# Cedar strip canoe - moving swiftly on



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

Hi all,
I've recently dived headlong into a project to build a 17 foot cedar strip canoe with my dad, i'll post progress pictures shortly but I wanted to start off with a question. Looking ahead i'll need to source fibreglass matting and resin for coating the inside and outside of the canoe, can anyone recommend a company that I can source this from? I just want to speak to someone to make sure I'm getting the correct products for the job before I splash the cash, the resin selection flow charts i've found so far are far from clear!
Thanks as always!


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

Right then, here goes nothing!
I'd been watching a lot of wooden boat building videos on Youtube (damn that algorithm) and despite not having any connection to the world of seafaring whatsoever, I soon found myself measuring up my driveway to see how big of a Bristol pilot cutter I could fit on it. When my sensible side (her name is Lisa) kicked in, I decided I should start a little smaller and work my way up, and a canoe was about as small as I could picture.
My dad seemed interested in getting involved too, and I was very interested in his 21 foot long, mostly empty garage which would stop me having to entirely devote my workshop to the project for the forseeable.

Books were bought, the best by far being "Canoecraft" and we decided on a 17ft Redbird 2 person canoe.
The books include something called a table of offsets which in theory contains all the information you need to make the sectional templates (called stations) which you build the canoe around. The table however is quite mystifying to the uninitiated and most people will shell out around £100 for a set of full sized plans and instructions.
Now me being stubborn (and cheap) and an occasional engineer, I decided that the table was all I needed and if you could, in theory, make a canoe from this confusing mess of numbers, then I would.
There were a fair few headscratching moments, everything is in boatbuilding code, with stations, stems, sheers and buttock lines, not to mention the whole thing is written out in feet, inches and eighths (with a + denoting a sixteenth) whereas I live strictly in the metric world. (just dont ask me how tall I am, or what I weigh)
I got there eventually though, and with the aid of some computer wizardry, I managed to loft out all the stations





Putting this into CAD had another advantage, I was able to surface the stations to get a better look at what the canoe would look like and more importantly, to see if I had messed up with the table of offsets and put a big wibbly line down the side of the hull. This actually saved us from a big headache as I had entered the location of the keel wrong on one station, something we would not have spotted until we were laying strips on the canoe and it would have been too late.





Once I was happy with the stations, I used some of the money I saved on buying plans to get them CNC profile cut, it seemed like a hugely time consuming job that was wide open to errors, and the kind of thing that a flatbed CNC excels at. Thanks to the guys at Woodpecker CNC and Laser, a small local company who offered a great, fast service CNC and Laser cutting by WoodpeckerCNC on Etsy


----------



## Sideways (11 Sep 2020)

Check out fyneboatkits here in the uk.
I haven't yet dived into this but I like the elegance of cedar strip kayaks and canoes so I'll be following your posts with interest.


----------



## Droogs (11 Sep 2020)

Try these guys for supplies, they cover it all





__





Materials, equipment and training for advanced composites with next-day shipping and expert technical advice. - Easy Composites


Easy composites manufacture and supply materials, equipment and consumables for advanced composites including reinforcements, prepregs, resins, vacuum equipment, ovens and much more. We offer next-day shipping within the UK, fast shipping word-wide and free expert technical advice on all products.




www.easycomposites.co.uk


----------



## MikeG. (11 Sep 2020)

I love these things! 

Have you thought about adding a rubbing strip down the keel line? I've seen so many damaged canoes and kayaks that would have been at least partly saved by having a rubbing strip.


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> I love these things!
> 
> Have you thought about adding a rubbing strip down the keel line? I've seen so many damaged canoes and kayaks that would have been at least partly saved by having a rubbing strip.



Hi Mike, yes the book describes making the canoe with or without a keel strip, the only difference is how you shape the underside end of the outer stem pieces so I reckon we will put one on to be safe!


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

Thanks for the resin suggestions, I will delve into those for sure!

Once we had the stations cut out, we built a frame for mounting the stations on, known as a strongback. We made ours from scrap pieces of ply because thats what we had going spare but it can be made of pretty much anything long and straight.









