Look What We Did to Our Nice Canoes

Boys Trip 2006 035
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Per our tradition, we took our boys trip over Memorial Day weekend. For several years we have been travelling staying in Nicolette Forest in northease Wisconsin, for a few days of whitewater kayaking. This year, we decided to get back to our roots and do some canoeing. Greg and I took things a step further, and rigged up the Nice Canoes we built a couple of years ago as a makeshift catamaran. Greg, being engineer-boy, calculated the dimensions, measured the sail, and determined where to put the various parts. It worked surprisingly well -- for one day. The boat was structurally sound, but anything that directly related to the sailing aspect was woefully under-engineered. Stay tuned for the complete story... its quite a ride.

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A Few Things Weve Learned so Far

As I mentioned in my last post, we took some video of our last work session. The majority of this video footage covers tasks weve completed to date, a quick summary of some of our day-to-day tasks, and a couple of things weve learned along the way. This post is primarily to post links to the videos we made. I apologize in advance for the poor audio quality (we left the TV on in the background, and it is a little distracting), but I am posting this in the hope that youll pick up a couple of tips and tricks that we learned along the way. It will also let you actually see who we are, and what our workshop is like.

Video of the epoxy tray we made
Mixing the epoxy
Applying the epoxy sealer coat
Mixing the thickened epoxy (Peanut Butter)
Be careful after you lay the epoxy

After laying the sealer coat of unthickened epoxy to each surface to be glued, lay the thickened epoxy on one of the sealed surfaces with a trowel. After the thickened epoxy is applied, set the pieces together, weigh them down to ensure a good solid bond between the surfaces, and apply a couple of screws to hold the surfaces together. We specifically recommend the weighting and screwing process, as if you dont weight them down, you may not get a nice tight fit. If you dont screw the pieces together, the epoxy can act as a lubricant between the fitted pieces between when the surfaces are laid together, and when the epoxy sets. The result is that you can end up with the pieces sliding a little, and the fit of the boards is not as precise. You can remove the screws after the epoxy has dried.

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A Break

On Saturday Greg and I were able to sneak in an extra few hours of work, during which time we finished sanding and priming the one remaining section of unprimed hull. It was incredibly gratifying to see the entire boat primed. We next planned to fine-sand the primer in preparation for the actual paint.

Alas, our plans have been slowed by fate. On Sunday I fractured my ankle while learning to water ski. I took a tumble and the ski didnt pop off. Fortunately its a minor break and I only need to wear a boot, as opposed to a full-blown cast. I also got the green light to put weight on the foot, so I may be able to do some boat work after all.

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The Kit Isnt Perfect

ShavedTransom
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

In this photo, Im holding the piece we cut from the rear transom. We cut this piece from both ends, so the kit cut the rear transom about 1" large on both ends.

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A Flow Coat

Woo-Hoo!!!!

Greg finally decided to do something different. After months (yes, months!) of sanding and fairing, Greg decided that enough is enough. We flow coated the boat yesterday. When I went over there, I was expecting another round of sanding and fairing, so I didnt take the camera. (Like Ive said countless times, there are only so many sanding and fairing pics I can take.)

One of our concerns was epoxy runs. In order to address this, we thickened the epoxy ever so slightly with just a touch of wood flower. It seems to have worked, but we wont know for sure until after the epoxy dries. Wish us luck.

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A Good Days Work

As Ive mentioned time and time again, summer seems to slow Greg and me down on our quest for the perfect cabin cruiser. Today however, we made some great progress. We sanded down the hard chine on the port side and began the fine work with quick fair. It wasnt a long session time-wise, but we accomplished a lot. Additionally, we discussed ways to work smarter. The problem weve been running in to lately is that we can only put in an hour or two of work and then are required to wait for things to cure. Since the starboard side is about ready for flowcoating and priming, I brought up the idea of flowcoating and priming the boat in sections. This way, if there are areas that we need to revisit, we can be more effective in our work. Your thoughts??

