fitting the outer stem
fitting the outer stem
hi there, i am building my first canoe, the cottage cruiser, i am doing it staperless, i am just coming up to fitting the outer stem and am a little worried as to getting the mortice cut in the planks, not sure how it should look exactly, could anyone give me some advice on it or maybe e,mail me a photo of what it should look like. also should i sand down the hull ready for fibreglassing before fitting the outerstem,thanks andy scott. e,mail add andscott01@yahoo.co.uk
Re: fitting the outer stem
Hi Andy,
Canoecraft has a complete overview of this, but it can be somewhat tricky to imagine it. What you want to do is cut the mortice out of the planks so that the inner stem is then exposed. You must be very careful not to cut too far back past the end of the inner stem (towards the middle of the canoe). I recall Canoecraft saying to try for an inch or so before the end of the inner stem.
In terms of sanding, you have to fair the outer stem into the hull and adjacent planks so that there is a seamless transition from planks to stem. The stem ends up being at the same level as the planks and becomes 'part' of the canoe proper, not an add-on sticking up if you will. Therefore it is best to leave final sanding till the stem is inserted and faired into the hull.
Hope this helps.
Moonman.
Canoecraft has a complete overview of this, but it can be somewhat tricky to imagine it. What you want to do is cut the mortice out of the planks so that the inner stem is then exposed. You must be very careful not to cut too far back past the end of the inner stem (towards the middle of the canoe). I recall Canoecraft saying to try for an inch or so before the end of the inner stem.
In terms of sanding, you have to fair the outer stem into the hull and adjacent planks so that there is a seamless transition from planks to stem. The stem ends up being at the same level as the planks and becomes 'part' of the canoe proper, not an add-on sticking up if you will. Therefore it is best to leave final sanding till the stem is inserted and faired into the hull.
Hope this helps.
Moonman.
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BearLeeAlive
- Posts: 196
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:00 pm
Re: fitting the outer stem
Basically what you do, is to form a groove for the outer stem to fit tightly in, and take this groove down to flush with the top of the inner stem.
Once it is installed, you need to take the stem down a lot while you fair it to the hull, probably removing 2/3's of the material. A spokeshave is your friend to rough this out, followed with a fairing board, and sandpaper.
Here are a couple photos of my outer stem install. Mine is a flared stem that is 3/4" up to the corner of the bend, then flares out to 1 1/2" at the shear, but will still give you the idea.
I used a combination of a sharp utility knife to do the cuts, and a sharp chisel to take out the material. If you are careful, the stem will make a nice snug fit against the strips.
And one with the stem being clamped and strapped while the glue sets.
And with the stems faired to the hull.
Once it is installed, you need to take the stem down a lot while you fair it to the hull, probably removing 2/3's of the material. A spokeshave is your friend to rough this out, followed with a fairing board, and sandpaper.
Here are a couple photos of my outer stem install. Mine is a flared stem that is 3/4" up to the corner of the bend, then flares out to 1 1/2" at the shear, but will still give you the idea.
I used a combination of a sharp utility knife to do the cuts, and a sharp chisel to take out the material. If you are careful, the stem will make a nice snug fit against the strips.
And one with the stem being clamped and strapped while the glue sets.
And with the stems faired to the hull.
Last edited by BearLeeAlive on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-JIM-
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Re: fitting the outer stem
I have lost the explanatory photos I had for this step. My inner stems were 3/4" wide and tapered down to 3/8". The taper starts about 10" before reaching the end of the inner stem and the outer stem stops 1" short of the inner.
Re: fitting the outer stem
thankyou so much everyone for the fantastic info and photos for my questions, its really cleared my unease at this next step, thanks for taking the time to reply, cheers andy(from across the pond! uk)