Search found 18 matches

by cedarphile
Sat Apr 11, 2020 12:35 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Strip size
Replies: 20
Views: 11715

Spooner canoe Memorial Day Annual Festivals

I've attended each year, but the first one ten years ago was my most memorable. My son-in-law, a mason had just finished up a northern white cedar Prospector in my shop and wanted to exhibit it at the show. Unfortunately, he got an overtime work assignment for the Saturday of the show, so I said I'd...
by cedarphile
Thu Apr 09, 2020 7:29 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Strip size
Replies: 20
Views: 11715

Full-length strips vs half strips

I live in norhern Wisconsin, close to the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum (https://wisconsincanoeheritagemuseum.org/index.html) in Spooner of which I am a charter member. That dedicated wooden canoe museum also has arguably the largest and most well-equipped canoebuilding workshop in the nation. We ...
by cedarphile
Thu Apr 09, 2020 9:43 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Sanding varnish
Replies: 10
Views: 6252

Never sand spar varnish

There's no need to sand soft spar varnish on a cedarstrip hull....because you should never use it there. This post is going to be a little long as it's going to save savvy builderrs hours and hours of uncomfortable agony in a sweaty sanding mask. Take your epoxy-coated and 220-sanded hull to your lo...
by cedarphile
Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:23 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: New tool eliminates noxious epoxy sanding dust
Replies: 1
Views: 3399

New tool eliminates noxious epoxy sanding dust

I think the worst job in building a cedarstrip canoe is dry sanding the epoxy coating on the hull exterior to get a smooth, fair, ripple-free surface in preparation for brushing on spar varnish or spraying 2-part polyurethane clearcoat. So I've switched to wet sanding the epoxy on my hull exteriors ...
by cedarphile
Sat Dec 22, 2018 6:10 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe
Replies: 4
Views: 4680

Re: Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe

When I acquired the 1931 20' Old Town, it had the usual canvas and cracking paint. I tore off the canvas and weighed it. 22 lb! This battleship's heavy enough without putting 22 lb of canvas and filler back on it, so I'm using 3.9 oz Dacron like Pam Wedd uses on her lightweight cedar/canvas canoes. ...
by cedarphile
Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:30 am
Forum: Boat-Building Tips & Techniques
Topic: NewSpring Clamps for Bead and Cove Stripping
Replies: 17
Views: 59443

Re: NewSpring Clamps for Bead and Cove Stripping

Jim, Here's another system of using spring clamps to hold strips together to ensure hairline joints. Harbor Freight sells an immensely strong little spring clamp for under two bucks with serrated rubber ends that really grips the strip below tightly without marring. Couple that with pieces of 1/4&qu...
by cedarphile
Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:01 am
Forum: Boat-Building Tips & Techniques
Topic: stemless
Replies: 20
Views: 35479

Re: stemless vs ash stem test

I like Jim's idea of having a test to see which bow/stern construction method is stronger, stemless with alternating strip joints, or inner and outer stems of white ash. Jim sailed a canoe off his vehicle at 60 mph and the hull was destroyed but the stem survived intact. That's his entry in the test...
by cedarphile
Fri Dec 21, 2018 2:25 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe
Replies: 4
Views: 4680

Re: Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe

Jim,
Todd would be my first choice. I've read his book and he lives less than 300 miles from me in Madison, WI. That's driveable, even with a 20' canoe–which I'm making a special trailer for.
Gary
by cedarphile
Thu Dec 20, 2018 5:21 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe
Replies: 4
Views: 4680

Need sail made for 20' sailing canoe

I am setting up a 20' Old Town Guide canoe for sailing. I need a knowledgeable sailor and sail maker to help me find the center of effort for the canoe so I can locate the mast and leeboards, then I need a sail made. I live in northern Wisconsin about three hours north of Madison. Gary gary@canoecra...
by cedarphile
Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:15 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Help with Oil-canning
Replies: 4
Views: 4379

Re: Help with Oil-canning

Add a full-length wood keel to give the bottom more longitudinal strength.
by cedarphile
Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:06 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: How many strips to build a canoe?
Replies: 6
Views: 7088

Re: How many strips to build a canoe?

I just finished a Prospector and counted the strips. This is a deep canoe (15") so the higher sides require some extra strips. The outside dimension of the hull amidships is 56". My white cedar strips are milled from 7/8" planed boards, a little thicker than most builders use. So that...
by cedarphile
Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:36 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Varnishing
Replies: 6
Views: 5475

Re: tips for great varnishing

I learned long ago that to get a perfect varnish job, you need to prepare the surface perfectly, use a tack rag, strain the varnish and heat it up to about 120 degrees F. I don't care how well you've vacuumed the sanded surface, there are still tiny particles that only a tack cloth will pick up. If ...
by cedarphile
Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:28 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Ash bottoms for tough river?
Replies: 9
Views: 6234

Re: Ash bottoms for tough river?

Keep in mind that graphite is black so absorbs lots on sunshine if left outside overturned on a rack. It has no inherent UV protection so will get very hot in direct sunlight. Epoxy softens at about 150 degrees so the black epoxy/graphite/silica will definitely soften in summer sunshine in southern ...
by cedarphile
Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:13 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Keel Screws
Replies: 1
Views: 3428

Re: Keel Screws

I glass over the keel screws to ensure watertightness. I don't use decorative cups for the screws though I now it's traditional with Old Town and other makers. The cups were used by cedar/canvas canoe makers to distribute the force on the screw so they wouldn't pull through if the keel suffered a ca...
by cedarphile
Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:58 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Water-based stain under epoxy?
Replies: 6
Views: 6306

Re: Water-based stain under epoxy?

With Jim's advice in mind, I've made up two test panels. One for a trial of water-based stain on white cedar strips, and the second a test of a new epoxy I haven't used before (Clark Craft). I had to make up a test panel anyway for the epoxy so making another for the stain test was no problem. I'll ...