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

[Cliff Rogers]

So the shallow one is too shallow?

For one person in a crosswind, yes.

[ratbagradio]

I'm no carpenter at all and have been putting off the Quick Canoe challenge until I could get everything just right. I'm anxious about my skill level and I have no pretensions whatsoever...as to my chippy-hoodness.

I had a father who thought he could build things....so I learnt my lesson at home early on.

But since my neighbour has the tools, used to be an apprentice boatbuilder, has had any number of boats under him and with years in the navy as an aeronautics engineer I thought with his mentoring and interventions I could be canoe fruitful.

At least I could have someone else to blame...

So I set off for the plywood. I had to go into the local state capital -- Brisbane -- to get it in the required sheet dimensions. Cheaper than I thought even in marine ply, etc. So we put in atop the car and set off for the 43 km trek...just as the wind blew up to maybe 15 knots plus.
My roof rack is a canoe softy and there is no breezeway through it underneath so the ply acted like a frisbee atop the car and was ever so keen for liftoff.

So in answer to the question that is my main marker,"Does the quick canoe sail?" I can say that it surely does, even before its in the water or stuck together.

We had to turn back and arrange deliver: more cash.

But they don't deliver to my township so I will have to meet the truck carting the ply 12 kilometres away (at a time and place specified) and port it in.

dave riley

[ChristianMartin]

Hi,

Posting for the first time to give my thanks for all the helpful advice around building the quick canoe on the forum and also to Michael for the terrific building plans.

Having never attempted anything like this before I was able to spend a plesant one or two hours a day and get the canoe done in about 6 weeks, with only a couple of dramas. (I badly shaped the skegs and they didn't match up well with the keel, so I took them off and went with a single piece for skeg and keel which looked great. Also it appears I don't know the consitency of peanut butter so the epoxy filleting was a bit runny and therefore used more epoxy that I should have).

It goes really well and was relatively easy to get on and off the car.

Thanks again and I'll wait for this build to sink in before attempting the GIS (I used the QC as a tester to understand to build process before I attempt the GIS)

cheers

Christian

[engblom]

Yay! Nice!

[vk4]

I built a sailing canoe earlier this year for a friend, hasn't seen water yet!!!

Ratbagradio, you can buy PLY at Straphpine / Brendale at Janden Plywood, Leitches Rd, would have saved you some money, I will be interested to see your build though.

Here are a couple of Pic's of the sailing Canoe.

Jeff
vk4stern view.jpgset mast.jpgsails up.jpgmast foot.jpgfrom bow.jpg

[Matt457]

Hi all, I have a couple of sheets of 4mm ply already, and I'm considering buying one sheet of 6mm and building a Quick Canoe.

My question: Has anyone got the whole bottom panel out of one sheet of ply? From eyeballing the plans it looks like it might be possible but close. Is it doable? (a 2500mm sheet might be an option)

Thanks in advance.

[Boatmik]

I just checked - Just possible to get both bottom panels out of one sheet. But it might make the other sheets more wasteful.

It assumes the old (and mostly world standard 1220 x 2440 sheets - not Australian silly sizing of 1200 x 2400.

Michael

[Matt457]

Hmm... sorry I hadn't come back and updated the thread. I partly marked up a 2440 sheet and found I *couldn't* get both parts of the bottom onto it. How did you do it?
I *did* get them on a 2500x1220 sheet, which is luckily what I have in 6mm. I'll cut them out today and get to work marking the sides. I plan to push the pair of side panels over closer together on a sheet and then split the two sheets in four pieces and cut out the four panels together. If you hear loud cursing tomorrow you'll know I failed at this. ;-)

(ed: On a 2500x1220 sheet, there is only 4mm between the two bottom panels when I pushed them each right out to opposite corners.)

[Matt457]

After some hold ups (people keep expecting me to do boring stuff like WORK) I have all the sheet parts cut out, shaped, butt jointed and coated inside with two coats of BoteCote epoxy. Tomorrow when that's cured, she goes 3D!

