19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Use the Project Directories as quick-reference tools to help you find other builders working on similar projects to yours.
Post Reply
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Planning to use some of the log on this near end for future builds.
poulsbolog1.jpg
Last edited by jimlgordon on Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:21 am, edited 4 times in total.
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Milling the log into wet, floppy, heavy boards.
poulsbologmill.jpg
Last edited by jimlgordon on Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Stacked the green wood to dry... it will take a long time in the wet Pacific Northwest. I re-stacked them tall and added more paint to the ends after this photo was taken so they don't split.
boards1.jpg
Last edited by jimlgordon on Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:26 am, edited 4 times in total.
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Planning to use Titebond II and alternating the laminations... second thought, maybe epoxy instead
Last edited by jimlgordon on Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Jim Dodd »

Good Morning Jim
Just a quick glance at your plank pic, and I noticed the grain direction in the planks. They appear to be Quarter sawn planks in the pic anyway. Your best strips will come from Flat or Slash cut planks. In other words, when you look at the grain, it should resemble a shallow arch. Strips cut from Flat grain planks will give you quarter sawn strips, the stiffest, strongest strips !

I'm on my laptop computer, but will post a pic of how the grain should look on your planks later !
Here we are
Image

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: plank grain orientation

Post by jimlgordon »

I will keep that grain orientation in mind for future planks... thanks!
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

I made my strongback 20 feet long and the Chaa Creek is a little shorter. Will that be ok? Do the stems really need to hang off the ends for this model? I can cut some length off the strongback but I would prefer not to.
User avatar
Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

There is a choice of how high the molds sit above the strongback. Just watch the sheer when you are drawing up the forms, you can raise them a little if required (you raise them all the same amount).

Just remember you are raising the whole boat, so the top is getting higher and harder to work on as you raise the molds.

Brian
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

To staple or not to staple, that is my question
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Would it be reasonable to use cedar or fir for gunwhales? Maybe I could put a lightweight layer of glass and epoxy over it to toughen it up to abuse.
Last edited by jimlgordon on Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

Totally personal preference, the boat will get built either way ...

I also do wood working and the idea of making all those holes in the project just doesn't visually work for me, I started stapleless and don't think I will ever swap to the "Church of the Holy Boat".

Building without staples will add some time to the build, say about an extra week and in the overall scheme of how long the build will take, that just isn't that big a deal to me.

If you look at a few build photos and the staple holes don't bother you, then that may be the easiest path forward ... from a strength or finishing PoV I don't think there is really any differences, it is just the look of the final product.

Brian
User avatar
Cruiser
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:21 am
Location: Bowmanville, Ontario

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

Using a hardwood for the gunnels isn't just about being a tougher surface to beat on, they also support the thwarts, yoke and the seats hang from them usually .... so strength is pretty important.

I do believe a lot of gunnels are overbuilt and in general the trim (gunnels/thwarts/yoke/decks) adds a lot more weight than is really required.

What is your purpose of using cedar for the gunnels? If it is weight, then having to add fiberglass, adds more weight and expense ... which starts defeating the purpose of saving weight.

Personally, I would stick with a hardwood for the gunnels ... you can pare them down a tad to save weight, while still providing sufficient strength. On my Freedom 17, I used 3/8" x 3/4" cherry inner/outer gunnels and they are plenty strong. On my current Freedom Solo the gunnels will end up as 5/16" x 3/4" cherry with a routed chamfer on the bottom and a round over inside and out on the top ....

Using cedar is possible and I think there are a few builds on this site that have done that, but you really have to be careful and understand how you use your boat and what limitations those gunnels will have.

Brian
User avatar
Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Patricks Dad »

I would stick with hardwood as well. The last canoe I built (Freedom Solo) I used a single 3/4" X 3/4" piece with a dado cut down the bottom of it 1/2" to create a uni-wale. It installed very easily with thickened epoxy and is plenty strong (and less than half the weight of standard inwale/outwale combos.) Would definitely do it again.
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
User avatar
jimlgordon
Posts: 109
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:57 pm
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

The uni-whale sounds interesting. I assume that would exclude scuppers. What do people think of scuppers or the lack of scuppers for a big boat like this? My beat up old (non-woodstrip) 18 ft Wenonah Whitewater 2 from the 70's does just fine without scuppers.
User avatar
Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Patricks Dad »

Right, no scuppers. I put scuppers in my first canoe. They look nice but really weren't worth the effort and placement of the seats and thwarts were made more difficult with their presence (required a bit more planning ahead).

For your larger boat, you might want to beef up the uniwale a bit but if you bevel the underside of the uniwale, there will be no real down side of not having scuppers.
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
Post Reply