The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Matthew, On the inside of the hull, I used, based on a suggestion from Glen, a varnish with a matte finish (Epiphanes). My main reason was that I really butchered the epoxy on the inside. I did a poor job with it, and wasn't really able to get it perfect no matter how much sanding I did. The matte f...

I used WRC for the hull, a kind of philipine mahogany for the wales, and black walnut for the stems. You can see the contrast here:

http://www.avoisin.com/album/canoe/slid ... 20343.html

The walnut was easy to work, and I'm happy with the look.

Cheers,
Adam

No problem. Glue in a little cheater strip and all will be well.

http://www.avoisin.com/album/canoe/slid ... 20080.html

http://www.avoisin.com/album/canoe/slid ... 20081.html

I had to do it, and you'd never notice unless you looked carefully.

Cheers,
Adam

I'm with Moonman on the saving the money bit. His method looks great, and I'm not saying I won't borrow a few ideas from it on my next build; however, I used the stapleless method as per CanoeCraft on my last build and was very satisfied with it. It gave lots of control and was very simple to use (a...

My thought is that the brass band, albeit a bit heavy, looks really awesome. I'm pretty easy on my canoe (used mostly on lakes), but there has been more one time when I've been happy to have it, like when the wind and waves are really up, and I come in to a rocky shore a little hard and bang the fro...

I bought my strips from Noah's, and was very satisfied with the quality (although they were quite expensive). However, I always feel like I didn't really do everything myself start to end. And to make matters worse, it's amazing how often people ask how I made the strips. I'm always feel a bit asham...

I built stapleless as per Canoecraft (C-clamps and L-shaped jigs). That, combined with lots of fibre-packing tape, bungee cords, and ratchet straps, worked very well. I built cove up, and used little dowels in the cove to protect them from damage from the jigs. I was very happy with the method, and ...

I used MDF and really liked it. It was cheaper, and very stable. Being heavy is a drag when lifting it, but a benefit when the strongback is all set up, because it makes the whole jig much more stable on the floor (I did not glue it to the floor as per Canoecraft). It is easy to cut and shape. Just ...

Hi Alick, I revarnished mine after a year (basically just to improve my varnish skills and learn how to do it). I gave it a good wetsanding with something in the neighbourhood of 200 grit. Varnished. Then a scuffing (wetsanding) with 320 grit and put another coat on. I repeated this last step a coup...

Brian I can't comment on the effectiveness of using the router for this task per se, but I would add a couple of thoughts. First, I wouldn't worry about stapling the guide batton on, because it will be more or less at the same spot as the gunnels will be, and thus, any staple holes will be covered b...

I've lofted the bow and stern stems for the 17' Freedom. However, I'd like to use the shape of the bow stem for the aft as well. Would this give rise to any complications? I can't think of any.

Cheers,
Adam

I was thinking of the same idea of using cedar for the gunnels and then laminating on thin hardwood layer for protection. Has anybody out there done this? Does it work?

Cheers
Adam

After a year and a half since finishing my 15 Bob's Special, I've got 2-foot-itus. I'm planning on building a 17' Freedom (everybody seems to love this design), but want to try my hand at keeping the weight down to around 50 lbs. I'll be using it for mostly flatwater tandem tripping. I'm thinking of...

Hi Bill,

Looks awesome. I'm looking at building a Freedom 17 of my own. What did you do to keep the weight down to 50lbs? Others' seem to come out in the high 50s or 60s.

Adam

I second Rick's reply. I just redid mine. Gave it a light sanding with the ROS with about 120 grit, and put a few more coats of varnish on. Looks great again.

Adam