Recent content by Jim Dodd

Any dimensions to share ?

I have switched, from Kevlar felt, to Polyester Fleece. Yeah, Poly doesn't wear as well as Kevlar, but it wears better than regular glass. The thickness of the fleece will add years of wear. Polyester fleece ( Sweat Shirt Material ) adds thickness, that can be sanded. It is available in many...

Changing a design is fun ! It gives you something to look forward to, as you build . It can also have pitfalls. But none the less ? Go for it ! Jim

Yup ! You got us beat ! And that's not a good thing ! Time for People to Wake Up !

Oh ! I'm thinking Iowa might be in at least a Tie, with Ohio then. With Hogs out Numbering people 7 to 1 ? Our water sucks ! We tested a field tile this Spring for Nitrates. 40 p/m. Nothing to be proud of. Also the Highest Cancer rate in the States .

Seems everyone has their own method to bead and cove. I've improved mine over the years. My set up, now ! So simple but worked great. Love my old Craftsman 10" three wheel band saw for trimming strip bevels. But we all use what we have ! I know some don't like staples, until it comes...

WOW ! I can't believe I missed this build thread ! I must have been in deep Left field. Haven't read through the posts Your last pic shows an area that needs a patch a small one at that. Water will enter there and rot the wood in short order. Second, the weave patterns you see, will...

A few thoughts on reducing weight. An admirable ambition by the way ! We all try ! Fill coats can be reduced by Peel ply, if you can get it to work, without wrinkles. You can scrape wrinkles, without getting into the cloth. You can reduce one fill coat, with just as strong of a hull. I...

Definitely! My best Night paddles, have been here on my local rivers. Summer with my kids, on Moon lit nights, have been some of our fondest memories ! Long to do them again ! Jim

I'm not a lot of help here. But I would look for a hull, with a fair amount of flare. When I designed my Pearl, I combined Bruce Koons Merlin, that was a wave cutter, with Tumblehome. To Bob Brown's Pirate, that had about the same straight, racing stem, but a fair amount of flare, both fore...

I would also add seat comfort to the list of requirements, for a heeled canoe. I had to heel my first stripper, because of the excessive width I built into it. I struggled to keep any kind of a straight course, unless I heeled it. Once heeled ? It became a different canoe ! The seat was...

Depending on your age ( I'm near 76 ), and nimbleness, I'd go with a tent, that was able to keep bugs, like ticks, Mosquitoes, mice, and other critters at bay. And an umbrella, instead of a tarp. Umbrellas are light, and can be deployed in seconds. They go where, and when you go. Work as a...

SG, did you have any trouble with twisted stems ? Stripping all the one side, gave me concerns, that I might distort the position of the Stem forms. Giving a twisted look. Also, how did you bevel the strips on the first side ? Jim

Using an inner stem. You are gluing the strip to the inner stem, as well as the strip on the other side. I start with one on one side, two on the other. From there it's two strips to a side. One runs past the end, and gets notched. The other trimmed, to match the bevel on your inner stem...

Here is my very simple method. It works great ! Pearl