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  1. #106
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Hereford U.K.
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Hi Again Guy,

    I just posted and forgot to add my email address which is [email protected] . If you, or any other member, have advice of feel they can help in any way with restoring the PBs for the Rio Pisguera trip please dont hesitate to contact me.

    James




    Quote Originally Posted by Guy Burns View Post
    Hi,

    just thought I'd drop by and say that if anyone is interested in seeing photos or instructions for some Percy Blandford style 1950s timber and canvas canoes, let me know.

    There are three of four within a few kilometres of me here in Devonport, and I have three myself.

    Guy Burns

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  3. #107
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Calgary, Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Hello from western Canada,

    I found this wonderful thread on Mr. Blandford's fine boats. I read and reread his books many years ago but my interest was in Canadian Canoes.

    My building experience includes rebuilding a Folboat, rebuilding 2 cedar canvas canoes, and building a Chestnut Prospector stripper. I also worked at a wooden boatshop years ago doing general repairs. That is where I recovered a canoe and built my stripper.

    We have adopted two little angels from China, now 8 and 10, and I've decided to finally build 2 PBK boats for my girls.

  4. #108
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Devonport
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Hi James,

    I forgot to get back to you after I originally read your post (which came via email). Sorry about the delay.

    I don't think I can add anything further to what is in my PDF, except that the canvas I used didn't require proofing. It was canvas for trucks and was already very well proofed. I did paint mine with water-based house paint, but that was only for looks, not proofing.

    Good luck with your adventure. I haven't done any real canoe adventures since my trip down Cooper Creek in 2000, but the canoes are still in good nick even though they've been stored outside with only shade cloth for protection.

  5. #109
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Calgary, Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Thanks Guy,

    I have been researching a great deal since starting this. These boats will be used on large rivers draining the Rocky Mountains but mostly small prairie and mountain lakes in Alberta, Canada, no whitewater or portaging required. We do get substantial wind from the lee side of the prevailing winds over the mountains.

    Anyone want to suggest a design or two from Mr. Blandford for my small frame girls as they grow. I'm thinking 12' min and 14' max in length.

  6. #110
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Adelaide, Sth. Aust., Australia
    Age
    83
    Posts
    4

    Default Percy Blandford Kayaks

    Hi Everyone,
    I quote Mike because I also remember the blistered palms.
    New to this forum, have got the bug to build another kayak and Percy's name leapt out of the search engine. Also, sadly, found his obituary as well.
    In the early 1960s was stationed in the Sth. East of South Australia and on visiting the Glenelg River was reminded of the fun times as a teenager in Victor Harbor with Bouc Jones' canoe, think he nicked some sheets from home to skin it. Decided to build one myself. Did not happen until 1969/70 in Darwin, built Percy's PBK22, the double seater 15 footer; those blisters combined with glue and the black rubber handle of the screwdriver! Skin was truck tarpaulin vinyl coated nylon, yellow deck, green hull. Tried it out at sea and in the Katherine Gorges. It wasn't as popular with my wife as I'd hoped so next year I built the single seater, Waverider-PBK63, stitch & glue kayak. Think that it had been featured in the Practical Woodworker. Painted it rescue orange!!! Used it around the coast and in Darwin Harbour, on several Northern Territory rivers and several trips right through the Katherine Gorges. Also used it in Sth.Aust., loved surfing with it. At some stage fitted a surfboard skeg which made touring less tiring.
    Have decided to go via the skin-on-frame way again. Seriously thinking of building one in three parts so it can be a single or double as required, also will help with transportation. Any thoughts/suggestions out there?


    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Field View Post
    I'd say just the same of your picture, Guy -- she's absolutely identifiable.

    I bought the plans for Kareela for 18/6d at the Melbourne Scout Shop, and built her over about three months after school and at weekends. She has 3/8" marine ply frames and endposts, with the rest of the framework being parana pine. The hull is eighteen-ounce cloth, with 15 oz for the decks. (I can still remember the blisters in the palms of my hands from driving all those damn' screws by hand....)

    Here's a cockpit photo from about two years ago.



    She's reaching the end of her life now though -- the brass screws are dezincifying and the Bostik filler recommended over the screw-heads is swelling and stretching the canvas.

    She hasn't really been in white water but I've sailed her on Port Phillip and Western Port, (and Albert Park Lake...,) had her out in Bass Strait west of Wilsons Prom, and paddled her countless miles on the Murray and a few of the slower Victorian rivers -- some of the happiest hours I've ever spent.

  7. #111
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Southampton
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Hi all,

    Has anyone compiled or posted a list of cross references between Percy Blandford's original design numbers, and those assigned to them by Clark Craft ?

    Their having been changed annoys the h**l out of me !

    I've acquired what I think is a PBK20: 2 seats, 15' LOA, 30" beam, 77" cockpit.

    It needs a re-skin, and I've opted for heat shrinkable Dacron (polyester) cloth, with proofing and finishes from Poly-Fiber. The fabric is actually the same as Ceconite, but the coatings and finishes are different, and IMHO better. It's not cheap, but it'll be light, reasonably durable, it won't lose its' tear resistance when waterproofed and coated, and is relatively easy to repair.