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Heres a Pic of what We Cut from the Bottom

More Shavings
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

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An Answer to our Glassing Problem

Heating the Glass I
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

We ("we" being Greg for the most part) thought about possible solutions for our problem on how to get the partially-wetted fiberglass to properly adhere to the hull. After a week or so, Greg found the answer. We used a heat gun and softened the epoxy in the areas where the fiberglass was bubbled up from the hull.

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A Weekend of Painting Peace Canoes

Group two works meticulously on Maurices design

Group one paints the canoe as designed by Alicia

Its always good to have a back up plan! Painting of the two completed Peace Canoes were set to take place during the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival on May 2nd and 3rd. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for what was needed to paint outdoors. So the kids and volunteers, went back to the original place of construction the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Group one completed their painting on Saturday afternoon. A vibrant, rainbow like pattern was chosen and the kids did a great job working together to put the final touches on their Canoe.

Sunday afternoon, the second group of canoe builders came in and they had a more intricate design to carry out. Designer, Maurice, sketched out the Maryland flag, a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear, and Box of Rain logo, as group members filled in the paint. The kids had a great time and really paid attention to detail to produce a professional looking final project.

Both canoes are now ready for the launch celebration to take place at 1pm on Sunday, May 17th. The event which will be held at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, welcomes all members of the community.

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A minor celebration of sorts

here is a minor celebration of sorts. Looks like all the parts fit!!!

I was a little worried when frame 9 was shorter than the upper sides, but all is ok and this will look like a boat when all is said and done.  there is nothing so far off that a little work with the rasp and some filler cant cure. 

Looking forward to vacation next week, as I should have time to finish the basic build.









Next weekend will install the stem and transom for real once all is line up well.

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A Hiaitus Too Long

Greg and I worked on the boat yesterday. Well, we didnt actually work on the boat itself yesterday... we did a little bit of work on how the trailer supports the boat, in preparation for getting back to work on the actual project.

When I thought back to the last time we worked on the boat, I knew that it had been more than a year... Gregs been in his new house for about 13 months. I estimated that it had been a year and a half. No, its been longer... its been approximately 20 months. Fortunately, I think that Gregs ready to get back to it. I guess well see how things progress.

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Emmy Rossum Street Fashion

Emmy Rossum Street Fashion:



Emmanuelle Grey "Emmy" Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first starred in a string of movies including Songcatcher (2000), An American Rhapsody, (2001) and Passionada (2002). However, it was her role in Mystic River (2003) that garnered her wider recognition.

Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Dress



Emmy Rossum Street Dress



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion



Emmy Rossum Street Fashion

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A Snails Pace

Once were done with this project, I certainly hope that the boat goes through the water faster than were progressing on the boat. It was two and a half months ago that I declared us "almost done" preparing the hull for painting. In retrospect, I feel like Bush proclaiming an end to major combat in Iraq.

Since saying "almost done," weve done still more sanding and fairing and filling holes, and Im starting to get frustrated. A couple of weeks ago, I asked Greg if we could set the end of 2006 as a goal for flipping the boat. This would require us to be finished sanding, fairing, and priming the hull, and painting the bottom. He said it was doable and we set 12/31/06 as a tentative date for flipping the boat. We pissed away the next two weekends doing more sanding and fairing and quite honestly, Im tired of it. I understand that Greg wants the boat to be perfect, but eventually you need to say "good enough." Part of the issue is that the boat is a huge patchwork of different colors and textures. There are areas where the eye says "this area needs to be filled in a bit more," but the hand says "its perfectly smooth." There is one minor area on the port chine, toward the front, that needs to be touched up, but other than that, I think its ready to prime.

Greg agrees with me in theory, but in practice we end up sanding and fairing when I get over there. Were both tired of the routine and were both failing to see real progress. I think its time to finish up the chine and prime. The primer weve bought is high-build primer, so it will perform two complimentary functions. Because its high-build, it will fill in the smallest flaws, and because a primer coat would make the boat a uniform colors, it would expose any remaining flaws.

Your thoughts?

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Engineering Problems A Plenty

Boys Trip 2006 066
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

As I mentioned yesterday, our first trip was completely uneventful. This is mainly because there was just enough wind to get us from the landing to our campsite, so we cruised to the island, set up camp, ate, and hoped for more wind the following day. Our wish was fulfilled.