The stations get mounted on at 12 inch spacings, and held perpendicular to the strongback with a scrap batten pinned across what will be the keel (you build the shell of the canoe upside-down.) In this next picture we also added the topmost outer cedar strip so we could check that our stations gave us a nice fair curve along the canoe. This top edge is called the sheer line and the first cedar strip follows it for most of the boat, only veering away at the ends as the sheer curves up too sharply to make bending one strip to fit practical. Smaller strips will be used to fill this part in later.





Next we need to make the front and rear of the boat, called the stems. This is a piece of hardwood that gives us something to attach the cedar strips to, it comes in two parts, an inner which you glue the strips to, and an outer that gets put on afterwards, like a cover strip.
The stems are heavily curved so we steam bent them using three 6mm strips of elm per stem. (it's a wood I have a plentiful supply of so made sense) The elm has been drying for several decades and seemed quite brittle so I was doubtful that it was going to conform to such a tight radius, but an afternoon in a warm bath and 15 minutes in a steaming tube and you could have bent it into a circle! Here you can see the inner and outer being bent into shape at the same time, hence 6 strips of wood in total.





Once they dried overnight we glued them up, I would glue the inner, let it dry, then glue the outer over the inner to get the right shape while trying not to glue them together!




(Cameo appearance from my new workbench which I never did a build thread on)

We tidied up the inners and fitted them to the stations, these are then shaped into approximately a triangle shape in section, so the cedar strips sit flush with the side of the stem. This triangle shape varies along the stem's length as the boat shape changes, so its best to shape a little bit of it, glue some strips on, then shape more as you go along. I didn't get a close up of this, i've failed you all.


----------



## clogs (11 Sep 2020)

Dan
u must ask what the shelf life of the resin is.....even a reputable company.....
Most of the cheaper stuff was good resin once but they filter and blend it from timed out resin......
this cheap stuff is usually is OK if u use it fast and for the likes of flower pots.....
In ur case spend the money and be safe....it's not cheap tho.....


----------



## clogs (11 Sep 2020)

should have added what an interesting subject this is.....


----------



## Droogs (11 Sep 2020)

&  grabbed and sitting on the 🛋


----------



## AJB Temple (11 Sep 2020)

Great thread, I shall follow with interest.


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

Next up, cedar strips.
I don't know if it's just due to the current worldwide issues of which we will not speak, but I had a hell of a time finding clear cedar for this project!
Actually, it's not absolutely essential that the canoe is made of cedar, it's only chosen for it's light weight and flexible, workable nature. Because it gets coated on both sides in resin, it has nothing to do with it's water or rot resitant properties. You could make the boat from teak if it really took your fancy (and you wanted to get a hernia lifting it into the water), or pine, maybe even aluminium or probably acrylic, anything that you can make strips out of should work. That being said, cedar is very pretty and I wanted to stick with tradition, so the hunt for suitable wood continued.
After searching near and far for a supply, I eventually circled back round to my local supplier, Totton Timber, who are still not allowing customers on site and so everything must be ordered by phone and collected, something I wasn't comfortable doing when I wanted to select the specific timbers myself. After writing them off initially, I eventually had a chat with the GM and he was super helpful, sending me photos of the only long piece of cedar they had in stock, which turned out to be a beauty.
We ordered that piece, and when I emailed to thank him for the help, he told me he had ordered a further 10 planks, of which I would be able to select the clearest pieces to fulfill my requirements, now that's what I call service.

The planks were so long that I had to move my table saw outside to rip them down. With the help of some homemade feather board attachments and a brand new blade (thin to minimise waste) we were able to create 70 full-length strips measuring 6x20mm.









Above is 120 linear metres, and below is the remaining 275 linear metres:





Even with the thinner blade, the waste was really quite uncomfortable to think about, here's what approximately £70 of sawdust looks like...





And that's where i'm at, next we need to rout a cove and bead on all the strips...


