The Quick Canoe Thread: Boats, advice, tips. Add your own!

[Rigo]

Hi all,

I've just finished a QC and took it for a spin on the weekend which was great however I noticed the paint I used (solaguard exterior wood paint) has already rubbed/scratched off in several areas particularly the skeg/keel and even where I've tied it down to the roof racks. I opted not to epoxy coat the boat as I plan to build a eureka in the future and this was a trial run however I would like it to last a little while and having exposed timber/ply in the water doesn't seem like the best way of keeping the boat for long. I also didn't particularly want to have to touch it up after every trip (or is this normal?)

I was just wondering what paint others used or what you would recommend in this case to protect the hull/keel keeping in mind the spirit of the QC, cheap and easy.

Cheers in advance

James

[MichaelB]

Congratulations on your build, and your first outing! Do you have pictures??

Personally, it sounds like a very big job to try to strip off the paint and apply epoxy (and repaint) at this point. Why not touch up the worn spots this time, for now, and next time out use some padding or other so as not rub the paint off?

It seems to me that the spirit of the QuickCanoe is to get out on the water quickly and have some fun with it, and not worry too much about being very serious about it.

(I'd suggest epoxying the Eureka though!)

6.5c worth (inc. inflation and GST)

[b.o.a.t.]

G'day James
Enamel is definitely much harder wearing than water-based.
On the plus side, It does seem to penetrate & stick better into well keyed wood.
So while you might wear of the outer film, the wood pores are well clogged.
Epoxy does so much better again.
Carpet on your racks & under ropes should help a bit there.
Make sure it is well stuck to the racks, or it will work its way out from between boat & rack.
Nothing you can do about scratches incurred from rocks & oysters etc except
touch-up often. At least it is -much- easier to touch up than enamel.
cheers
AJ

[Mezix]

Howdy Boatbuilders,
There is a very talented boat-builder in Hungary. His nick-name is Paczy. He recently finished his Quick Canoe - the name of the boat is Ágor a vízidisznó (means: Agor the Water Boar) - he made a few modifications on the boat:
- no centre spreader for more space in the middle
- longer butt-straps (260 mm)
- wider seats (side to side) (250 & 350 mm)
- Mast support built in front seat (for drop-in rig)
- Two air-tanks fore and aft
- strong support under the decks - for diving and sitting on
- massive skeg doubler
- modified kiel for better manoeuvring, two extra bottom skids
- handy handle with copper tube inside
The weight is only 33 kgs. He had very good experience with the performance of the canoe as well.
See more photos HERE.

Attachment 180879

Attachment 180880

[Rigo]

Thanks for the ideas, I'll see how it goes with a view to repainting it with enamel once I run out of touch up paint.

I've been trying to upload the photos but I'm having some trouble, I'll keep at it.

[JJMc]

We've finished one of two Quick Canoes being built in a family boat building class. A few changes to the first, more to come in the second. Pictures soon-- including this canoe's first four-day wilderness trip, just completed yesterday.

Changes included moving the seats toward the ends and lowering them (as the plan notes indicate, but not quite as far), replacing the plywood seating areas with 1" tubular nylon webbing (in a weave), 12" long decks, and cetol finish inside and on the gunwales.

The keel as drawn worked well on lakes and in the wind, the canoe tracked well but did not have any trouble turning. The skegs might be too deep for twisty rivers, however.

This first canoe came out at 70 lbs before the last two coats of paint. Our biggest challenge in construction was getting the sides to twist and meet the bottom before the first filleting. We added several temporary thwarts to make it work out, including a few low, near the bottom.

Jerry

[technogeekery]

Hi all - just moved back to Sydney, and am keen to get my family out on the water here - so will be building a QC over the Australia Day long weekend. Just bought the plans yesterday, and am pricing up the BoM now and making plans, checking out your own pretty canoes and trying to learn from your advice - am sure I'll have some mistakes anyway

Ultimately I'd like to build a Goat Island Skiff, and I thought this would be a good introduction to see if I have the skills and enjoy the process as much as I think I will. I've got a couple of small kids who I'd love to introduce to the idea of making your own fun, and building things - as well as to the joy of mucking about in boats. We live near the Cooks River and Botany Bay, so its very easy for us to get onto the water - and a crime not to!

So I'll let you know how I go - I'm a complete newbie to this - so perhaps the design's intended audience!

And so the first of my questions I want to build in buoyancy tanks fore & aft as I'll be taking young kids out on the canoe, and had thought Michael Storer had included an option for this in the design - apparently not. So if anyone who has build these can give me any advice on how to do this, I'd really appreciate it. I'd like to put in little removable hatches / port covers - any suggestions on where I can get these (Sydney or online)? And - is there an easier way of cutting out the access hatch hole than drilling a hole, cutting with jigsaw, and finishing with a file / sandpaper?

Thanks all - and thanks for all the useful info you've already posted!

