outer stems and keel fitting.

alick burt · Post by **alick burt** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:59 am

I would like to put

outside stems and a keel on my peterborough style canoe and have come up with a number of related questions.
1.if I am to fit my keel between coats of epoxy and after the first coat and cloth what happens to my carefully fitted scarf joints where it joins the stems?The cloth and resin under the keel will effect them!
2.should I....
a.Fit stems and keel first then glass and resin over them?
b.Fit stems only ,do the first glass and resin coat and then re fit my keel scarf joints to suit very quickly between coats of resin.
c.Do my first glass and resin coat of and then fit both stems and keel afterwards.
d.Fit stems only,do all three coats and then fit the keel.
3.I am also finding a slight difficulty in getting my keel to sit flat in it's position because of the apex formed by some of the strips and the curvature of the bottom at each end.
Is it normal to plane this apex off flat or is it better to cut a tapering v groove in the base of the keel to accept it?

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:37 am

From what I understand is you are to install the keel after the glass has been laid and the final 2-3 coats of epoxy on top of that if possible.
Cheers, Robbie.

alick burt · Post by **alick burt** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:43 am

Thankyou for your reply,
I am mulling it over and slowly coming around to that way of thinking.I am currently chiselling away the back of my keel and getting it to sit on the base of my canoe sweetly.
I realise that i will still have to re fit my splices slightly to account for the cloth and resin under them.This begs the question of how will the cloth fit around my stems at the point where the splice is that joins them to the keel....?
here I go thinking aloud again!
back to the chisel
Many Thanks
Alick