After a hearty breakfast of beer and eggs, Greg and I were anxious to continue our experiment and to test our skill as sailors. We did a quick sail in the water immediately next to our camp site, and were soon satisfied that our boat and our skills were solid enough to venture further into the open water.

Being novice sailors, it took us a little bit of time and experimentation to learn the ropes, but we took great pleasure in the new experience... until we heart that first **CRACK**. I dont remember whether it was caused by shallow water, or by actual stress, but our leeboard mount broke. As this picture shows, the leeboard itself held up to the stress, but the frame wasnt quite as strong, flexible, or whatever.

Despite our hobbled watercraft, we were able to limp back to our campsite, which was upwind from us when the malfunction occurred, and fortunately Greg brought plenty of material for repairs. He pulled the leeboard mount and had soon fashioned a repair of glue and screws. On the downside, we had to wait for the glue to cure, so our sailing was finished for the day.

Stay tuned for our continued misadventures.

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A Brief Diversion

You may have noticed a lack of recent posts about our boat project, and if you think its because we havent done anything lately, youre right. You see, its almost time for our annual boyz trip pilgrimage. Every year over Memorial Day, Greg, two of our friends from high school and I go on an extended trip. The trips have varied tremendously over the years... sometimes we do long, self-contained downriver canoe trips, sometimes we do whitewater kayaking, occasionally more than the "core four" of us will go. Our trips have varied from three days to a week, and we have hit too many rivers to count. We started out taking these trips over Labor Day weekend, but changed to Memorial Day a few years back when we figured out that the water levels are generally higher this time of year.

This year, we will be travelling to North-Central Wisconsin and doing a self-contained island-hopping lake canoe trip, utilizing the canoes we built a couple of years ago. To add to the adventure, Greg and I are temporarily converting our individual canoes into a catamaran sailing vessle. Were going to a brand new area, doing a variation on our trip that we havent really done before, and trying a new feat of engineering. This should explain the lack of progress on the main project. Weve been planning the trip, and working on the rig that will convert our paddle-powered canoes into a wind-powered catamaran.

If you’re interested in some of the history and stories from our various trips, here are a few links for you to check out…

From earlier posts in this blog:
How it all Began; A Quick Sidenote:
A Well-Deserved Vacation
Pictures of the Canoes

From posts on my other blog:
Commemorating a Practical Joke

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Almost There

Almost There
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

I figured it was about time for another actual picture of our project. This photo really doesnt do the boat justice, but I wanted to show you something. Next time, Ill take the shot from the bow, and youll get a better idea of the boats overall shape and progress. (This shot makes the boat look more like a giant brick than an actual watercraft.)

What you should notice in this picture is just how sharp weve cut the chines, how flat the boat is, and how patchy the boat looks now. (If you click on the picture, you will see a larger picture, complete with notes on the boat.)

Along the chines, you will see something that looks a little like mold. Greg did a fog coat of black spraypaint. The idea here is to do a very light hand sanding with a long sanding block. After this sanding, we will be able to identify the low spots. These low spots will be easily seen because the fog coat of black spraypaint will remain in the low areas, whereas the paint will have been sanded from the higher areas.

Feel free to click here if youd like an idea of how things looked before we built up the chines.

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Boat Building Is it Easy to Build a Boat

Many want to know how hard building a boat is. Well truth of the matter it is can be simple or it could be quite hard. It just matters on what type of boat you want to build. When it comes to the designs and boat building, they can be quite simple or hard. There are a few things that could make your boat design difficult.

If you are new to making boats and all that, when you first begin reading a boat plan you might be a little lost. You might even think that boat building isnt easy. This is because they use shorthand and you will still be getting used to all the terms. However, it gets easier as you go.

