Kevlar canoe project update (Moran)

[stonehollow]

Gunwales, ribs and floatation are in - working on seats and yokes tomorrow:





Latest updates at:
Gunwales - http://www.myrabo.com/k-canoe/kevlarII/8-gunwales.htm

Ribs & floatation - http://www.myrabo.com/k-canoe/kevlarII/9-ribs.htm

Need to have them done by Friday!

[Jim Dodd]

Great job Arne!!!
I have jusy a few questions.
How do you like suspending the hull from the ceiling? No tripping on floor stands!
What did you use as the form for your flotation chambers?
Lastly, do you hang your seats from the gunnels?
You've done a supper job of pictorial progress!
Thanks!!!
Jim

[Bryan Hansel]

How rough is the stem covering? Are you able to feather that smoothly?

[stonehollow]

I really like hanging it from the ceiling, mostly because I can easily change the height I'm working at (and it's true - there's nothing to trip over). Obviously, it swings a bit, but I think the other advantages outweigh the swinging.

The floatation chamber is made from a piece of polystyrene (yellow, of course). We just cut a teardrop shape on the bandsaw, then trim/shave it with a Surform until it fits properly. All it really does is hold up the fiberglass covering while it cures.

The seats are not hung from the gunwales. It's done by placing a screw from the outside into the dowel, or seat stringer. I used a 3" #10 ss oval headed screw with a finish washer. Here's a picture from 2003:




Bryan has identified the hardest part with finishing the stems. It's done with sanding and epoxy, sometimes a fill strip of 'glass. I've not had a great deal of success doing this gracefully otherwise. I'm spending more time on it to get it looking decent than I'd like. Maybe I'll figure out a better way next time. :).

[Jim Dodd]

I'm sure you'll come up with a solution for your ends!
Years ago I purchased what I thought to be kevlar felt, from a supplier and builder in St. Paul.
I found out later that it was merely polyester felt, the kind you can buy at a fabric shop. Anyway, when you think of it, it would build up the area that gets a lot of abuse, but can still be sanded and shaped. It would'nt have quite the abrasion resistance as kevlar, but probably enough for most boats.
Great work Arne!
I think I'll give your ceiling sling a try! Thanks for the tip, and great photos!
Jim

[stonehollow]

Yesterday we applied the finish coat http://www.myrabo.com/k-canoe/kevlarII/ ... finish.htm and worked on the seat fromes.
We sanded the rough edges off the ribs today, and re-epoxied the sanded spots. Also worked on the seat frames. Applied tung oil to the frames in preparation for drilling tomorrow for caning.





Shop is closed up to keep the bugs off the finish!

[Jim Dodd]

Hulls really look nice with a coat of varnish!!!
I see you use US composite epoxy.
How did you like it, and what kind of pot life does it have?
Lastly, is it blush free?
You are really moving along, paddling time is not far off!
Jim

[Erik, Belgium]

hi Arne,

thanks for keeping us posted on your marvellous looking kevlar canoes.
As far as finishing the stems is concerned: I 'm using peelply for the most of my layups nowadays, for several reasons. It takes excess epoxy away from the glasscloth and leaves a flat (straight) surface that doesn't need sanding (in case of hardening out, you don't need to sand for mechanical bonding). Filling the weave is just as possible as without peelply. I have come to like using peelply a lot.
Application: Lay it out on the wettened out surfaces, go over with gloves and make it take up epoxy. Tear it off when epoxy is tackfree.
Looking back at my Bell Magic, back then I didn't know how they taped the cloth seams so beautifully, but now I 'm sure they using peelply as well.
I did this last week on my seakayak. I have to take a pic tonight, and post it.

Erik, Belgium.

[stonehollow]

Jim - We used the 2:1 extra slow hardener with the 635 low viscosity epoxy from US Composites (advertised as non-blushing). I was initially skeptical, but the price is almost 1/2 of West Systems. It's turned out to be very easy to work with (very forgiving, timewise). Pot life is advertised as 35-40 minutes at 80F, with working time of 5-6 hours. I think the pot life is actually longer. We did the initial layups at 90 F. We do take pains to get it out on the canoe as soon as possible, so the working time is literally hours. We never had problems staying ahead of it. If I had to do it over, I'd get some fast for the stems, gunwale scarfs and seat joints. We used West Systems fast for the seat joints.

Erik - I read up about peel-ply after we did the stems. I certainly will try it. Thanks for the tip - next time!

[stonehollow]

My wife graciously caned the stern seat, and is working on the bow seat:




Couldn't ask for a better friend!

Also started shaping the yoke (I have a microplane blade in the hacksaw frame):



Updates at http://www.myrabo.com/k-canoe/kevlarII/ ... finish.htm

[Bryan Hansel]

Looking back at my Bell Magic, back then I didn't know how they taped the cloth seams so beautifully, but now I 'm sure they using peelply as well.
I did this last week on my seakayak. I have to take a pic tonight, and post it.

They vac bag the ribs into their canoes.

[Erik, Belgium]

Arne,

A pic as promised.
It took me a little longer to take a decent picture of a peelply result but here is one pic. This area is the outer reinforcement band on my kayak that I put on last friday (late) night. I tore it off 6 hours after I put it in the wetted out glasscloth. As you see it took away excess epoxy , and leaves a straight lay-up. Sanding isn't necessary when using peelply in case you 'd want a mechanical bond. The glasstape used here is 6oz, the "wafer" you see is that of the thin peelply.



Erik, Belgium.