Search found 323 matches

by sedges
Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:12 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: First Build Questions
Replies: 35
Views: 32120

Re: First Build Questions

I was always frustrated with trying to get a single piece of cloth to wet out easily in the ends. I started to cut end pieces that came out to two inches beyond the end of the stem. I had an inner stem, you would have to decide where the piece would end. After I made a few different canoes I had car...
by sedges
Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:36 am
Forum: Boat-Building Tips & Techniques
Topic: Polyester Resin
Replies: 1
Views: 6878

Re: Polyester Resin

I would suggest vinyl ester rather than polyester. A much better resin property-wise. If you have a sensitivity to epoxy, you might very well have sensitivity to some of the chemicals in poly or vinyl esters. The list is long and they are nasty. Its one reason epoxies have become so popular for smal...
by sedges
Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:35 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Fiberglass Creases, Wrinkles, Bubbles, oh my!
Replies: 18
Views: 16298

Re: Fiberglass Creases, Wrinkles, Bubbles, oh my!

Seems like you are well on your way to getting past the wrinkles and roughness of your glassing job. My first boat was just as interesting, but in different ways. For future reference. I think two issues may have caused this. One, 97 degrees is just too hot to be applying resin to cloth. It shortens...
by sedges
Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:15 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Wilderness Tripping in a 15' Ranger?
Replies: 7
Views: 4896

Re: Wilderness Tripping in a 15' Ranger?

You will probably enjoy a 7-10 ( maybe more) day trip. You look pretty light-weight and if you pack like a backpacker you'll do fine. The description lists capacity at 450 pounds. Keep it at or less than that and it will handle just fine. A longer boat may be marginally faster, but you will enjoy th...
by sedges
Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:16 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Prospector Cruiser Hull Shape
Replies: 6
Views: 2789

Re: Prospector Cruiser Hull Shape

I think that is a good option. The ribs can be 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and maybe 3/8 inch thick. Feather them out before you install them. Doing it in the boat would be a pain. You will want to rig a cross piece across the canoe and cut a piece of wood to length to press the rib into the bottom while...
by sedges
Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:21 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Prospector Cruiser Hull Shape
Replies: 6
Views: 2789

Re: Prospector Cruiser Hull Shape

Wow, that is really seriously misshapen. A bunch of questions. Is that part of the hull flexible? Can you push it back into shape? What strip thickness and cloth weight? The first thing that comes to mind is that when you were fitting the final strips in the bottom they were forced in causing tensio...
by sedges
Tue May 26, 2020 9:34 am
Forum: Choosing a Design
Topic: Kilcoo-Minto 15'7" cedar canvas design as a cedar strip?
Replies: 3
Views: 7603

Re: Kilcoo-Minto 15'7" cedar canvas design as a cedar strip?

Nice design. Can you get plans, including table of offsets from Gull Lake? Usually purchase of plans gives you the authorization to build one canoe from those plans. By the plan sheet you linked it looks like the offsets will be to the outside of the planking, so you will need to draw the lines for ...
by sedges
Sat Apr 04, 2020 1:38 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Sanding varnish
Replies: 10
Views: 6263

Re: Sanding varnish

If it seems to go thick and your shop is not real warm and dry it may take a lot longer to harden than the specs say. I have never applied more than 3 coats on the outside and 2 on the inside. Applying 6 or 7 coats might be important over bare wood, but not over epoxy. You just want a pretty finish ...
by sedges
Thu Apr 02, 2020 8:15 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Sanding varnish
Replies: 10
Views: 6263

Re: Sanding varnish

Sounds like you need to let the varnish cure longer. If it is an old fashioned oil/alkyd based spar varnish you may need to wait several days before sanding. If you are using wet sanding paper make sure the hull surface is real wet. I use a spray bottle to mist the area ahead of the sanding. A light...
by sedges
Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:16 pm
Forum: Boat-Building Tips & Techniques
Topic: Picking Planks
Replies: 13
Views: 18761

Re: Picking Planks

To find longer than 16' cedar you need to find a place that specializes in WRC. They are few and far between. For several decades I was able to get clear 1x6-12s up to 20 feet. Premium price, but zero waste. Worth the drive. All they sell is WRC and now cypress. So, look for a specialty yard in a bi...
by sedges
Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:46 am
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Epoxy and fibreglass
Replies: 12
Views: 3447

Re: Epoxy and fibreglass

After a bit of conversion. The 202gm/m2 is 5.96 oz/yd2, so equivalent to 6 ounce cloth here in the US. The 8.9x6 threads per cm would be 22x15 threads per inch. The typical 6 ounce "boat cloth" here is 18x18 threads/ inch, so yours is pretty close. 1.3 M width would be like our 50 inch. Me...
by sedges
Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:58 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: GLassed inside of hull - is one coat enough?
Replies: 11
Views: 4728

Re: GLassed inside of hull - is one coat enough?

I have always used a brass bristled brush. You can buy them at the grocery store in the dishwashing utensil section. Clean the brush good with ammonia before using it. The bristles are likely coated with something to prevent oxidation so they are nice and shiny in the store. You really don't want to...
by sedges
Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:58 pm
Forum: Builders' Forum
Topic: Completed!
Replies: 4
Views: 3070

Re: Completed!

Wow! Well done! You will enjoy the first time in the water and for a long time after. Beautiful canoe. Long long time. I have a prospector that is 34 years old. Used hard, scarred, but refurbished at 27 with new gunnels and breastplates. Glass and epoxy are original plus some patches. I just had ano...
by sedges
Thu Dec 26, 2019 11:00 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Happy Holidays !
Replies: 6
Views: 12583

Re: Happy Holidays !

We paddled Tuesday afternoon. 70 degrees and sunny here in NE GA. A good 20+ degrees above normal. These may be my last boats, but you never know. One is an English 20 from the old Canoecraft book and the other is a very ambitious Catspaw Dinghy with centerboard, rudder, mast and spars. All interest...
by sedges
Wed Dec 25, 2019 11:26 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Happy Holidays !
Replies: 6
Views: 12583

Re: Happy Holidays !

HA! Maybe 2020 will be the year I get to finish the TWO unfinished boats in my shop. I retire at the end on 2020 so it might stretch into the next decade! Especially to finish the sailboat. I managed to make it to the solstice without lapsing into hibernation. Happy New Year to all new builders and ...