Knowing what materials to use could make boat building seem tough. There are many choices and when you choose one material there might be all sorts of things that could fall in that category to use. You just have to know your stuff, but there are plenty of resources out there that can guide you.
The bigger the boat, the harder it will be. That is a given. Also, the more things you add to the boat the harder it will be. There are things like the hull and so forth that have to be calculated just right in order for you to fully finish and have a successful boat that you are proud of. Boat building can be a hobby and those who find it a hobby are the ones who dont find it as challenging to do. There is a lot to consider when building a boat and people learn quickly that it doesnt always have to be as complicated. Using resources and using practice can make it easier than you think. Is it hard or easy? Time will tell.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3000398

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Mounting the transom to the frame

Transom mounts
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.


Rear Transom Mounted
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

Last weekend we mounted the rear transom to the working frame. We started by constructing the vertical frame mounts. The vertical frame mounts were built from the bottom up, using 2x4s screwed to the 2x6 frame on the floor, and then screwing the two angle-cut 2x6s to the 2x4s. The angle-cut 2x6s are cut to the same angle as the stringers where they attach to the transom. This is shown in the first picture.

Next, we mounted the rear transom to the angle cut frame piece with screws. When you put the transom on the frame, make sure its level and that the angle cut mounts are placed an equal distance from the center, and in a place that wont interfere with construction.

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Dave Surveys the days work

Dave Surveys the days work
Originally uploaded by OzzyC.

This should be the last "what weve done so far" post. From here on, you should see everything we do shortly after we do it.

In this picture, you see several sheets of plywood joined together to form the length of the hull. I am standing directly behind the starboard bottom piece. The starboard side piece is the other section thats laid out. Heres what we did...

We test-fit the sections end-to-end. Once we were satisfied that the pieces fit, we put the sealer coat of epoxy on each side of each butt joint. Next, we joined the pieces together.

In order to join the pieces together, we started with a huge sheet of plastic on the floor (epoxy wont stick to the plastic), then we set a thin strip of plywood on top of the plastic (youll see the method to our madness in a minute), then we laid down another strip of plastic (again, because the epoxy wont stick to the plastic).

Next came the lower strip of fiberglass tape, measured just longer than the butt joints, and placed so the tape fit roughly equally on each piece of plywood to be joined together. We next carefully set the plywood in place.

Next came the top piece of fiberglass tape, again set so that the tape sits equally on either side of the butt joint. Next came another plastic sheet (for non-stick purposes), and finally, another thin strip of plywood.

After all of this was set in place, we double-checked everything and ran a screw through the whole shit-n-shebang, ensuring a non-slipping, tight, solid butt joint. We repeated this whole process for each butt joint. There was a lot of prep work involved, but it saves a lot of work in the long run. We used any leftover epoxy to seal the plywood; well finish the sealing process before we lay the fiberglass over the whole hull.

In summary... we sealed the plywood underneath the fiberglass tape with epoxy. We laid down the big sheet of plastic, so the plywood wouldnt stick to the floor. We laid down a piece of scrap plywood, so the screws would have something to sink into. We laid down a strip of plastic slightly bigger than the scrap plywood. We laid down the bottom epoxy strip. We set the plywood in place over the lower piece of tape. We laid down the top strip of fiberglass tape. We laid down another piece of plastic. We set a top piece of scrap plywood on top, and ran a screw through all of it. Once the butt joints were set, we removed the screws.

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Day 2 began at 10 30 AM and ended at 3 30 with a lunch break of course

Today, I laid out the bottom panels on both sheets one and two and cut out the plywood for frames 2, 4, and 9
??

batten in place and lines marked for cutting.

All the lines that were marked were cut out with the circular saw.  I find it best not to set the saw too deep.

saw is set to cut no more than 1.5 teeth deep.

???? ??The next step involves cutting out one half and using it as a template for the other half.  After cutting the lines are faired up with a small block plane and a Stanley surform.  This makes short work of it and keeps the operator warm on a winters day (its 20 degrees Farenheit today). 

The same process is used on the next piece of plywood to get out the forward halves of the bottom. 

One more piece of plywood left.  We start by ripping it down the middle and marking our straight edges from which we will be measuring.    From this piece we will get the sides, the transom, and one half of frame 6.   I will cut these out next weekend if time allows. 

panels in the workshop waiting for the sides to join them.  It is much warmer in here and thus better for gluing.

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