Freedom 17--post-build observations

[Charles G. Clark, Jr.]

The afterglow of finishing the baot is slowly passing. Before my memories of the build fade, I wanted to share a few of my observations with the group.

1. In my previous builds, I used MAS and then Silvertip epoxies. Both behaved well and I enjoyed using them. This time, I used Raka with the 350 hardener. It was thinner than either of the previous two. That caused me problems with the glass floating in the epoxy during wetout. I would probably use Raka again, but I would pay more attention to wetting out.
2. I used 2x WRC lumber from my local lumber yard. I sorted through the stock to find the darkest WRC I could find and the lightest WRC I could find. The density of the two were noticably different. I didn't care too much for how the dark WRC (which was very light in weight) sanded and machined. It seemed much more porous than the lighter. I still would choose to use 2x lumber again, but I might try to find boards with similar densities.
3. I am not happy with my scuppers. In previous posts, we discussed methods of cutting scuppers. I would use one of the other methods.
4. Caned seats look great. Choosing the case size sure makes a difference in how much labor there is in doing the caning. I chose Fine cane, which meant that I needed 3/16 holes spaces at 5/8 inch. That is a bunch of holes! If I had it to do over again, I think I would use Common size cane.
5. Fiberglassing the inside of the canoe, and doing it well, is still something I have not learned to do. The ends of the canoe just kick my butt. Next time, I think I will cut the inside fiberglass a little shorter, wear my lucky underware, hop on one foot, comb my hair backwards, or some other magic procedure.
6. I am one of those guys who likes varnishing. I really do. For the thrid time, I used Captain's varnish. It is just so easy to use and looks so good. I don't think I will use anything else.
7. Having a deadline for completion sure kept me motivated. In my past builds, I had no deadline and just finished whenever I finished. The results were 1 1/2 year and 1 year builds. This one took 6 months to finish because I promised to take my daughter out for school Spring Break.

Chuck

[ealger]

Chuck, thanks for the feedback on your build experience. Perhaps you could elaborate some on your experience with your scuppers. There are lots of ways of building and tuning up scuppers.

And were your WRC 2x cut from 8' lengths or longer?
Ed...

[Charles G. Clark, Jr.]

I used 12-foot 2x10 lumber. After running it through my jointer and planer, I sliced off 1/4 slices. I then ripped each slice to get my strips. BTW, since ripping the wider strips always results in one strip a hair wider than the other, I kept the two sorted. One pile of strips came from one side of the cut, the other pile came from the other side of the cut.