The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Well, the easy answer is to get one of each! However, if I had to choose only one it would be a low angle block plane because it probably has more uses. When I built my canoe, I purchased a spokeshave, and it worked very well for shaping the stems. I had never seen a spokeshave before, and I must sa...

Thanks guys. The sanding board across the width of the boat is a great idea. If I go with the rolling bevel at the shear joint, I will definitely use this tool.

Jeff

p.s. Sorry about the duplicate topic submission. I swear I clicked SUBMIT only once.
... computers!

That's an excellent idea, Gary. If I go with the bead and cove shear joint, I will definitely start the deck with the double-cove strip.
I was also concerned about fairing the exterior of the seam because the sanding might expose the glass fibers. Did you find this to be an issue?

Jeff

I have finally milled my bead and cove strips for building my One Ocean Expedition Sport kayak, and I am ready to start stripping the hull. However, I keep changing my mind about the joint at the shear line. The Expedition Sport design does not use a shear clamp, so I know that great care must be ta...

I have finally milled my bead and cove strips for building my One Ocean Expedition Sport kayak, and I am ready to start stripping the hull. However, I keep changing my mind about the joint at the shear line. The Expedition Sport design does not use a shear clamp, so I know that great care must be ta...

I conceiled all of the hardware for the seats and yoke on my canoe. For me, a totally smooth gunnel surface was worth the extra effort. The Heli-coil insert from Green Valley is probably the best option (for all the reasons Martin Step describes), although the most costly and difficult. I recognized...

Hello Terry, Would you care for yet another option? I too was concerned about starving the glue joint when clamping the gunnels to the hull. However, I also wanted to avoid the use of fasteners, even temporary screws, whose holes must be plugged. So, to ensure that there would be sufficient thickene...

Thanks for the feedback guys! I have since gone back to using ordinary wood glue at the scarf joint, and I have not had any strips break during handling. I am reasonable confident that they'll hold up during stripping. I am not absolutely sure what went wrong with the Gorilla glued joints, but I agr...

I am joining many short length strips with scarf cuts across the thickness of the strips. The scarf cuts are consistant and smooth because they are made on a belt sander. I ripped these strips a little thick since I intend to run the full lengths through the planer after joining the shorter lengths ...

I used plastic cane for my canoe seats. They proved to be extremely comfortable.

I caned them while watching television. Each seat took only about two evenings.

Jeff

Hello Brad, I've made a number of inquiries with suppliers in northern Michigan, and they mostly say that clear 8 foot lengths of NWC can be found, but 10 or 12 foot reasonably clear boards are extremely unlikely. Being in the north country, you are a lot closer to the source, so if you have checked...

I talked to a supplier of white cedar paneling (1x6 inch tongue and groove planks) near Fenton, Michigan. He might be able to provide some relatively clear white cedar up to 12 foot in length. He is a canoe builder himself, so he knows what I'm looking for. This is my best lead on white cedar so far...

Hello Joe. Good to hear from you. I spoke to John at Fingerle recently and he was extremely helpful. They don't stock white cedar, but they can order what he described as a clear grade. It may be quite acceptable, but I can't bring myself to place an order without seeing the boards first. I visited ...

Does anyone know of a source of Northern White Cedar in Southeast Michigan? I would like to use mostly white cedar for an upcoming kayak build (One Ocean - Expedition Sport). I found a local company who can order rough white cedar boards for me, but I am apprehensive about buying these without the a...

Does anyone have close-up photos of a stripper with flat-grained cedar strips?

Jeff