Using bungie cords

[Yann Dubois]

Having started laying the strips in March, I am finally nearing the completion of this stage on my first redwood canoe! However, after I passed the bilge I started having difficulties keeping the hull tight against the station molds, especially when I applied outward pressure when gluing up the strips. Someone here had recommended gluing blocks up against the inside of the canoe, and securing the blocks to the mold. This probably would have worked fine, although I had reservations about removing them later, especially since this redwood splinters so easily. So I decided to try out using bungie cords instead to "wrap" around the canoe, making sure not to damage the sides of the canoe with the ends. This method has its pros and cons: it makes the job slower, having to remove the cords each time, but when I strap them down tight, the hull hugs the molds really tight, and uniformly. Anyways, this is probably a well-known method (good or bad? I don't know), but I thought I'd share my experience. Here are a couple of pictures showing some examples of how I use the cords (usually I use more cords than just 2 or 3):

[Larry Nelson]

I ran into similar problems with my current project. I am not using staples, so there is no firm connection to the mold ends. I came up with an idea that is a bit putsy, but worked very well. I cut a 3/4" by 3/4" strip of wood and clamped it to the mold face right along the edge. As I installed the cedar strips, I would clamp the strip (using a thin wood scrap to avoid damage to the strip) to the 3/4" strip using a spring clamp. This would pull the cedar strip tight against the mold until the glue dried. As I progressed with the stripping, I would have to move the strips from time to time.

Total strip install time using this method and no staples came to about 60 hours for a 16' canoe.

Hope the idea helps!

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Hey Yann,

Question: After installing a strip and wrapping the hull with the bungee cords, does the hull stay incontact with the forms when the bungees are removed?

Remember, you won't be able to use the bungee cords to hold everything down when it comes time to sand and fiberglass the outside of the hull.

[Steve Lansdowne]

I used bungees a fair amount after finding Ted's method to have problems. My strips did NOT all lay as close to the forms as I wanted when I was all done, though I'll live with it. I'm not sure that use of the bungees had anything to do with this, however. I can't see how using bungees would be any different in this regard than using other clamping methods.

[Juneaudave]

I'm of the school of "anything that will work" including judiciously placed brads, screws, staples, nails, and spikes as well as non-destructive methods including bungees, wedges, hot glue, glued blocks, sticks from the roof, sticks from the floor, a variety of frames, sand bags and or course....clamps. Creativity is the mother of invention!!!

[Rick in PenderH]

I have strip built several wee lassies, and now I use monofiliment fishing line to hold the strips while the glue sets. I strip bead up, and after nailing the first strip, I wrap subsequent strips to the previous ones. At each station, I also take a turn around a screw driven into the face of the form an inch or so from the edge, to hold the strip against the form. Once the whole boat is stripped, I run a utiity knife along the bottom of the sheer, and cut all the fishing line, then pull the strands out through the hull. Takes about 300 yds of line to strip a wee lassie, but there is no waiting, I can strip one in a day, although it gets a bit more complicated as I am closing in the bottom. I think that this process holds the strips to the molds and to each other better than staples, and is just about as fast. I have a few pics of this process if anyone is interested, but I don't know how to post them here. If anyone wants, I can e-mail them.

rgds
Rick

[Steve Lansdowne]

Rick, do you need to put any scrap pieces of wood between the strip being glued and the line? I'd think that on soft wood the line might cut into the strips somewhat.

[Rick in PenderH]

Steve,

The line does dig into the bead edge a bit, but the groove is curved over the edge, no light can pass through and becomes pretty much invisible once the boat is sanded. The point of using fishing line is so that you don't have to stop and remove the line between layers, putting a block of wood in would be counter-productive.

rgds

Rick

ps Glen..I sent pics

[Yann Dubois]

Dean,

When the bungees are removed, the hull floats about 1/4" above the forms, but I had the same thing happen when I was using only clamps to glue the strips down. Now that I'm gluing up the strips on the last side to the keel line, it is keeping the hull down against the molds.

Yann

[Rod Tait]

To hold the strips to the forms, it is best to run a bead of hot melt glue inside as a corner bead and let it set up before removing the clamps or bundies.

I have found this method to work very well to hold the strips to forms. Of course there is some clean up after removing hull from forms.

[Peter Kotowych]

Hi Rick,

I love your fishing line idea.
If you can send me more info, more pics, I would love it.
How do you fasten the strips at the bow & stern if you strip most of it in one day.
What pound test line do you use.
Are their visible holes as in the staple method.

Thanks
Penetang Pete
e-mail pkotowych@sympatico.ca