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

frank horton said:


> Dan
> u must ask what the shelf life of the resin is.....even a reputable company.....
> Most of the cheaper stuff was good resin once but they filter and blend it from timed out resin......
> this cheap stuff is usually is OK if u use it fast and for the likes of flower pots.....
> In ur case spend the money and be safe....it's not cheap tho.....



Thanks Frank, I will make sure I ask the question, and will make sure i get something of suitable quality for my needs, it would be a real waste to cover all that wood in something that discolours or cracks or degrades in some way.


----------



## Droogs (11 Sep 2020)

I take it you had no access to a bandsaw Dandan? Are you planning to have a decorative strip along the canoe at all?


----------



## custard (11 Sep 2020)

I guess most of the timber machining is done now, but if you do need a bandsaw (or a drum sander for that matter) I'm at the western end of the Solent, so pretty close to you. Shout if you need any help.

Incidentally, I'll echo your comments about Totton Timber, certainly for softwoods they're a great local resource.


----------



## Dandan (11 Sep 2020)

Droogs said:


> I take it you had no access to a bandsaw Dandan? Are you planning to have a decorative strip along the canoe at all?


I assume you are asking because a bandsaw would create a lot less waste? You know what, I was so focused on what I'd seen others do on YouTube that I never even considered it, I have a very good, large, floor standing bandsaw! Well it's too late now but at least I'll know for next time I guess! 
We have some very pale white wood that we will use for a decorative strip, yes, nothing fancy, just a twin stripe.


----------



## Droogs (11 Sep 2020)

Been there and done that. Ah well. Looking forward to the rest of the build, i love these and would love to do one myself if I get the space


----------



## MikeG. (11 Sep 2020)

Finding cedar here is no issue at all. Thorogoods have miles of the stuff, and it's beautiful clear straight-grained stuff, quarter sawn. I will be doing a cedar strip project in the next year or two, but it won't be a canoe. Thus I'm watching with interest, particularly the fibreglassing and finishing.


----------



## Bm101 (11 Sep 2020)

This is on my 'bucket list'. Watching closely. Looks fantastic.


----------



## Steve_Scott (12 Sep 2020)

I’ve been toying with a build myself and have been chatting to the chap at Rutland woodworking Wooden Canoes: Wood Strip Canoes & Kayaks, UK Made.

One of the things he pointed out was many suppliers don’t supply the glass fabric wide enough to cover the canoe so hunt around in advance. If you give him a call he’ll be able to point you to his supplier.


----------



## ben2 (12 Sep 2020)

Hi
Good luck with the project. I built a cedar decked Mill Creek from Fyne Boat kits. 

They sell all the component parts, including the resin and fibreglass. Super helpful, and they will give you loads of tips on glassing and finishing the boat.

Looking forward to more progress reports!


----------



## NickM (12 Sep 2020)

This is a great project. Thanks for sharing it with us!


----------



## pe2dave (12 Sep 2020)

Fascinating thread - and thanks for the photographs Dan. 
Chuckling over the clamp count!
I note the boat building jargon creeping in over the post!
Am I right in thinking the fibreglass will cover the 'shell' of cedar strips?
Lovely mix of old and new (cad, cnc to manual build). 

Look forward to the next episode!


----------



## Dandan (14 Sep 2020)

pe2dave said:


> Fascinating thread - and thanks for the photographs Dan.
> Chuckling over the clamp count!
> I note the boat building jargon creeping in over the post!
> Am I right in thinking the fibreglass will cover the 'shell' of cedar strips?
> ...



Thanks Dave, you can never have too many clamps (and I definitely dont have enough).
Yes the fibreglass covers the cedar shell both inside and out to hopefully make a fully waterproof vessel...

Ok so we got down to cutting the bead and cove shape into the strips, you can make a strip boat with rectangular section strips but you have to plane each thin edge to match the next strip which looks time consuming and way beyond my skill level. The easier option is to make a simple joint that will stay relatively tight even when the strips meet each other at an angle, essentially a ball and socket joint.





This was done with a pair of router bits from Axminster, they did a lovely job.





