Popular Post pkinneb Posted October 6, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I just returned from from a three and a half week vacation that included two weeks at the WoodenBoat School in Brooklin Maine. The first week was a strip planked Kayak and canoe building class with 11 other students. The second week was a stitch and glue kayak class where we each built our own boats. There were four of us and three boats (one father and son team). The trip started with me driving from MN to Maine I decided to go through Canada so that I could visit the Lee Valley store in Ottawa. I picked up a few tools I needed for the sculpted rocker I plan on starting once the kayak is complete Next up was Lie Nielsen... Did you know you get 10% off and free shipping if the item is not in stock when you visit the store? I did not but stopped on the way out of Maine and picked up a #4 smoother because of it Next up was my first of 4 lobster bakes while I was in ME ...I love this place LOL Then it was off to the school. What an awesome place and the location is amazing Here are some pics of the stripped plank process from the first class. I worked mostly on the canoe since I knew I would be making my own kayak the following week. The second week was building my stitch and glue kayak ... First up using copper wire to stitch the pieces together Next up is squaring up the boat prior to adding the thickened epoxy fillets Once the fillets dried the interior was glassed Then the foot pads studs were epoxied in place and bulk heads were added followed by the bottom glass Then the deck was epoxied and nailed on And finally the coaming was installed and a coat of epoxy was applied to seal up the boat. At that point the week was over and it was time to load up for the drive home. My wife flew out and we took 11 days to get home visiting NH, VT, and Niagara Falls. If you have ever thought about doing this I highly recommend the school it was a lot of work but was a blast and I learned a ton in the two weeks I was there. Once home the first task was to make some saw horses and order up some supplies to finish the boat I also had to do some temporary reorganizing of the shop... Next up was cutting off the plastic wrap I used to keep water out and debris off on the way home and now my first challenge...the straps left color marks Do you think they will go away just in the shop light or should I put the kayak out in the sun? Next up mark and cut the two hatches... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Awesome! Love the kayak, and all the photos are great. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 @pkinneb It might go away inside but the color change will go away much faster outside. All i can think of is how awesome that trip must have been. Was the strip canoe difficult? I have had the thought of building one some day itching in the back of my mind. They don't seem terribly difficult. Hardest part seems to be having a space large enough. Also what was more tricky the planking or the epoxy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Very cool picture journal or what looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I have to put on my serious hat for a second here. This needs to go down in history as the best post ever on WTO. Dude!!! You have Lee Valley, Lie Nielsen, food, woodworking, new tool porn and a sick pick up truck all in the same post! !!! God bless you, sir Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Thanks wtnhighlander and TIODS! Chestnut thanks for the confirmation that's what I was thinking as well. If its dry I will set it outside this weekend. I was surprised how simple the process was IF you take your time and realize that if you see it without glass and epoxy you will see it with. Uniform strips is a big key. Also the bottom is the hardest part where you are fitting two ends but if you take your time its not bad. Regarding epoxy I was a noob when the class started and after two weeks I am confident I can do what is needed to complete any of the three boats. Biggest learning curve here is determining the different consistences when thickening epoxy (mayonnaise, peanut butter, etc) if you don't get it right the fillets will sag or it will run out of joints. General rule I learned is it typically needs to be thicker than you think 19 minutes ago, shaneymack said: I have to put on my serious hat for a second here. This needs to go down in history as the best post ever on WTO. Dude!!! You have Lee Valley, Lie Nielsen, food, woodworking, new tool porn and a sick pick up truck all in the same post! !!! God bless you, sir Lol thanks shaneymack! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Interesting about the epoxy. For the first canoe i build I'll probably do a kit just to get my feet wet but i know if i make 1 I'll never be able to stop at one. I grew up spending my summers on MN lakes canoeing the Mississippi near the headwaters in a hand made canoe would be my definition of paradise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Looks like that was a lot of fun. When I was in my teens, we built a couple of cedar strip canoes with my dad. They were wide, flat bottomed things that you could fit 4 adults easily plus gear, & near impossible to tip. Really heavy though. What a blast that was. We used polyester resin & glass. Epoxy is stronger, but UV sensitive. How do you deal with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Now that's what I call a great vacation! Where did you stay in Maine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I can't add anything, so thanks for making my morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradseubert Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Very cool! I've always wanted to build a strip canoe. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 2 hours ago, drzaius said: We used polyester resin & glass. Epoxy is stronger, but UV sensitive. How do you deal with that? This was a single person double paddle 12' canoe that came in about 18 lbs ish. Regarding UV on my kayak I will use 4 coats of Epifanes gloss varnish which will provide the protection and then 2 coats of satin to reduce the glare (satin does not provide UV protection). 2 hours ago, Immortan D said: Where did you stay in Maine? The school was in Brooklin ME right on the water... After the class my wife flew in and we spent a couple days up at Acadia National Park then drove to Old Orchard Beach, ME then onto NH and VT and through Niagara Falls and into Flint to visit our daughter before heading home. 2 hours ago, Just Bob said: I can't add anything, so thanks for making my morning. Awesome thanks! 