The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Thanks everyone. I may try to laminate the pieces for the seats.
However, I am also considering just a layer of glass on the surface of the seat members. The maximum tensile stress is at the surface, so perhaps this would be enough.

Nearing the completion of my first canoe, I wished that I had been able to work on the seats during the past winter months (cold Michigan garage, no work space). So, here I am about a month (OK, maybe two) from first launch … and nothing to sit on. That's OK. Rather than delay putting it in the wate...

I had been trying to decide which method to use in attaching the outer gunwales. As always, I found a wealth of good information on the Forum (thanks guys). In particular, there was a detailed discussion from Jan 2005 with the subject line "Best Method to Attach gunnels?" concerning whethe...

Another way to avoid frayed glass fabric is to tape off these areas on the hull with masking tape. I believe it was Glen who had provided me some photos and instructions pertaining to this method as it applies to joining the two halves of a kayak hull. On the inner hull of my canoe, I used a 3/4 inc...

I intend to add scuppers to my inner gunwhales, and I am currently trying to determine an appropriate size and spacing. I've just been using a trial and error method using marks on masking tape placed on the edge of the hull. This is actually more difficult than I thought. Since I want the scuppers ...

I visited the link, but I'm having a real tough time visuallizing how this technique works with a canoe. Can anyone offer some clarification ... or even a picture?
Thanks.

Last weekend I completed a yoke based on Chris Glad's design http://www.aracnet.com/~ncglad/canoe/yokedetail.htm. I found a nice bird's eye maple board with just enough material for the yoke and decks. I am not an experienced wood carver, so I asked the folks the local woodworking store how I could ...

Jeremy, I experienced the same problem as yourself when glassing the inner hull. I squeegeed like mad, but still ended up with ripples like you described, mostly in the bilge near the fore and aft. I saw them there ... they just would NOT stay down! It was so disappointing, because I am extremely pl...

Regardless of where you get your fiberglass, you should inquire about the "finish" which is applied to the cloth that you are buying. The finish is a chemical bath which enhances the bonding between the resin and the glass. All glass cloth has a finish applied, but different finishes can p...

You can often find inexpensive clamps at the "dollar" stores that seem to be springing up in every strip mall. I bought 16 four inch C-clamps at Big Lots for $2 each. They are actually very good quality with enameled frames and chromed handles & screw drives. If I had money to burn, I ...

Almost eleven months ago, I finished fiberglassing the outer and inner hull surfaces of my canoe. It was then that we decided to move to a different house. Since then, I’ve spent all of my “free” time working on remodeling the new home, and on other necessary home improvements. During the earlier st...

I have a DeWalt 5 inch random orbital sander. I can't seem to locate a soft sanding pad for this unit. Any suggestions?