Then we were finally ready to attach the first strips to the boat! This first strip is very important as it determines the shape of all the subsequent strips that you put on, it's essential to get a nice, smooth 'fair' curve along the boat. Good strong foundations and all that.
After a fair amount of adjusting, tickling, fettling, squinting and squatting, we got something we are pretty happy with.


----------



## Trainee neophyte (14 Sep 2020)

Apologies if teaching you to suck eggs, but drain pipe cut into sections is a common clamp solution for this sort of thing:







It's that or buy 200 spring clamps, and I can't possibly afford that many!

Thanks to the weirdness this year, my paddle board build has been put back yet again, but the wife is talking about going on holiday so if she can ignore finances, then so can I. In the meantime, I am happy to salivate over your build - very jealous.


----------



## GarF (14 Sep 2020)

Highly recommend these guys





__





ECF - East Coast Fibreglass Supplies


ECF The UKs top-rated fibreglass / GRP supplier. Excellent customer service, huge range and next-day delivery available. Free advice for your project.



www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk





I've never used anything but West epoxy for dinghy projects. It's never let me down yet. Shelf life is fine, and I've had no problems using stuff past it's date. The only thing it doesn't seem to like is freezing which is true of any epoxy.

E glass cloth mostly comes in 1 metre widths. If you can't avoid having a join, a keel band would be a neat way to conceal it. A lot of people use alloy now, but I think the brass probably looks nicer.


----------



## Solicitus (21 Sep 2020)

Looking forward to following this. +1 for Fyne Boats- I just finished a stitch and glue kayak from plans I got from them - good service and quite quick delivery on epoxy and the like. If you haven't found them yet, have a look at Nick Shades videos on You Tube - cedar strip nirvana. It's a bit of a rabbit hole - but if you have a spare 20 hours or so you can get lost in watching his builds. 
Robert


----------



## Mcluma (22 Sep 2020)

Great project


----------



## Dandan (29 Sep 2020)

Hey everyone, sorry for the 2 week delay, we didn't get as much done last week as I would have liked so I saved the post until this week. The upside of this is that I have many pictures for you!
This next stage is pretty straightforward, just lay more strips on top of the sheer strip, yet it's surprising how much two amateurs can still struggle with it! We had a few teething issues with strips slipping out of their grooves and arguments over correct glue application but it's all lessons learned and nothing that will sink the boat (we hope).
The good bit about this stage is the canoe starts to form up before your very eyes, it's mighty satisfying.

This is the first 3 strips of cedar and then the first 'feature' strip of some pale softwood to create a double stripe along the canoe:









Then my dad put several strips on over the next week, to give us this:





A shape is forming!









Another strip:









And another, the shape is really starting to come out now, and the strips are falling into place really nicely









Still a fair bit of real estate to cover on top (or bottom)





Expect more of the same next week, where we might meet in the middle and have to start paying attention again...


----------



## Droogs (29 Sep 2020)

looking good, very much enjoying this


----------



## Hornbeam (29 Sep 2020)

Great project. Something I have always wanted to do. I made racing canoe paddles for a couple of years. Have you sorted out what resin/cloth you are using. I would recommend epoxy rather than the cheaper polyester or vinylestester resins as epoxy seems to bond much better to the wood but whatever you use you will need a UV resistant gel coat.
Looking forwards to the next chapter


----------



## NickM (29 Sep 2020)

Looking good!


----------



## AJB Temple (29 Sep 2020)

Superb. Are you sure you are not a Viking boat builder? 

Very well thought out photos.


----------



## shed9 (29 Sep 2020)

Hornbeam said:


> Great project. Something I have always wanted to do. I made racing canoe paddles for a couple of years. Have you sorted out what resin/cloth you are using. I would recommend epoxy rather than the cheaper polyester or vinylestester resins as epoxy seems to bond much better to the wood but whatever you use you will need a UV resistant gel coat.
> Looking forwards to the next chapter


+1 for epoxy, the polyester resins are not nice chemicals to work with. The COSHH sheets for the poly and vinylest variations often read like a Bond-esq nerve agent description. Have a chat to your local chandlery's, Southampton must have more than most places in the UK. A good one will offer more than just selling the cloth and resin and they may be able to put you in touch with other local small scale builders.

