The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

I updated my website, you 're welcome to check out all the new links on
http://www.qajaq.be

Erik, Belgium.

I can't add anything to your building method: Single 6-oz layer in and out, an additional layer of 6-oz on the football, and reinforcing bias strips along the stems. Build it like you intend to, and it will turn out perfect. I can't comment on the 'traditional' brass band, since I don 't like it. (a...

I have used PU-glue to bond the different bent stemstrips (inner and outer) together. The yellow colored type that foams once it 's starting to set. It 's called PU construction glue over here in Europe, and comes in bottles just like ordinary glue. Like Glenn mentioned, I tied both ends up with a s...

Correct Jim. My 17"6' (5.50m) Winisk Canoe was done with normal size 1/4" cedar strips, using black walnut for gunwales and normal size decks, cherry for seats and twarths, and wenge inlay in the bottom. Normal 6oz glass, 2 fill coats ... So, nothing special to keep down the weight. It cam...

Jim Dodd has built in airchambers in lots of his canoes, I hope he can comment on this and will post some pics here.

Erik, Belgium.

Very nice cedar colours, great model. If you plan to keep it over the winter on the stations, keep in mind it is best to have both sides (in and out) either wetted out, or bare wood. I understood that glass/epoxy on the outside and just bare wood on the inside could be prone to warping or curling up...

Arne, A pic as promised. It took me a little longer to take a decent picture of a peelply result but here is one pic. This area is the outer reinforcement band on my kayak that I put on last friday (late) night. I tore it off 6 hours after I put it in the wetted out glasscloth. As you see it took aw...

Thanks for your kind reactions, I expect a lot from this kayak. It 's the first time I sanded with selfmade sandingboards only, and I 'm happy with the straight finish. I was amazed that sanding this way didn't really take much longer compared to a ROS. I also integrated a retractable skeg, because ...

Model: Disko Bay, plans by Hans Friedel of Sweden. This whiptail kayak is the strip version of the Igdlossuit kayak built in 1959 for Kenneth Taylor, the builder is an unknown eskimo from the village Igdlorssuit near Disko Bay. The original kayak now rests in Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, Scotland. M...

Raka indeed is mentioned a lot of times on kayak/canoe forums. It 's a pity it isn't available over here in Europe. I have used West System 105 resin with 207 hardener on my first canoe, but I don 't feel it rectifies the high price of it. I 'am using a local epoxy brand since that and it works just...

hi Arne, thanks for keeping us posted on your marvellous looking kevlar canoes. As far as finishing the stems is concerned: I 'm using peelply for the most of my layups nowadays, for several reasons. It takes excess epoxy away from the glasscloth and leaves a flat (straight) surface that doesn't nee...

Glad you like it, thanks. Epoxyglueing the front seat sliding frame into the hull wasn't as easy as I expected because it kept slipping away against the hull. Luckily I taped the edges of those areas prior to epoxying. If you ever do this, think about removing this packaging tape when epoxy is in gr...

I 've made 3 stapleless woodstrippers so far (38 special solo canoe, Winisk Canoe and a Disko Bay seakayak), please check out my website http://www.QAJAQ.be to see the pics.

Erik, Belgium.

The race organisation http://www.frisiannuonsolarchallenge.com/

specs about solar panels & electric motors in this race http://www.solarnavigator.net/solar_cha ... n_nuon.htm

Erik, Belgium.

Sorry for this off topic, but it 's kinda related though. This was the first time a race for solar powered boats was held in Friesland, Holland, and it will be a bi-anual race in the future. A number of wooden boathulls were present, but still. Teams from different parts of the world joined in, also...