Joe Feager

Dave, No, the tip is glassed but was not appealing so I added some tint base to the polyurethane to simulate bone. Joe

How long are you all waiting after painting before paddling? Canvas canoe shops recommend a month for the enamel to cure out.

Thanks, Paul. Dwight, I got away with the house iron, but I was half done before getting noticed.

Good, at least not like the paint problem. We still have it here, for now.

Go to subject "10 " hatch". No one commented so I let it lay. I was checking fit so it wasn't completely finished then.

Environmentally dangerous?

I put everything in the cockpit and came up close to 40#, but I won't use all the fabric. I used cedar for all other parts. I haven't calibrated the scale so it could be off. Wouldn't mind it being off then I would weigh less too.. There is something about this frame, it is quite appealing to my eye. The lines are striking, more so than any other I have seen. I can't wait to get it covered and on the water. There is a lot of room for storage too.

Looks good Jeff

Well, glue has to dry now so I have the afternoon off. So far: This is a breakaway view of my final thigh brace Here they are assembled dry. They fit up pretty well. I morphed the masik design and one of Jeffs pictures for footpeg brackets from the book. I'll attach with Teen nuts and #10 SS bolts. Then I can remove if things need tweaking. I started out with a 90 degree interior angle but with the seat in it was too tight. Ended up with a 105 degree interior angle using a bevel square between the gunwale and the coaming in place. Finished up the seat today too Looking forward through the frames Had to sit in to check for fit.

You've got the start of an idea right there.

I guess you are thinking of extending higher than the cab of the truck then? That will lessen the area available for racks and decrease the distance between supports. Any reason to not stay at cab height? Or are you thinking cab over?

Years ago I knew a carpenter who built a camper for a full size Dodge using canvas. I remember he laminated 3 pcs of 3/4" plywood as support at the front and back. These set the shape of the camper. I don't remember how he did spreaders though. It held up well and he had racks. With the plywood lamination you would have strength to bolt some kind of rack. I saw a strip camper shell in some pictures on a wood boat show in Washington state some years back also. Joe

Well, the first iteration isn't going to work. Did OK until I got in with the foam seat. Then they aren't high enough.. I can fix that. Those extended fore deck beams hit me right on my kneecap so that is going to interfere with trying to get by without the braces. My long legs also allow my shins to bang the 8'2" frame. I can't seem to find a way to do away with the beams either. Pleased with my seat carving and the fore deck hatch support is in place. Foot bracing done too. Get my 10" hatch and I can install that. So I have time to fine tune te cockpit area.

In my other SOF I have some neo on the hull with a thermarest foam just to pad up off the keel but it is only 5/8" high. Very comfortable. The Curlew keel is higher but that is negated by the seat boards. I used the plywood. But the bare plywood and my thin skinned rear end would not fit well together. I'm not sure yet about the need for hip bracing until I try it out. I did a foam seat in my OT Castine and put foam braces in such that I'm locked in. Then add some thigh braces later. The Curlew is narrow enough but I fear that locking in behind the coaming will be done with the knee and that is a weak area to try and use for rolling. Once I have my design fine tuned I'll post some pictures.

I knew if I kept that piece of 4" foam I bought from Joe Greeley it would come in handy someday. Started on my seat today. I won't have enough left over for hip braces but maybe some of my scraps will work. Then again, 4" thick is going to make a deep seat hole and maybe I'll be locked in well enough.

I like the heel hook but have not seen it tried solo. Usually as an assisted. The stirrup was getting a lot of attention here for awhile but I don't like them. They don't teach swimming up and put a lot of strain on the assistant. In conjunction with a paddle float if you try and use the stirrup like a step ladder it isn't going to work. One lady tried the heel hook solo with a float and made her own 2 piece greenland paddle in the process. The cowboy is going to be difficult to impossible in rough water.

He didn't even own one at that time. She who must be obeyed has seen to that being remedied.

I don't know if this is appropriate here but FWIW. See the link to the article http://www.seakayakermag.com/2010/Oct10/icyriver.htm of a very good friend and paddling partner of mine for the last 10 years. We have upped our safety practices because of this. And, believe me Randy and I had already practiced a lot before this.

It can't be far off. I'm not ready to cut yet, but close. Doing some tweaking and installing foot braces. Modified the foredeck and have an germ of an ideas for thigh braces.

I'm installing the hatch material while waiting on the 10" to be delivered. The 8" measures 7 1/2" dia. Can I assume (bad word) the 10" ID to be 1/2" less also?

Dave, I wondered about that. Same with the bow bracket. But there would have been no meat left to take a screw. Was barely enough as it was. I felt like all the notches for the keel could have been an inch deeper to give more meat the fasten the frame.

Just an update. I didn't paddle, instead worked on the boat. Trimmed the gunwales to the bow section and my left little finger too. So I annointed the frame already. Almost have the stern laced except where it is on the brackets.

Years ago I lofted one Nick Schade's designs using Excel and a cheap CAD program I had. Never built the boat. Don't have CAD now nor a plotter so it had to come from the book or order the plans. Having started out with Log tables and the old Trig tables this wasn't hard. I still remember Mr. Vickers from drafting class. He'd put an eye on my curves and mark up anything straight no matter how short. The plans are the way to go next time, but always remember, you shouldn't use a formula unless you know how it was derived.. It's been fun so far, back at it again tomorrow. Unless I go for a paddle.

Pride goeth before my fall. But, if that is the worst that happens I'll be OK. All in all it's just a minor setback. Everything is all set to slip it in and then put on the hull stringers. I had saved my graph paper sheets so it was easy to make the change and then use it as a template.

Apparently I am consistent. I looked at 7 3/16" when I laid it out but marked 7 13/16". Then I did the same when I checked dimensions twice. One last check and then I saw the error. New frame marked out now. Drat!!