Thread: Redbird: a strip-built canoe ... the Journey

Originally Posted by Ramps

I think I'll need to take up smoking

Hmm, I wonder how Pawlonia shavings would go in the fish smoker :confused:

Richard

Originally Posted by Daddles

Hmm, I wonder how Pawlonia shavings would go in the fish smoker :confused:

Richard

Very good
not what I had in mind

But a good thought anyway

think I'll look into it

Day 14
An hour after work

Shot out at lunch time and had a look around the limited number of hardware stores, ended up back at Bunnies. Went for the old faithful $50, it must be good it’s still in production however B&D decided to sell off there non-powertools a few years ago (looks like they’re back into them now) and a mob called powershot bought this range and now have a pro version for $80 and still only has a 2 yr warrantee , but it’s prettier colours.

Got home to look at my clamping job in last light to my dismay. Well to tell you the truth the last strip that I part clamped was good but a couple before that were pretty poor where the staples didn’t hold real well where they twist near the stems. Removed the stables for a few strips, ran the jap saw thru the glue line and reglued … went very well.

Rain, low light and dinner put a damper on things.

Day 15
Another big Saturday
Nothing much to report except a bunch more strips.

As you can see from the pix I am closing from both sides ... not like "CanoeCraft" but one of the methods that Nick Schade advocates in " The Strip Built Sea Kayak"

… the gap is closing … ... but I won't be able to touch it again this w/e or next w/e :mad:

Mongrel busturd!! :eek: I mean COME ON!!! :mad: This is just way WAY unfrigginfair!

So thats got me interested... your coming out at the keel line as well as in from the hull? mmmm me ol mate from the states ol Mac McCarthy would also find that interesting... he recommends a single keel strip and bringing the hull around to meet it... mmmm food for thought food for thought

Now re the Wee Lassie... Im very steadily (read very slowly ) getting things together for another run at it I was out there today muckin with the hinges for the artists paint brush box when I saw outta the corner of my eye the new moulds Id cut out the other week sittin on the corner of the bench...

mmm so I went hunting some 30in long 6x1 Jarrah for the 1/4in strips for the stems... found 2 lengths!! whahooo went to it with gusto... sat them on the bench grabbed a stem mould gently "moulded" it around... mmm yep can see why ramps busted every time... so I went back found another peice and cut them again this time at 1/8 thick got my bundle back to the moulds... mmmm that would work thinks I... then I wandered back and looked up at the stack in the loft and thought he reckoned he used sheoak eh? mmm gots some of that lets give it a whirl a bundle of 1/4in and 1/8in strips were cut ... and mate you know what I found in my little tests? you were bloody right! the Sheoak bends far better than the Jarrah more flexible eh

So... given that I now had a major stack of wee strips what do you think I did eh?

You would be forgiven to think Id promptly mould some to the moulds... as is usual I didnt do the bloody obvious... no I decided to make a sheoak strip seat for the canoe!! Well I made the mid section using 6 uprights and cross sectioning it with as many as it too to bring it all together nice and tight and then while I was muckin about I thought I wonder what this would look like with a Jarrah frame?... looked great! I reckon it will work

So now I will take it apart again do some sanding cut some peices of Jarrah and route the slot out and make it up... ahem... once Ive stripped the damned canoe that is!! for now I'll just take it apart and put it away nice and safe after sanding of course ...and at the same time I will finally do those bloody stem moulds!

Have you sourced the fibreglass and epoxy yet? If so could you pass on where you got it how much etc? Cheers mate

Your doin bloody famously!

Dingo

Good to see that it wasn't just my incompetance when it came to bending timber (mind you I had never steam bent timber before so I was going from the written word but when I got something that would bend nicely it just went according to what the books/websites said).

The method of stripping from keel and "chines" is good because, as nick said, it doesn't attract your eye to any hard line of a change in direction ... being my first attempt at strip building I thought this sounds like a great idea.

I'm thinking of seats, trims and paddles at the moment as I want to have a few of those sorts of things sorted out before I start waiting for epoxy to cure.

I'm interested in the strip seat that you're proposing as I'd like to keep them as light as possible but I don't know if I like/can be bothered with cane. An open stripped carved seat appeals to me, I haven't seen any as yet but I haven't looked real hard yet either. I think I can make it quite light but I don't about the comfort or durability.

I sourced the epoxy and Glass from Boating hardware in O'connor, they have the Bote Cote range, had everything that I wanted in stock, phoned at about lunchtime one day and the whole lot was on the doorstep the following morning at 7:30 am. Can't beat the service. Think I may have been able to get it $20-30 cheaper from east but at %10 I'd prefer to look after the "locals" if they continue to offer that sort of service ... all up $305 ... glass, poxy, varnish, groovy roller and lots of bubble wrap. Can't guarrantee that I have enough but I can report on that at a later date.