13 minutes ago, bradseubert said: Very cool! I've always wanted to build a strip canoe. Thanks for sharing. NP it was a great couple of weeks and sharing keeps me on task LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Glad you had a great time up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 1 minute ago, mat60 said: Glad you had a great time up here. It was amazing the school, the people, the scenery, the food, just exceptional I look forward to spending more time in ME in the future definitely worth the drive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 1 hour ago, pkinneb said: It was amazing the school, the people, the scenery, the food, just exceptional I look forward to spending more time in ME in the future definitely worth the drive It's a great place. I spent a week on MDI a few years ago & would love to go back there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pkinneb Posted October 7, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 Tonight I marked and cut the three hatches (front, rear, and day hatch.) Preparing to and cutting the holes reminded me a bit of the night I flattened my Roubo bench with a router sled You've invested a lot of time and if you mess up now it could be really bad. In this case the cut out piece becomes the hatch so they need to be right on. While not perfect mine turned out fairly nice... First step: use a string to mark the center line of the kayak then lay tape so you can draw a line using the hatch spacer as a template This same process is used for all three hatches although you do not reuse the cut out for the day hatch so I will cut it first to get in the groove Once all the hatches were layed out double and tripple checked I drilled a series of 1/16" holes which will be cut open with a razor knife I then used a jigsaw blade in a vise grip to open up the slot. The last thing you want is for the blade to catch when you power up the jigsaw. Then you step back and go yep no problem at all LOL Next up: Epoxy the hatch spacers & lips in place, make the hatch lids for the front a and rear hatches using the cut outs, and then my first attempt at steam bending to add a hardwood edge to the cockpit coaming...should be fun. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted October 7, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 Interesting about the epoxy. For the first canoe i build I'll probably do a kit just to get my feet wet ... Maybe you should try the school, instead. Wet feet sounds like an undesirable outcome from building a canoe! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 This looks like a fun project. Plus it looks like you had a great trip, real great pictures of the trip and building process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 Definitly jealous ! Travel, new tools, great food and challenging classes . That definitly is a world class craftsmans holiday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pkinneb Posted October 11, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 Thanks Chet K. & wdwerker! It was a lot of fun for sure Got some supplies today... Should last me a while... Finishing products, chip brushes for epoxy, and foam brushes for tipping the finish Cut up some epoxy stir sticks... Two tips I learned in my classes when dealing with epoxy. 1st use a heat lamp to warm the epoxy up it pumps, mixes, and goes on much easier. 2nd when mixing epoxy with pre-measure pumps always end with the hardner that way even if you get interrupted and forget what number you were at the epoxy mix is still 2/1 and usable. Next I fit the hatch spacers ...and then I epoxied them in place. The spacers will be sanded back to the hatch opening once the epoxy has cured Out of town on business the next few days but hope to get the hatch lips and coaming strips epoxied in yet this week. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 16 hours ago, pkinneb said: 2nd when mixing epoxy with pre-measure pumps always end with the hardner that way even if you get interrupted and forget what number you were at the epoxy mix is still 2/1 and usable. Is that West System epoxy? If so, isn't the ratio 1 pump of hardener to 1 pump of resin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted October 11, 2016 Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 Great job. A stitch and glue canoe is on my short list, next will be a cedar strip. What kind of plywood? Marine grade I assume, but did you use Meranti or Okume(sp)? Not to take anything away from the boat you are building, but if you are interested in other stitch and glue options: http://bateau.com/categories.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 On 10/11/2016 at 3:00 PM, drzaius said: Is that West System epoxy? If so, isn't the ratio 1 pump of hardener to 1 pump of resin? MAS Epoxy but yes one pump resin to one pump hardener 2/1 ratio Resin/ hardener 23 hours ago, MattF said: Great job. A stitch and glue canoe is on my short list, next will be a cedar strip. What kind of plywood? Marine grade I assume, but did you use Meranti or Okume(sp)? Not to take anything away from the boat you are building, but if you are interested in other stitch and glue options: http://bateau.com/categories.php Thanks! Marine plywood (Okoume) Thanks for the link I will have to check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Returned from my trip to Dallas today and got a few hours in the shop not a whole lot to show but here's a couple pics... First i sanded the spacers even with the deck cutouts Next I epoxied the lips in...the front hatch lip required every clamp I could fit in there to bring it tight to the deck I also used a sanding wheel on my cordless drill and some sanding pads to clean up the inside of the coaming Next up will be cutting the hatch lips back to there final size and making the hatch covers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 Today i knocked out the hatch lids and cut and sanded the hatch lips. First up was fitting each support to the lid by transferring the deck curve to the support and then cutting sanding them to fit. Once that was done I marked the lids and prepared some thickened epoxy Then I epoxied them in place. They will get one more wider fillet tomorrow to finish them off. I also got the hatch lips cut and sanded to there final shape. Tomorrow I hope to get the hip braces fit and installed and this weekend I should be able to get the coaming trim cut, steamed and installed. then it will be on to finishing... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.