This is superb by the way, this thread is very much appreciated.


----------



## weekend_woodworker (30 Sep 2020)

Fascinating thread. Can I ask what sort of glue you are using, and how you are applying it?

Thanks

Mark


----------



## Trainee neophyte (30 Sep 2020)

Looking good! Another vote for epoxy here. Fyne Boat Kits do glass at 1m and 1.27m widths - would that cover it?


----------



## nick d (19 Oct 2020)

Great work
Another vote for epoxy but make sure you uv stabilise it


----------



## Jameshow (19 Oct 2020)

Agreed polyester would ruin a build like that it dosen't bond half as well as epoxy. And the amounts you'll be using the cost saving won't be significant. 

Cheers James


----------



## Dandan (21 Oct 2020)

Thanks everyone for the comments and advice!
I know for certain that I will be using epoxy and also varnishing it for UV stability, I will definitley check out Fyne for materials as several people recommended them.
The glue we are using for the strips is just normal wood glue, its a waterproof/resistant exterior grade glue but to be honest even using cheap interior glue should be fine as literally everything gets coated in epoxy.
Progress has slowed as the weather has cooled, we had an issue with a strip popping back out after 2 hours of drying so we only put on 1 strip per day right now, and have broken out the fan heater!





The twist from almost horizontal in the middle to almost vertical at the ends is getting to it's most extreme point which means the strips are under a fair bit of tension, a blast with a heat gun means we can pre-form them to shape a little before gluing, this seems to ease the tension a little.





We shaped the stems all the way to the bottom (the boat is upside down) now ready for the next couple of strips, this is quite a pleasing freehand job









Also we roughly trimmed the ends of the strips back to the stem, this gives a really pleasing cross section through the strips





And this is about as far as we have got:









We are going to put the short strips on next at the front and rear which create the upswept shape of the bow and stern (the lowest points while its on the uspide down support frame) which should bring out the canoe shape even more, plue they have very little twist in them so we should be able to glue them on pretty swiftly. Had we thought about it we could have been sticking these on while waiting for other strips to dry, but it's not like we are in a rush!


----------



## Dandan (25 Oct 2020)

Right then, some good and some rather bad this week, lets start with the good stuff shall we?

A couple more strips have gone on, we are over the hump of the really twisted strips and on the home straight of the bottom of the boat.





My dad also put on the smaller strips to make the upturned bow and stern, and we tried to fair in a nice curve, partially using measurements from the table of offsets and also using a thin strip of wood to eye up a nice looking shape. We cut one and then made a template to transfer to the other sides to ensure they are all the same.








(It looks a bit off in this picture but it's much nicer in reality)





Now for the bad news.
Unfortunately my dad was climbing into the loft just above and to the side of the canoe when his ladder slipped and he fell out of the hatch, breaking his fall on the way down with his elbow on the side of the canoe.
He's ok, or at least he's alive, there is going to be a whole lot of bruising and I think he will be shuffling around for a few days, (he refused any kind of actual medical attention) but he appears to have no permanent damage. The canoe however:









While he was refusing medical treatment he did his best to push things back together along with some water to soften it up:





It looks a real mess right now, he is confident that we can patch it up as is, press it back into line, fill it and it should be ok, but i'm not convinced, i'm thinking we might need to cut the whole section away and patch it in with clean edges. It's not really about the strength of the fix, more about what it looks like, this canoe is for us to enjoy so it doesnt really matter if it has a random patch in it, but it would still be nice if it didn't look too horrendous!
At this point any and all suggestions of the best way to proceed will be thoroughly appreciated!


----------



## bjm (25 Oct 2020)

Oops!

I'd replace those on aesthetic grounds, else it will be a permanent (embarrassing) reminder for your dad! Hope he recovers quickly so he can help you.


