cost

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psimer
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lake Lanier (Gainesville) GA

Post by psimer »

I finished a Rice Lake skiff in early November and the cost was $865 and 228 hours. I have kept an Excel spreadsheet of the whole thing and would attach it here if I knew how. Can anyone tell me how to do it?
Dana H P'Simer Sr.
Don't start a vast project with a halfvast idea.
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Juneaudave
Posts: 522
Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 12:42 pm
Location: Juneau, Alaska
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Post by Juneaudave »

Congrats Psimer!!! Could you post a couple pics of the completed Rice Lake on the Project Directory? I'm about a month (at my current rate of progress) from completing the hull and beginning trim...Juneaudave
The Gutt Clan
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:32 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Post by The Gutt Clan »

Well, if part of makng the canoe cost 'less' is hiding the true expense from your spouse... Try collecting change fro a while. It's amazing how much you can acquire in a few months. Also, if your state has a bottle return, try collecting bottles. It's not as fast as collecting change but you can get a little more there.

Of course my wife doesn't care how much I spend on my wood working hobby. I've also set myelf a budget to make sure my costs don't overrun my means eather. So, instead of thinking about the total cost of your canoe, decide how much you could afford a month and 'save up' for the expensive stuff like the epoxy and fiberglass.

This month, I ordered my plans (Freedom 17), and purchased wood for the strong back. The winters in Rochester NY are a little too cold (We hit 0 degrees Farenheit yesterday) to work in an unheated garage in the winter. So, I'll get my strongback built, my stations cut and my strips ripped over this winter. By spring I'll have enough saved up to buy my fiberglass and epoxy.
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Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Post by Patricks Dad »

Our canoe project as been a boon for new tool purchases but we are keeping track of all material costs. Its getting cold in Chicago as well (6 F yesterday morning). Our garage is unheated but has a furnace in it to heat the office above the garage. We have found that a 1500 Watt electric heater and 2 500 Watt flood lights keeps the inside temp about 40F above the outside temp. Not enough for fiberglassing in the dead of winter.

Looking into additional heat, I made an inquiry to the guy that put the furnace into the garage for the upstairs thinking that putting a couple holes in the ductwork for upstairs would make for a warm downstairs. Unfortunately, local building codes don't allow shared ductwork between a garage and a living space. He declined the job but offered to install a separate heater connected to the same gas line for $1400+. I declined (thinking about how nice of a canoe I could buy with $1400).

Yesterday when I was suppose to be cleaning the house for Christmas guests, I installed a separate 20A electrical circuit ($10 for parts) for an additional electrical heater connected off the airconditioner feed (won't need the AC for awhile). Should be able to get enough heat in there for comfortable fiberglassing. Will resort to a tent if needed.
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
Manitoulin Charlie

Cost

Post by Manitoulin Charlie »

You can buy epoxy/hardener from US Composites for $30.00/gal
60" 6oz "E" glass/$5.25/yard. assessories are similarly low priced
Frugal Charlie
taswima
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: saco, maine

new builder

Post by taswima »

Being that im only 16, i am going to be building a nice solo tripper and knowing me, racing it. Luckily freinds from Boy Scouts are great boatbuilders, so i will be using there shops and tools under there supervision. According to them i can get away with a boat for about $400 and the cost of gas to drive to fort kent to get wood from his cousin. Are there any hidden costs i should be watching out for/ scared of because im a poor high school student?
do anything once, if you get hurt, do it again
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Glen Smith
Posts: 3719
Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

Disposables can add up pretty fast. Brushes, epoxy measuring cups, masking tape, latex gloves, etc.....can account for more than 100$ in building expenses.

Shop around and buy the best quality products (epoxy, fiberglass cloth, varnish) your budget will handle.

Enjoy your project.
Chuck in Pa
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 4:51 pm
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Re: new builder

Post by Chuck in Pa »

taswima wrote:Being that im only 16, i am going to be building a nice solo tripper and knowing me, racing it. Luckily freinds from Boy Scouts are great boatbuilders, so i will be using there shops and tools under there supervision. According to them i can get away with a boat for about $400 and the cost of gas to drive to fort kent to get wood from his cousin. Are there any hidden costs i should be watching out for/ scared of because im a poor high school student?
You are in the same position I was in a couple years ago. I bought a kit for a strip kayak, making my project a little more expensive. My main recomendation is to have $200 beyond what anyone else says your project will cost. I guarantee you'll spend it, but if you don't, you'll have some money to buy some nice accesories.

You're lucky to have friends with a shop. My father has a small shop in my garage, where I build my kayak, but I used some tools from the school workshop, and when it came time to glue the deck and hull together, in February, I took the parts there to work in the heat.

Good luck on your project, and if you have any questions, email me.
titaniumchuck at yahoo dot com (take out the spaces)

-Chuck
Shuswap Pat
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:33 pm
Location: Salmon Arm, BC.

Cost

Post by Shuswap Pat »

The cost of materials/plans etc. $1000
Cost of 'Extra Tools' you have to have $1000
The experience of building a boat - Priceless.

Bet ya can't build just one!!

Pat
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pawistik
Posts: 323
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 11:20 pm
Location: Saskatoon, SK

Sneaky!

Post by pawistik »

fz7m0d wrote:Hi

This is my first canoe and I have just gotten started, but I found a great way to keep the cost down. I was all geared up to start this project last winter, when my wife reminded me that our kitchen was in dire need of refurbishing. So, I spent all winter and spring building new cupboards and countertops. Then, half the summer gutting out the kitchen and installing all the new stuff. Over this period of time, a sheet of 3/4 plywood was slipped in here, a cedar plank there, maybe a new 1/2" router with canoe bits if I thought she was being particularly nonobservant one day. The kitchen cost overruns are completely justified..............we have a beautiful, functional kitchen. And, I get to build a cheaper canoe.

Bob
Dang, you've got the system all worked out. I should've figured that out sooner. My wife has been making me finish up some of the various ongoing renovation projects I've got underway before she is letting me get a start on her kayak. She's flexing a bit on that though, probably because she wants a new boat this summer. I think she'll settle for getting the baseboards on in the living room and kitchen, and the bathroom tiled. That leaves some painting (which she can do) and a few other odds n ends to pick away at.

Cheers,
Bryan
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