The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Another problem that occurs with floatation tanks is that where they are epoxied on the hull you create a solid area.
When impacted you will have major cracks appear.
Been there done that.
My strippers and cedar canvas canoes just will not sink.
Erich

You will need at least 55 bd feet of wood for a Bob Special. It may be a little more than you need but you will turn over 1/3 into saw dust. This will allow you to choose better strips with a few left over for things like inside stems. I use 1/4 by 3/4 inch strips for most of the canoes I build. Bea...

The least amount of space you will need is 4 feet all around the project. More is really nice but this should be enough to maneuver around the form. I am building a 21 foot double in a 24 foot long room. We are right up to the wall on the stern and go around the bow to put on strips. Lots of fun. Re...

Thanks for the information. I will check my copy of Kayak Craft.
Regards, Erich

We are starting a new project, a 17 Freedom, and are looking for a dual router setup for bead and coving the strips. The complete side will be designerd on a table and them bead and coved as the strips are removed from the table and applied to the canoe form. There will be three strip kayaks, two sk...

The problem with chisel point staples is that they blow out big cones of wood as they penetrate wood. This was more noticable when working with red cedar but it did damage white cedar too. I used these on my hull and the damage was extensive. The only saving grace was the hull was a kayak and I cove...

When ordering Epfanes Varnish, also get 1000 ml of their thinner. It is a very clean terpentine made just for their varnish and paints. It should be around $12.00. I have used Epifanes on over 25 boats now and it has a very nice finish when hard.
Regards, Erich.

All of our boats, about 25 various crafts, are varnished with Epifanes Varnish. I let them set for 24 hours and take them out into the sun to bake. All the previous coats are already cured. I have yet to see any problems arise with method of sun curing. Mind you the last coat of varinsh has been thi...

Hi Algonquin There are a few questions you need to ask yourself. Where are you located in Ontario? Near a large city? Is there market for hand built canoes and kayaks? Do you have the skill and experience to build and repair all types of watercraft? How big is your shop? Do you have the $5,000 to $1...

If all you want to do is to flatten the area that has bulged, try this method. Use a wet towel and a very hot iron to soften the glue and push the rouge planks back on the form. This method will soften the glue and steam bend the wood back into place. I keep the iron over the area for about 30 secon...

Glen,
Cut out a round pad for an orbital and try that. I get a very nice dull finish on my Epifanes varnish. Another advantage to the orbital sanding is less time and elbow grease is required. I use this on all my boats with great results.
Regards, Erich

The maroon pad is about a 220 grit and works well for scuffing the varnish between coats. I use the grey pad, 320 grit, on my orbital to scuff betwen coats. It dulls the finish and takes very little varnish off in the process. Let the varnish harden for about three days after the fourth coat. Use a ...

An item used a lot is my shop is pine dust. I feed a small white pine board into my 6 x 48 inch 50 grit belt sanding machine. This is atttached to a cleaned vaccum. I usually grind up about a gallon of sawdust and sift it thru a fine screen to remove the lumps. White pine mixed with epoxy will turn ...

Tony
I believe it is mixed hardener and resin with no filler added. You mix it as it comes out of the pumps.
Erich

I have a sixteen foot Freedom being built in my shop. We are documenting the weights as they are added. So far the finished wooden hull weights 22 pound. White cedar with black walnut accents. Epoxy and 6 oz. glass with an expedition layup will go on tomorrow. Stay tuned. Regards, Erich.