19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

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Joan and Ted
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19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Joan and Ted »

Use this forum to post information specific to your 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition project. Use POST REPLY when posting information. Please stay on topic. For general boatbuilding discussions, please use the Builders Forum instead.
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

I recently bought the plans for the Chaa Creek Expedition. I was inspired by the photo of Ted working with locals to build them in Belize. I run a non-profit organization that operates primarily in Nicaragua and Honduras. I have been dreaming for many years of introducing wood plank construction to my indigenous friends on the Caribbean Coast. I took a copy of Canoecraft down and left it with friends there a few years ago. They loved the book and the boats. Plank construction would be more expensive and complex than the dugouts they use now but it would use much less wood, from smaller, younger trees, and result in some very nice, lightweight boats. Our first step was to deliver and set up a saw mill on their ancestral homeland. The mill is working well for them. I am going to build a Chaa Creek Expedition for my own use around the Puget Sound area and on Washington Rivers then maybe someday my friends in Central America can build one or many.
Rama friends at Cane Creek, Nicaragua
Rama friends at Cane Creek, Nicaragua
Canoe maintenance on the beach
Canoe maintenance on the beach
Last edited by jimlgordon on Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Cruiser
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

Hopefully you plan to share the build with us on this forum.

You will find the forum has a wealth of knowledge and there are a lot of good folks to help if you need any.

Good luck on the build.

Brian
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Started cutting the strips using the awesome woodshop at BARN http://bainbridgebarn.org/.
Since BARN is a community workshop I am trying to do as much prep work as possible before planking and glassing.
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awesome band saw
awesome band saw
Last edited by jimlgordon on Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Turning some old wood discards into a big canoe
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bandsaw1.jpg
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Cut random sized pieces into uniform 3/4 inch boards
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planks1.jpg
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

My first bundle of new strips
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pileofnewstrips.jpg
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

The beginning of the strongback. All wood in the strongback is leftover scrap from cabinet companies that my parents collected. I am trying an experiment with building a strongback that can be broken down in five segments for transporting and storing. A 20 foot permanent, one piece strong back would take up a lot of space when not in use. With five segments, I can store it in the attic. I did a test of this arrangement and found it to be very rigid when I bolted the segments together and added a couple supports in the middle between the supports on the ends.
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strongback1_small.jpg
Last edited by jimlgordon on Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

Stations cut and sanded from MDF scrap... that's like a 19 ft 9 inch boat squashed down
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stations1.jpg
Last edited by jimlgordon on Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Jim Dodd
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Jim Dodd »

Great start !

What kind of wood are you using for this build ?

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

spanish cedar and fir for the hull ... it was some material found in someone's barn that they wanted to find a home for
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Jim Dodd
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Jim Dodd »

Great to use what is at hand !
I'm thinking Washington should have an abundance of Western Red Cedar.
Again great start !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Cruiser
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

Looks like you have a great start ... will be following the build.

Keep the updates coming.

Thanks


Brian
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jimlgordon
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by jimlgordon »

I am considering making the gunwales from laminating some thinner (1/4 inch maybe), shorter (8-10 feet), pieces of wood together, possibly maple. I am thinking they will need to be something like 21 feet for a 19 foot, 9 inch canoe like the Chaa Creek.
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Re: 19' 9" Chaa Creek Expedition

Post by Cruiser »

21' feet sounds about right, if you are going to be sticking/laminating those, I think you will still need to skarf the individual pieces to have the strength.

Where you going to epoxy or glue them up?


Brian
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