Looking forward to getting back into it ... stripping, planing, sanding ... next w/e

Bloody hell Ramps, could you do us all a favour and procrastinate a bit? Or start another boat and not tell us about it so that we think you've slowed down on this one because you're as lazy as us? Sheesh. What are planning to do anyway, USE the thing?

Richard
grumble, grumble, blush (the foredeck is sitting on Sixpence waiting to be glued ... waiting, waiting, waiting - hey, I've been playing pushbikes okay?)

It's ok Daddles, he hasn't got to the hard bit yet


finishing the thing!

P

Ramps the strip plank seat uses the 1/8in strips nice and light and easy should go together like a dream... ahem WILL go together like a dream (confidence Shane confidence!) I think personally cane detracts from the overall look of a timber built canoe and so am going this route to stay with the overal theme and the sheoak looks bloody stunning as a overunderoverunder etc feature ...As for comfy I think no matter weather cane or strips its gonna eventually hurt your bum sittin there on it... a nice pillow is already in the makin by her highness use it or not it will be there

Thanks for the info on Boating Hardware... cheers! Will wait to order till you know if youve got enough no use me gettin not enough as well eh!

Richard? mate you gotta stop yer whingin an whinin mate!! :eek: be like me ol son smile and take advantage of the inspiration and start thinkin an doin positive stuff!! nah just takin the phiss mate! Little steps mate little steps not all of us can be as gungho build in a series of week blocks as Ramps is... heck I reckon if he had a week off work he'd shut himself out in the carport (can you shut yourself in a carport? ) and not see the light of day till its done and in the water!... mad the buggar!

Really I gotta thank you Ramps for buildin this canoe... nothin has inspired me to move on my own for some time now and Im finally startin to make moves on it... so thanks! Now if only the weather would behave itself... Ive been off work sittin down here for some weeks now twiddlin me thumbs cause of me bung knee and it would have been prime time to build a canoe the damned thing woulda been finished by now if it werent for the damned phissin rain!! ooh and the knee... ooh and life gettin in the way of life of course but I coulda woulda had it damned well done if it wearnt for that!!

aahh well a start is a start!

Okay heres a couple of shots of what Im gonna do re the seat... I think to pull it all tight as buggary I will steam the strips first that should enable me to get them close as and all lined up properly... anyway you can see what I mean... lay it all out let it dry while drying cut rout and make up the frame joining it together on three sides only leaving one side off... once the strips have dried slide cut them to size then slip the strip seat into the routed slots and fit the final side to the frame capturing the strips in place

Rough and ready as per!! Imagine if it were sanded!! :eek: sooo cool! Would it be uncomfortable... well I was thinking about that... with router in mind and sander near by theres no reason on earth why it couldnt be made to be comfy a tad off here a tad there a sand here and a sand their wouldnt be so hard eh?

Cheers!

Interesting
I like the look and the theory
I think I'd like to round/bevel the edges on the up-side of the strips as it could bite into the behind a bit.:eek:

... a week off ... hmm ... in the carport ... hmmm ... I can see a plan coming together ... you're full of it aren't you Dingo ... good ideas that is.

oooh yes indeed Ramps Im often told Im full of it I never could quite work out what they meant so at least now I know they were talkin about my ideas!

Yes routing planing or even sanding over the edges would make it a bit kinder on the buttocks and possibly the dangly bits :eek: (Well it could!! )...As well as the same on the Jarrah frame... It wouldnt be too difficult to take of a smidgeon along all the edges prior to steaming and bending... well one will have to plane an sand them anyways to bring the flavor out of the grain so one just takes that smidgeon off as you go

Cheers!

PS... the box is almost done then IM FREE!! Im gettin ready I tell yer Im gettin ready!!... gots the moulds there gots the building board there just gotta bung em together check for level then cut some strips!! Im only whisperin this cause that bloody nuisance fate will probably hear and kick me in the teeth again so its a secret okay just beteen you me and the fencepost

Originally Posted by Ramps

I'm interested in the strip seat that you're proposing as I'd like to keep them as light as possible but I don't know if I like/can be bothered with cane. An open stripped carved seat appeals to me, I haven't seen any as yet but I haven't looked real hard yet either. I think I can make it quite light but I don't about the comfort or durability.

Ramps, Nick Schade has a few piccies on his site that shows the process he went through to build a seat for his night heron. Hope this inspires

Then of course then you could always do that :eek: But for me that would take way too long to get right!

Hey Slavo is that pattern available for download? or only when you buy on of his kayak plans? thats stunning!