----------



## Droogs (25 Oct 2020)

A course by coarse staggered patch may be the best way to handle this with individual scarf joints at different locations to help blend it all in


----------



## Fitzroy (25 Oct 2020)

Glad the canoe was there to take the brunt of the impact, the broken boards are better than broken bones. I know you feel the same , but your dad won’t. Bet he’s torn up inside poor guy. 

Whatever you decide to do I’m sure it’ll turn out great. 

Fitz.


----------



## NickM (25 Oct 2020)

Crikey! What a shame. Glad nobody was badly hurt.


----------



## AJB Temple (25 Oct 2020)

How sad. Glad your dad is OK. 

You can't patch that and fill it. You will always know it is damaged. I would strip the planks off and re-do it.


----------



## nick d (25 Oct 2020)

Ouch
Well I’m glad your dad is ok 
great shame about the canoe
Not even in the water and it’s been holed
I think I would have go the strip if all back and make it look pristine again
But good luck either way


----------



## custard (25 Oct 2020)

I feel for you, I know exactly what it's like to see many hours of careful work get flushed down the toilet.

Stick with it, I hope it gets finished to the high standard that will give you and your dad years of satisfaction at a job well done.


----------



## NickWelford (26 Oct 2020)

An interesting thread that I’ve just picked up on. Hope your Dad’s ok, btw. I helped build a fibreglass canoe at school over 50 years ago. We has zero knowledge and we’re pretty much left to ourselves to build it with a mould. Didn’t know much about resin and setting etc and it turned out that the mix wasn’t very stiff and ran down inside and set at the bottom in about 3 inches of hard block throughout the canoe. When launched, it pretty much floated but with the top close to the surface of the water. A heavy kid would sink it. 
Now this build is a work of art, and I’m afraid I would remove and replace the damaged strips completely. You’ll feel better about it eventually.


----------



## HappyHacker (26 Oct 2020)

Glad your dad is OK. I can imagine how he must feel having had a few disasters myself 

I agree with the others, replace the strips that are broken. The amount of effort involved in replacement will be small compared with the work you still have to do and have done. If you don't make an invisible repair you will regret it every time you look at it and even if others do not notice, you will. 

I am not a boat builder but is there is a risk of getting a slight bend in it if you have to remove some strips so it is not balanced on each side?


----------



## Phill05 (26 Oct 2020)

I have to agree with others too you need to change the strips if you don't it will always be a sad reminder to dad, in the future you both want to look back with pride at what has been made here, go for it you know the saying "Do it today for tomorrow is promised to no one"

Phill


----------



## Hornbeam (26 Oct 2020)

Really sorry to hear about the damage to your canoe and dad. Many cedar strip canoes are not done with full length strips so you could cut out the damage and go for a staggered repair. The ends dont need to be scarfed, just butted end to end and the slats on either side will support everything until it is epoxied. As you have gone to the trouble of full length slats I would go for a full replacement. It looks like about 8 or 9 slats. Probably the biggest pain will be machining the replacement slats
Good luck Ian


----------



## Sheptonphil (27 Oct 2020)

At least it will be below the waterline, so floating it will be invisible.
however, as you’re in no rush, and assuming you have/can get more material, I’d be inclined to remove those seven or eight strips and replace them. To have such a beautiful craft with the flaw will always niggle you.

Lovely job so far And a fascinating WIP.

Hope dad doesn’t feel too bad about it and is recovering.


----------



## Dandan (15 Nov 2020)

Hi everyone,
Thanks very much for all the kind words, my dad seems to have come through with no lasting damage which is good, and now due to good old Boris, he's cracking on without me and has made good progress.
Regarding all the advice about fixing the mishap, I am inclined to agree that removing the strips would have been the best solution, followed by scarfing in some new pieces as a second option, as we do have some extra material but probably not enough to colour match the other side if we were to replace the whole length of the damaged strips.
My dad, however, had different ideas, while left to his own devices he glued the damage back together, getting some of that unsightly darkening of glue that seems to happen occasionally, then continued to add strips above the damage. I was somewhat miffed by this as I thought we had agreed to wait and decide how to fix it when I next came round, but I do think he partly felt guilty and wanted to proceed as quickly as possible to make up for the error.
We will get some coloured wood filler to try and minimise the horrendous state of the dark glue, but I guess the damage is always going to be there now, and it's always going to be visible, I can't see a seamless repair happening now.
It is well below the waterline which is a minor bonus, but it's far from ideal, I will certainly always know it's there!