Rgds

Alex

[technogeekery]

I've just done a full list of everything required and costed it all up (in Sydney, Australia. Comes out at about $900 for everything, using good materials. I'm not going for a show boat (don't have the skills) but I want it to be strong, look good and be relatively maintenance free, so I'm using decent marine ply, select hoop pine, Bote Cote epoxy (including resin on all panels) and Aquacote undercoat / topcoats. You could probably reduce this a lot if you really knew what you were doing, but I don't, and am happy to pay a bit more to have something that lasts well.

Cheers

Alex

PS: I found the little inspection ports I'm after : Full Cover Inspection Port Black should do the trick

[MichaelB]

PS: I found the little inspection ports I'm after : Full Cover Inspection Port Black should do the trick

I built a QC over my Christmas-New Year break last year. I put in buoyancy tanks in each end by picking up a couple of off-cuts of pine for spreaders at the top, then fitted the bulkhead/side and the deck/top of tank by eye and trial and error. Put about 5-10mm of curve into the top of the spreader so that the deck/top had a bit of curve to add strength. Glued in place by epoxy fillets. Before fixing, cut holes and later fitted your inspection ports.

If you look over some of the pictures that've been posted it's hard to go too far wrong. That picture over my name is daughter and I on maiden voyage. Very satisfying.

(Experimenting in the neighbour's pool, the QC with buoyancy tanks completely flooded "floated" about 6" underwater while bearing my 100 kgs.)

[technogeekery]

Okay, sounds straightforward enough - I'll give it a try. Thanks.

[Clinton1]

... in Sydney, Australia. Comes out at about $900 for everything, using good materials.

Please contact someone else for another quote.

pm to follow

[Boatmik]

Finally the story of building Quick canoes in France.

The idea of building boats cheaply and quickly close to where you want to use them.

A group of us travelled from the USA, England, France (well, a short distance), Australia, Denmark.

Fast building two plywood Quick Canoes in one week to paddle down the Loire in France | Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans



Theres a slide show at the bottom of the page or more pics on Flickr.

[Cliff Rogers]

[blue sailor]

Hello, I just finished being schooled by some kind gents on the proper use of materials.

I have decided to build an (electric) quick canoe. Unfortunately, I like some features from both plans.

Is it possible (realistic) to build a hybrid quick canoe.

I like the dimensions of the quick canoe (particularly the narrow beam for ease of paddling) but would like to incorporate a transom. I plan on putting in a foot controlled rudder, which i can switch out for an electric motor should the need/mood arise. To compensate for instability of the canoe with a motor, i will use outriggers.

I need to build the outriggers regardless of the canoe design i go with. It is the only way i will get my wife to set foot in a canoe. When my wife will not be joining me i would like to be able to just paddle the canoe around without the motor and outriggers.

Will i need to remove the front skeg inorder for it to turn more efficiently when it is being motored?

Does a rudder funtion as a skeg? If it does, do i need a skeg in the back or can i eliminate that as well?

Edit: of course i wouldnt mind putting in a sailing rig as well. One canoe to do it all!!!

[Boatmik]

Hello, I just finished being schooled by some kind gents on the proper use of materials.

I have decided to build an (electric) quick canoe. Unfortunately, I like some features from both plans.

Is it possible (realistic) to build a hybrid quick canoe.

I like the dimensions of the quick canoe (particularly the narrow beam for ease of paddling) but would like to incorporate a transom. I plan on putting in a foot controlled rudder, which i can switch out for an electric motor should the need/mood arise. To compensate for instability of the canoe with a motor, i will use outriggers.

I need to build the outriggers regardless of the canoe design i go with. It is the only way i will get my wife to set foot in a canoe. When my wife will not be joining me i would like to be able to just paddle the canoe around without the motor and outriggers.

Will i need to remove the front skeg inorder for it to turn more efficiently when it is being motored?

Does a rudder funtion as a skeg? If it does, do i need a skeg in the back or can i eliminate that as well?

Edit: of course i wouldnt mind putting in a sailing rig as well. One canoe to do it all!!!

There is a bit of thinking about priorities required. If sailing is a big thing .. then outriggers are a super nice solution.

I would be reluctant to suggest the Standard Quick Canoe for electric outboard as it does raise the centre of gravity a bit and will probably increase the instablity.

If you do want to sail and sail quickly then it solves all the problems
outriggers give wonderful sailing stability for more sail and excellent performance.
you have the standard quick canoe shape for paddling distances
you can use a trolling motor with outriggers for stablity.

The electric canoe is a much simpler setup if you are considering going electric most of the time. I'm not sure it makes sense to build a pure paddling canoe and lug the motor and two batteries along just for incase you want to swap to motoring it brings the weight of the canoe up from about 50lbs (depending on materials) to about 150lbs. YOu kindof lose the lovely portability and simplicity of a canoe.

So if paddling is the main thing ... the original Quick Canoe
If motoring is the main thing ... the electric Quick Canoe
If sailing is the main thing then go with outriggers in either variation for the best sailing
If a little bit of sailing locally is the point then the drop in sailing rig makes the best sense. ie want to spend time rather than cover distance.

I think it's best to think through these options first

Hope this helps.
Michael