13'9" Rice Lake Skiff

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Joan and Ted
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13'9" Rice Lake Skiff

Post by Joan and Ted »

Use this forum to post information specific to your 13'9" Rice Lake Skiff project. Use POST REPLY when posting information. Please stay on topic. For general boatbuilding discussions, please use the Builders Forum instead.
Last edited by Joan and Ted on Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Juneaudave
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Rice Lake Progress

Post by Juneaudave »

Well...I'm on my way and have a couple bad pictures to show.

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The Rice Lake is either a boat trying to be a canoe or a canoe trying to be a boat. I haven't made up my mind yet. Of interest to builders is that it is wide. You will need to overlap two layers of 60 inch fiberglass to cover this bad boy. On this boat, I will be using ash gunnels, with strips of mahogany, port orford, yellow cedar and WRC. Note that because the sides flare, the sheer strip follows the sheer naturally. Because I am using ash for the gunnels, I laid an ash sheer strip that will match the gunnels.

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I used a bunch of differnent width strips and bookmarked them to match the sides. A 1 1/4 inch strip can be used on the sides and this looks appropriate for a boat this size. As I got to the top of the stem, the compound bend was simply too much and I dropped back to 3/4 in strips. I did not try any fancy strips prefering to keep it plain. I will paint to the waterline and trim it tradionally. This should give it a classic look.

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Sorry about the garage mess...the transom is tricky. I will be fiberglassing the outside and the inside prior to gluing in the transom. This will allow me to run the fiberglass cloth right out to the end of the hull. So right now the solid 1 1/2 mahogany transom is floating between two molds of 1/2 inch particle board faired to the hull.

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Here's the details of my transom solution. I will trim the ends once I've glassed the hull. The extra layer of 1/2 partical board is nice in that it lets me screw in fasteners that will be cut out in the end product. .More to follow...Juneaudave
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psimer
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Rice lake Skiff

Post by psimer »

This is my second project. I built a Prospector Ranger last year and caught the bug.
Here are a few pictures of the building phase. I am now in the trim and finishing stage.
I will post more pictures later.

http://usera.imagecave.com/psimer/

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Dana H P'Simer Sr.
Don't start a vast project with a halfvast idea.
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

Looks Great!!!! Do you have a pic of the transition from the keel to the outer stem? and how did you stage the double layer of fiberglass? I'm just beginning to fair the bottom of mine...Juneaudave
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Glen Smith
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Post by Glen Smith »

Mighty fine looking boat, psimer.
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psimer
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Rice lake skiff

Post by psimer »

Hi Dave,

I am about to fniish the inside work and will be turning the boat over to finsh sand the outside and install the stem and keel band. I will take a picture then and post it. But basically I cut a scarf joint and shaped the transition from the stem to the keel mostly with my apron plane.
I glued the keel down with thickened epoxy using sticks from overhead joists for holddowns. No screws.

On the stageing of the overlap. I overlapped the glass from the sheer to the opposite waterline and wetted the first layer then after about 8 hours I scraped drools and laid glass from the sheer to the waterline on the other side and wetted that out. Then 4 more fill coats on both does the job... Dana PSimer
Dana H P'Simer Sr.
Don't start a vast project with a halfvast idea.
reinbilt
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Post by reinbilt »

Gentlemen,

Both Rice Lakes look great. I built a Cosine Wherry last winter which is very similiar to the Rice Lake, except the stern. I'd be interested in knowing how you're building the transom. The Wherry I built called for 1/2 inch marine plywood which I thought was too whimpy. I ended up laminating cedar strips to both sides of the transom with epoxy then glassing and epoxy with the rest of the boat. Finishing the interior of this rowboat was the best part of the building process. Keep up the good work!
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