    However, after much thought as to durablility, it occured to me that ordinary dacron sail cloth (the kind usually used for mainsails and genoas or working jibs) may actually offer a better compromise between the light weight of the aircraft covering, and the durability of PVC fabric. In fact, this kind of cloth may also be significantly easier to work and stretch over the frame than would PVC. The only thing that sailcloth won't be is heat shrinkable, which on reflection is no real problem, as the PBKs weren't designed with this in mind anyway. My thinking is that the cloth can then be proofed and coated in the same way as Poly-Fiber.

    Does aonyone have any thoughts or observations ?

    Best Regards

    David Seer

    PS - "Poly-Fiber" is a tradename; the second half of which should be spelled "FibRE" !

  8. #112
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Calgary, Canada
    Posts
    3

    Default

    I'm not an experienced builder but sites in the USA have dacron/polyester in the 8 ounce weight that is still heat shrinkable. This would double the weight over aircraft fabric's heaviest.

    example:

    Kudzu Craft skin boats - Fabric-8 oz polyester

    It is the leading choice for my future plans. I have handled dacron for an ultralight and the shrinking ability really does simplify a nice job for a beginner. Research aircraft finishes for toxicity, some are benign and some are not. I'm still considering canvas for the traditional value with hardware store chemicals and paint/varnish for kid friendly.

  9. #113
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Southampton
    Posts
    4

    Default

    Hi Bob,

    That's interesting - I had no idea that there was heavier, heat shrinkable cloth available, although it stands to reason. I'm not sure about the looseness of the weave, but I'll compare it to the 3.16oz cloth when it arrives. ...and if I can't make a neater job of the seams, I'll give up completely ! Shrinkability certainly makes the job of skinning a complex three dimensional shape, easy.

    On a different subject, I very much like some elements of Kudzu Craft's designs, particularly their fine retrousee or cruiser type sterns (minus the fantail ! see Slingshot), especially when combined with the "greenland" bow design that the PBKs have. It would be easy to incorporate into a PBK (although some may call me "Philistine")!
    Last edited by Kinversand; 18th July 2012 at 03:46 PM. Reason: typos - previous edit apparently didn't get posted.

  10. #114
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,372

    Default

    Why wont this post disappear after I have read it, tried at least 20 times, will not go away, keeps coming up as a new post even thou no one has posted to it

  11. #115

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kinversand View Post
    Hi all,

    Has anyone compiled or posted a list of cross references between Percy Blandford's original design numbers, and those assigned to them by Clark Craft ?

    Their having been changed annoys the h**l out of me !
    Couldn't agree more! But I think that Clark Craft not only dropped the "P" from the start of the model number (so that Blandford's 'PBK27' would have become Clark Craft's 'BK27') but they then also changed the number to give the length of the boat in feet, rather than continue using Blandford's catalogue number -- the final translation thus becoming 'BK13'.

    Having said that, I seem to remember noting that BK13 had ply side decks, whereas my PBK27 is fully canvas-covered. So maybe Clark Craft (or someone) altered the design a bit along the way as well?
    Wooden Boat Fittings
    ... helping people complete classic boats authentically.

  12. #116
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Southampton
    Posts
    4

    Default PBK Plans

    Hi All,

    Re-skin of my PBK22 is going reasonably well. I can confirm that the heat-shrinkable dacron (poly-fibre / ceconite) is lovely stuff to work with - ironing out the wrinkles is hugely therapeutic !

    I've ended up not using any tacks or staples to attach the fabric, opting instead for Poly-Tak, which is part of the Poly-Fiber aircraft covering "system". This has also allowed me to complete the seams fore and aft without the need for stitching !

    Looking to get the deck on in the next week or so, and will post photographs soon.

    Finally, does anyone know if W. F. Harrison, P.O. Box 55, Bingley BD16 4UU is still supplying PBK plans please ?

    David Seer

  13. #117
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Southampton
    Posts
    4

  14. #118
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Strathfieldsaye BENDIGO
    Posts
    40

    Default

    Started work on the PBK20 what a headache drafting those frames first one done, will leave a couple of millimeters for fairing up.

  15. #119
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Strathfieldsaye BENDIGO
    Posts
    40

    Default

    Just finished frame 2 then realised I'm missing the drawings of frames 3, 5 and 7. Does anyone have a scan of these that they could forward to me?

  16. #120
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Darlington, Co'Durham, England
    Posts
    1

    Question Percy Blandford Books

    Back in the 1950,s as an 11 year old, I got a little one of Percy's books from the library. In it he was promoting plans for some of his canoes, mail order 5 shillings for a set of full size plans. I couldn't afford this princely sum but, the plans were reproduced in the book, albeit at a very small scale. I redrew the plans, scaled up on graph paper and built the canoe. I am trying to track down the book and so far have bought "Canoeing" and "Boat Building". The Boat Building book also has plans, for a single seat PBK10 and a double PBK20, but It is not the book that I Used as I am sure it was either a PBK12 or 14 that I Built. Does anyone know which book it might have been? Is there a complete list available of all the PBK models that Percy designed. By the way I here he has just celebrated his 100th birthday, well done! I hope he has many more, he deserves it for the pleasure he has given to so many over the years.

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