The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Wish that wasn't so far for me (18 hrs), but those are good memories

That is a very good detail shot, but there are quite few ways to strip and what the rest of the boat looks like would help understand what you are asking. Any chance of pulling that shot back some, so we can see more of the strips and how the centre line and strips look?


Brian

As Randy stated, the finish is good, maintenance not so much. I trip with mine and make a habit of touchup after the trip and there are usually lots of scratches. Having a finish you can maintain and "redo" every so often, is important. I would find out how you can do "touchups" ...

Hi Jim, This design will allow the backrest to rotate completely out of position and the tendency will be for that rest to rotate to one of the extreme positions. Friction would solve that issue, but friction tends to need to be adjusted and can be fiddly to get right and over the long term always s...

Just to be clear, you want a 1) normal position to start, and then 2) have the backrest swivel to the users position as they lean into it?

Love the finishing BTW, looks so good.

Brian

Jim, I think I stated quite clearly that both produce strong structures and neither would fail under normal use. The whole point of the post was to simply point out that each may have it's place and that how you intend to use your canoe should be considered, when making the decision. I don't believe...

I second the welcome Jason, I am a big fan of your videos and tutorials and have learned a great deal from them/you ( I extend a huge Thank You for your efforts). Once you have the boat design/plans, there are a lot of choices the builder has to make, just to get started. Some of those choices affec...

Very nice strip combos, it all looks great.

Brian

Nice job Jim, I really prefer my solo boat.

What is the length on the boat? Do you use a double or single blade?

Brian

Hi Jim, This was my first boat and first time in the forums, the rest of the build continues under the project directories ( building forum wasn't the right place for it). The question you are asking isn't there though, in fact I had to go looking to see if I had a pic. I had "softened" th...

Just in case you decide to loft your your plans, I did that last year and posted it here, including what the measurements mean and examples.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4658


Brian

Thanks Randy, I needed the second opinion ... I moved the stern seat forward ~12" , simply for practical fit purposes. That in turn makes running with that rear thwart in place, look a bit cramped. Since the centre thwart is actually the carry yoke, there isn't any leeway on it's placement .......

I am nearing completion on my Freedom build and would like to solicit opinions (or fact if Steve K sees this) for thwart placement/requirements. The plan shows 2 thwarts, one near centre and a smaller one aft ... I am assuming the smaller one aft of centre, between the rear seat and centre thwart is...

That seems like a lot of boat sticking out in front of that last rack ... I may use that for local transport, but if I was going to hit a highway, I would definitely add a front strap to the bumper (to prevent lateral movement). Otherwise, a good crosswind at speed may cause some pretty serious move...

Hi Alick, To get around the issue solvent settling in the inside, I always leave a fan on low after I finish varnishing, I think keeping the air moving helps in general with the varnish setting up. Now I also "tent" the canoe (actually the shop, I fasten sheets to the walls and ceiling) wi...