just wondering

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sue denim
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:23 pm
Location: South west France

just wondering

Post by sue denim »

If I were to go to my barn and start building a redbird from scratch, including the strongback, forms etc...........spending 40 hrs a week on the job, how long do you think it should take to get a completed canoe.

Just for the record I do have a joinery background and all the tools to match.

Your thoughts please. :thinking


Thank you in advance

Sue
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Glen Smith
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Re: just wondering

Post by Glen Smith »

About 3 months.
sedges
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Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2004 5:37 pm
Location: georgia

four to five weeks

Post by sedges »

I would have to disagree with Glen here. If you have the skills, tools and a good work space and work 40 hours a week on it your canoe should hit the water in a month or so. A little more if you are building stapleless and maybe less if you are using staples. Time waiting for glue or resin to dry/set can be used to be making seats, thwarts, yoke breastplates gunwale stock, etc.

All this depends also on the level of finish. Fine furniture grade finish is going to take longer and a get-it-in-the-water prototype finish(see Bryan' latest build) could be 3 weeks.

It also depends on your style of "work". Your reference to 40 hours a week tells me you would treat this project as a job and not spend any of that work time day-dreaming about the launch day!
sue denim
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:23 pm
Location: South west France

Re: just wondering

Post by sue denim »

I will be considering this as a job and the first one I make will be for me. The second one I want to make will be lofted from an canoe I already own and that is an 1890 peterborough canoe. It is a little worse for wear but complete. That one I will sell after I am sure it is good enough.

I don't know if I will fall foul of copyright etc on a canoe of this age.
For reference it is exactly the same as the one on page 174 of canoecraft.

It may not make me rich but I can assure you I will earn more doing this than I have in the past working as a self employed joiner in France.

regards Sue Denim
sedges
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2004 5:37 pm
Location: georgia

boatbuilding as a career

Post by sedges »

While there are a few folks that make a living building woodstrip boats, I was not to be one of them. I could certainly produce a canoe a month, but I couldn't find buyers. Maybe it was location, maybe it was a lack of marketing skills, but it never got beyond a part-time business. When I got a full -time job I continued to enjoy building boats for myself for fun.

Good luck with your endeavor. Sometimes the right person in the right place with the right skills and attitude builds a good business. Certainly worth a try!
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Bryan Hansel
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Re: just wondering

Post by Bryan Hansel »

After you got good at it, depending on the level of finish, you could crank out one to two a month. There's some curing time involved, so that adds waiting time before you can varnish.
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TC in Twin Lake 1
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Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 8:06 pm

Re: just wondering

Post by TC in Twin Lake 1 »

I had the thought of building two at a time starting one about 1-2 weeks after the first to maximize your working time when you are doing stapless construction. I think you could churn out, Like brian said, amybe two every 4-6 weeks.

Just a thought.
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Woodchuck
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Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 7:56 am
Location: Garden City, MI

Re: just wondering

Post by Woodchuck »

IMHO, build the first one and then start thinking about the business thing. I think most builders would like to have a business building cedar strip canoes but there is just too much labor involved to ever get paid for it plus a profit. You will learn so much during the first build that you will then know...
CYA, Joe
Joe "Woodchuck" Gledhill
Garden City, MI
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Glen Smith
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Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Re: just wondering

Post by Glen Smith »

Have you verified if there are any special laws regarding canoes in France? I may be mistaken but I believe that kayaks have to survive a floatation test. There might be similar ruling for canoes.
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Moonman
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Joined: Wed May 26, 2004 11:24 am
Location: Vandorf, Ontario

Re: just wondering

Post by Moonman »

In regards to selling strippers, keep in mind that a lot of people who want a cedar strip boat also want to build it themselves. Other people who might want to buy a cedar strip boat might think it is over priced when they can get a Kevlar boat for 2000 - 2500 dollars.

If you know what you are doing and don't have to stop and read up on some aspect of the build I think you could definitely do one in a month to 5 weeks working all the time on it. If you can rip and machine your strips quickly, then putting it together won't be that hard. The sanding sucks though....

Hope this helps.

Moonman
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DSJ
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Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:54 am
Location: Thessalon, On.

Re: just wondering

Post by DSJ »

If you are going into production, you could save a lot of time by making parts for multiple canoes all at once. For example, it probably would'nt take much more time to machine gunnels and planking for two or three canoes than it would for one.

It may also make sense to sub-contract some of the work, perhaps get an auto body shop to apply clear coat rather than varnishing yourself.
alick burt
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Re: just wondering

Post by alick burt »

I recently finished my second boat (the peterborough shown in the picture) and timed the whole process as I made it to sell.It took me (a cabinetmaker with over 20yrs experience).165hrs and I didn't hang around!
I sold her on Thursday and will be making another in between my other projects.
RegardsImage
Alick
sue denim
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:23 pm
Location: South west France

Re: just wondering

Post by sue denim »

That is a beautiful piece of work.
What is the darker wood used on the decky things at the end?

I am going to try and use all locally sourced timber definitely nothing imported.

I have access to lime cherry oak chestnut etc for the trims and I am thinking of using either lime for the planking or douglas fir.

Not sure yet but I am waiting for edf to connect the electric before I can do anything.


Thanks for the inspiration.
alick burt
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Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:41 am
Location: united kingdom
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Re: just wondering

Post by alick burt »

Hi Sue
My decks are made from a strip of elm in the centre with two stripes of sycamore either side with a couple of pieces of reclaimed mahogany either side of that.As it was reclaimed from an unwanted table top i'm not sure of the exact variety but it came up really well with the varnish.
enjoy your build.
cheers
Alick
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HighPlainsDrifter
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Location: Brookings, SD USA

Re: just wondering

Post by HighPlainsDrifter »

Time is really not that important. There is no race to be won. I find that I chew up much time thinking (and planning) my attack........ maybe more time than is actually used on the task. But I find my mind happy when engaged in "canoe thought"...... time slips away, and I let it :)
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