This has moved this canoe firmly into the 'practice canoe' category for me, we were keen to build another after this anyway but now it feels like a necessity, I know we can do so much better, and we will.

Anyway, back to the stripping, my dad made it to the middle!





After getting every strip past the centreline, he marked the centreline onto the strips, i'm not sure how exactly but he did a pretty good job:





Then using a tenon saw apparently, he trimmed it down to the line the whole way along, creating this rather beautiful, almost optical illusion-like photo:





Love that one.

He then started putting strips on the opposite side, this is a little more tricky as you can't stick them on oversize and trim them back after gluing like before, each strip needs to be cut to match the centreline perfectly both ends before gluing up. He tells me this is very difficult on his own!









Before lockdown we also started to smooth the finished side of the boat at one end, what a satisfying job that is! The cedar is so easy to work that it planes like a dream, taking the high spots off the strips is very easy and 80 grit sanding to a pretty decent smooth finish is not a long process.
Here is a shot of the smoothed part and a shot showing some smooth and some un-touched:









My dad has learned how to send photos via whatsapp now so when there is progress i'll be sure to post it up!


----------



## Mal-110 (22 Nov 2020)

Hi Dan,
Really good project, sharing it with your dad is wonderful. I have been building boats since I was 15 starting with a Bell Woodworkings Mirror dinghy kit. I never really had the space or the tools to really relish my goal but you have to adapt. I was fortunate to know a pioneer in glass fibre construction "Joseph Rankin"' t/a Glasplies in Southport, Lancashire. Joe died many years ago, the company continued for a while but now has ceased trading. His expertise however is what most of the other UK suppliers have built upon. Joe's knowledge was in relation to solid glass fibre boats and I am lucky to learned from him.
For your project I would use Glassfibre Surfacing Tissue. It comes 1 metre wide so as previously suggested a join at the keel is ideal. It is 3mm thick about 25-27 grams per square metre. So light it tends to float in the air. I would use a UV stabilised epoxy resin ABL Stevens are a company I have used, the "West system" is well known. I covered the outside of the hull with epoxy before applying the tissue and let it dry filling in any slight gaps with homemade resin filler. Ensure the hull is smooth again and apply the tissue. Bulldog clips help to hold it down so long as its firmly held in place at the keel. You may have to dart it in places where the curve tightens up. Some boatbuilders then use a second tissue laying it in the opposite direction. You could also line the inside as I did but on your build with the cove and bead edge joint, just a coat of resin inside may be enough. Dry fit tryout is good practice. All of this before the gunwales go on.
With my H & S cap on, Epoxy resin does not smell as pungent as Polyester but equally if not more nasty so wear adequate respirators and keep the room well ventilated. Its a messy business
Joe Rankin's advice was resin cures at 20 -25 deg c. You can drop to 16 deg by adding more catalyst but I would strongly recommend against it, you need the ratios spot on within 20- 25 range so adding more catalyst is very hit and miss. Ok for mass builders who have experimented but not for us mortals. It has to be dry as well so pick your day(s).

Malcolm


----------



## Jameshow (22 Nov 2020)

A fan heater under the canoe should heat it up enough to cure the resin. 

Cheers James


----------



## Mal-110 (22 Nov 2020)

I have attached a page of Glasplies advice Paragraphs 6 to 11 apply. I would add that the process of wetting the hull before applying the tissue will give you an indication of the amount you need. If you're under at this stage it is less of a problem. I use scales to measure ratio by weight rather than volume as its more accurate. Good quality resin will keep well in dry ambient temperatures, if sealed and uncontaminated.


