stick to the basics. Once you've gone through the entire process so many things that are confusing now will make sense and the 2nd hull will be much easier and you can start branching out to explore different methods.

As for the strong back: I don't try to get mine perfectly flat or level and I wouldn't care if it had a twist. I use a laser to setup my forms (vertical and horizontal laser lines) so they will be straight and true regardless of the strong back. If you have one available it's a great tool and makes setting up forms a snap.

Alan

 

[Fourbtgait]

As stated, once you just build one per a book or plans, at least for me, the next one simply is an open book. Not needing to follow the original because you thought during construction, i should do/try this next.
It’s been years since I built 3 different strippers, changing things, but remember it all. They all had stems simply because I learned that. But seeing the picture you mentioned, I automatically understood what he was showing, because of physically having stripped canoes before.
Try it with some scraps, hot melt glue, I think you would understand as well then.

 

[WoodsNWaters]

@Alan Gage
Thanks for your comments on straight (or not) strongbacks. I do have a laser level and put a pic in post 26 of this thread. When I clamped the strongback dry, it was straight. I just underperformed when glue was making it permanent.

@Fourbtgait
I understand it and like it a lot. I just thought my words weren't as clear as what the picture shows. The book by Gil Gilpatrick says put 5 or 6 strips on one side then 5 or 6 on the other. So he's obviously not interleaving the strips in his stemless build.

I don't have any measurements but believe interleaved with cross-coves would be stronger than several on one side then several on the other. I happen to like "box joints" Very strong and I use them many, many places:



I am using many sources for strip methods.

Dave