The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

I think the reason most of us don't use it, is cost and availability to the home user. My understanding is that it is costly to buy the product, it is costly to hire someone else to apply it, and it is difficult to apply for an amateur without all the right equipment. A search her for the term "...

By the way, I describe how I built and placed my bulkheads here: http://pawistik.blogspot.com/2007/03/decisive.html

Hi There, I've not built an Endeavour, but I would suggest that you place the bulkheads in locations that will best serve your use the best; customize the boat to suit your needs. For the rear bulkhead, I would place that as close to the seat as possible. That will make it easier to empty the cockpi...

Everything you do in the build will reference the strongback as the base. Really? Don't you line up the stations in relation to each other, not the strongback? I didn't build a Bear Moutnain boat so can't say with certainty what the methods are, but I'm suprised that the reference points on the for...

The Freedom 17-9 may be a good choice in a boat that performs well and is a bit bigger. If you choose to go big though, you might consider Gilpatrick's White Guide. 18.5' long, it should have room for a lot. However, I'm not certain I'd want to carry it over the portage. http://gilgilpatrick.com/str...

Hi John, You've had a cold winter in Michigan! Are you receiving the tropical temperatures we are getting on the prairies right now? (It will have been up over 0C for nearly a week by the time it turns cooler.) Lots of us have similar issues (with respect to time & temperature) and it has been d...

This seems like a good time and place to remind folks that activated carbon has a shelf life. The carbon in the filter binds things out of the air, which is why the filters work to protect your lungs. Unfortunately, there is no "on/off" switch and so the carbon is constantly working, even ...

Hopefully you'll get a good explanation here. If not, try over at the Kayak Building Bulletin Board: http://kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi. Use the search function and you should turn up some discussions on the matter.
Cheers,
Bryan

One more "pro" is that it makes it easier to get the water out of the canoe when turned over. With the solid inwales, I suspect that the water travels to the bow and stern? and stays in the canoe... If a person didn't want to use scuppers (perhaps they prefer a very simple look), then ang...

Each wood has pros & cons. Ash is strong and flexes well, and resists shocks well. That's why good old hockey sticks were made of ash. I don't see why maple couldn't be used, though it will be more difficult to work with. Ash will be easier to mill and easier to plane than maple which will be ha...

I wonder if someone like Mondrian-Hall would print & ship? I've had their local office print topo maps for me, black & white. But I'm not sure if the accuracy is good enough for station plans? Probably it is. I guess it might not hurt to call or e-mail them. Mondrian is something we have in ...

Also, a spokeshave is a very handy tool for paddle building. Perhaps a copy of the book Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own by Warren & Gidmark , plus a spokeshave would make a nice gift (or one or the other depending on your budgets. By the way, quality paddles will probably cost...

Hi Carrie, I hope that's a psuedonym because if he's doing his research he'll end up here eventually. Some really good ideas have been put forward that I wouldn't have thought of, like the plaque and the apron. If he already has a plane, then another one can never hurt, especially if it's a nice qua...

Looks great, love the knots.
Cheers,
Bryan

Thanks for posting the photos Bryan. The subject matter helps, but your photography is great as always.
Cheers,
Bryan