I'm using 1 1/2 solid mahogany on mine. Interesting differences, though, in the transom for the cosine wherry and the Rice Lake. Bearmountain suggests fiberglassing the ouside and inside first (which allows you to run the glass clear out the end, then glue in the transom. The builder's notes for the Rice Lake do not mention the use of either a filet on the inside or a bias fiberglass strip on the outside. As I remember, on the cosine wherry, the transom is glued in as you strip up, and you add the filet and bias reinforcement while glassing.
tom in caledonia
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Post by tom in caledonia »

Hi guys. I'm currently building a Redbird but thinking of a small fishing boat next. I'd pretty much decided on a Cosine Wherry until I saw the Rice Lake. Now I'm not sure. Reinbilt, have you tried a small motor on the Wherry yet and if you did, how'd it go? The transom on the Rice lake looks like it would support a motor a little better perhaps. I'd be interested in anyones experience or opinion.
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Post by reinbilt »

Tom,

I have not tried a motor on my wherry. Beefing the transom up to one inch I think the boat could handle a 3 or 4 hp outboard. If Dave is using 1 1/2 in. solid mahogany I'm sure that boat would handle more power. If your deciding between a Cosine Wherry and a Rice Lake I would go with the Rice Lake. The wherry was a nightmare to plank and building book, Rip, Strip, and Row was very vague at best. Don't expect a well illustrated and organized book like Canoecraft or Kayakcraft.
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

Tom...

FYI...The plans rate the Rice Lake for up to a 5 hp gas engine.

I too looked at the Cosine Wherry and had originally decided to build it....but as my first boat...I ended up building a Bobs' Special because the instructions in Canoecraft were so much clearer. Later I was about to take up the wherry project again, and during my investigations, people kept asking me why I wanted to build the cosine if I intended to put an engine on it. (point is that there are better designs for motorized craft than the cosine) I ended up going with the Rice Lake, but haven't found anyone that has actually floated one. Its a bit of a relief to find a co-builder working on one in the bbs. Iit's still a mystery to me how it will perform under power. I am optomistic.

IMHO..I think that the Rice Lake is a better design for a motor than the Cosine. In addition to the transom shape (wineglass for the wherry and flat for the Rice Lake) and thickness of the transom, the Rice lake has a pretty stout keelson that will help transmit the stress of the motor through the hull. The Cosine does not. On the other hand, if I were to be building a boat for rowing, I think I would go with the wherry or a whitehall. I think the wherry could handle rougher water as the sides are higher, and the shape may lend itself to more efficient rowing.
Last edited by Juneaudave on Fri Oct 29, 2004 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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psimer
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Post by psimer »

Reinbilt,

The Rice Lake plans call for 2- thicknesses of 3/4" plywood for the transom. I had some 8/4" teak so I resawed it to 1.5" and glued up two pieces with thickened epoxy and a spline for the transom blank. It is a little heavier but I am saving weight in other places. With the keelson knee and the transom quarter knees and the epoxy glue around the perimeter I think it is a very sturdy transom. I have a 4 hp Yamaha outboard for a pusher so I don't think there will be a problem.
Dana H P'Simer Sr.
Don't start a vast project with a halfvast idea.
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

Like Dana, my transom is resawed 8/4 stock, glued with epoxy but not splined. When glueing up the blank, I chose a horizontal orientation and alternated the growth rings to minimize any potential for warping. When seeking advice, one builder suggested a vertical orientation of the individual pieces for strength, but I did not want the edge grain showing...Juneaudave
sedges
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cosine wherry is for rowing

Post by sedges »

The cosine wherry is really designed as a rowing boat. The run aft is swept up and the transom is meant to be out of the water. I would maybe consider putting a trolling motor on it. Any speed at all is going to cause the stern to sink into a hole. The Rice Lake Skiff looks a lot more like a motorized boat with the flat run aft. The large flat run will keep the stern bouyant at the speeds that a little gas motor will push her.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Thanks for the input guys. That's pretty much what I was thinking. I'll let you know how it comes out when I finally get to it.

Regards,
Tom
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