[Matt457]

...aaaaaand then I forgot to remove the masking tape last night. Inside edges of parts now have masking tape permanently attached. Ouch.

[Boatmik]

Hmm... sorry I hadn't come back and updated the thread. I partly marked up a 2440 sheet and found I *couldn't* get both parts of the bottom onto it. How did you do it?
I *did* get them on a 2500x1220 sheet, which is luckily what I have in 6mm. I'll cut them out today and get to work marking the sides. I plan to push the pair of side panels over closer together on a sheet and then split the two sheets in four pieces and cut out the four panels together. If you hear loud cursing tomorrow you'll know I failed at this. ;-)

(ed: On a 2500x1220 sheet, there is only 4mm between the two bottom panels when I pushed them each right out to opposite corners.)

It looked like it worked - The pieces had to be moved to the edges of the sheet.

Or at least it worked for me assuming the drawing I grabbed was the right one. Maybe I grabbed a bigger piece of plywood sitting in my computer. I'll check later.

MIK

[Matt457]

It's 3D!!

The epoxy on the interior hadn't cured rock hard yet, so the masking tape came off this morning with about twenty minutes of careful work.

It's 3D now. Didn't end up using duct tape, though. The build instructions, and the drawing with that section, seems to be expecting the sides to flare out past the edges of the bottom and to be pushed back into position and held in place with the tape. Well, I found with four spreaders in, the sides didn't spring out as far as their required position, I had to pull them out, and then they would just pull back behind the edge and let go of the tape. So I ended up putting the bottom on with panel pins. it all went together beautifully, though.

My sides panels are epoxy coated only on the inside, so that might affect how they spring. I don't know. They're 4mm thick. (the bottom is 6mm).

Held together with panels pins it all looks good and correctly shaped. (It suddenly looks like a BOAT! It's so cool!) So I'll run the epoxy fillet inside tonight.

I have to put this on top of the car on Thursday and drive 1000km. Hopefully it will be mostly finished at that point.

[engblom]

We need pictures! And launching videos once it is ready!

[Boatmik]

It's 3D!!

The epoxy on the interior hadn't cured rock hard yet, so the masking tape came off this morning with about twenty minutes of careful work.

Cool and congratulations!

It's 3D now. Didn't end up using duct tape, though. The build instructions, and the drawing with that section, seems to be expecting the sides to flare out past the edges of the bottom and to be pushed back into position and held in place with the tape. Well, I found with four spreaders in, the sides didn't spring out as far as their required position, I had to pull them out, and then they would just pull back behind the edge and let go of the tape. So I ended up putting the bottom on with panel pins. it all went together beautifully, though.

The ones in France worked perfectly - as did the one I built in Oz. I'm trying to guess the reasons for this - the only thing I can think of is that the tightness of the screws that hold the spreaders in place might have an effect. Don't really know.

My sides panels are epoxy coated only on the inside, so that might affect how they spring. I don't know. They're 4mm thick. (the bottom is 6mm).

Negligible difference.

Held together with panels pins it all looks good and correctly shaped. (It suddenly looks like a BOAT! It's so cool!) So I'll run the epoxy fillet inside tonight.

I have to put this on top of the car on Thursday and drive 1000km. Hopefully it will be mostly finished at that point.

Wow - you are getting along with this nicely. Did you take any photos (put them up after the 1000km drive! You can add them to the posts or thread later - assuming you want - no pressure).

MIK

[Matt457]

Alrighty... lessee if I can add a photo.

I've just been downstairs and taken off the masking tape along the fillets and cleaned it up a bit before it cures.

DSC_6957.JPG

Yes, I glued it without the gunwhales on because I haven't got the timber yet. I'm very highly organised! That's tomorrow's task, and I'm going to run out of days if I don't set some epoxy every day this week. Actually, I'm going to run out of days anyway and will probably end up taking some timber, hand tools and epoxy camping with me.

The sheer on the far side of the photo looks wonky here, but it must be the particular angle because from end-on it looks pretty good.

Tomorrow, due to time pressure, I'll try gluing gunwhales on and taping the chines in one pass. Wish me luck.