----------



## AJB Temple (22 Nov 2020)

Oh dear. What a shame that your dad decided to bodge it up. At the very least it needed patching properly. This would definitely cause me to lose interest and this one would be sold on asap after finishing. Dad would be in my bad books for overriding an agreement and doing a disfiguring glue up. Sorry.


----------



## stimpy (25 Nov 2020)

Excellent read!.. A project that I have on my bucket list. Looks like you're doing a fab job - dramas and all! Dads hey!!??... 

Keep up the good work


----------



## Dandan (26 Nov 2020)

AJB Temple said:


> Oh dear. What a shame that your dad decided to bodge it up. At the very least it needed patching properly. This would definitely cause me to lose interest and this one would be sold on asap after finishing. Dad would be in my bad books for overriding an agreement and doing a disfiguring glue up. Sorry.



At the end of the day i'm spending some time with my dad messing around with bits of wood, I can't really be that upset with him about an accident. Maybe I don't have the perfectionist streak of some but we will still get a lot of enjoyment from the rest of the build and use of the canoe in future. I've no doubt here will be another one though!


----------



## Dandan (26 Nov 2020)

The whatsapps have been coming thick and fast, the stripping is now almost complete, with no extra unplanned holes I might add!













In the picture below you can see some of the various methods required to hold things in place when things get a little tight, masking tape is an absolute lifesaver for this work. Also it shows how well the points of the strips from opposing sides of the boat are matching up, i'm dead impressed with that. It will be covered by a keel strip but you will be able to see it inside the boat, so it's nice that they line up so well.





A bit more shaping of the finished side has been done, it's looking lovely and smooth





And this is the hole where the last strip goes, it's known as the whiskey strip so my dad says he's left it for me to fit when I'm allowed to go over, and he's got a bottle waiting in the drinks cabinet.


----------



## Fitzroy (26 Nov 2020)

Dandan said:


> And this is the hole where the last strip goes, it's known as the whiskey strip so my dad says he's left it for me to fit when I'm allowed to go over, and he's got a bottle waiting in the drinks cabinet.



Love it, a memory to cherish there!

F.

PS. Reminds me I finished my bottle a few months back and need to get another in for the Xmas period.


----------



## novocaine (26 Nov 2020)

I think your old man has done a sterling job on that repair and sanded and epoxied it's not going to be noticeable if not completely invisible. 

cherish it, when he's gone you'll be telling the tale of the day he fell through the floor of your boat. 

as to the rest of it. meh, it's a bit so so, you should just burn it.  (jealous doesn't cover it, it's looking stunning)


----------



## Dandan (26 Dec 2020)

Happy Christmas everyone, we finally got to have that whiskey!


----------



## Jameshow (26 Dec 2020)

Well done!! 

Round the final buoy now!! 

Cheers James


----------



## Spectric (26 Dec 2020)

Sideways said:


> Check out fyneboatkits here in the uk.


They also sell the Infinity router bits which are really good and I believe are popular amongst the marine community.


----------



## Darrenp (26 Dec 2020)

Dandan said:


> Happy Christmas everyone, we finally got to have that whiskey!


I reckon you both deserve it


----------



## Fitzroy (26 Dec 2020)

What a great achievement, photo, and memories!


----------



## JoeSheffer (27 Dec 2020)

Fantastic achievement. Really beautiful.


----------



## Harvey B Davison (16 Jan 2021)

This is a brilliant thread, I'm about to embark on a stitch and glue plywood canoe.


----------



## Marcusthehat (10 Jul 2022)

Seriously impressive work, it looks beauitful.


----------



## Droogs (10 Jul 2022)

Well done on getting there, any idea if when we can expect the paddle carving thread


----------



## Spectric (10 Jul 2022)

Sideways said:


> Check out fyneboatkits here in the uk.


They are also the UK distributor for Infinity router cutters and there is a forum for people into building there boats Fyne Boat Kits Forum


----------



## Adam W. (10 Jul 2022)

Lovely!


----------

