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Novice builds a CS-17


Andrus

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Greetings all - I am thinking about building a CS-17. I have limited woodworking skills but in preparation will be taking a 4 day course offered by the Philadelphia Maritime Museum on the basics of wooden boat building. Am I in over my head, or is this a realistic project ?

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Ahoy Andrus,

Help may be nearer than you think. Several (three?) members of the Delaware River chapter TSCA have already started, or are about to start, their own CS-17s. Contact me privately and I can try to put you in touch with them.

We meet on the first Tuesday monthly at Red Dragon Canoe Club, Edgewater Park, NJ. Drop by or take a look at our website: www.tsca.net/delriver.

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I have only a passing idea of woodworking, but I think I will complete a good example of a Core Sound 17.  Building from the kit probably helps.

Read up on boatbuilding, that will help.  Devliin's book on stitch and glue is well thought of.  Gudgeon Brothers book on wooden boats is a thorough work and heavy on details.  I think it's very important to observe details in procedures, such as wet surfaces with un-thickened epoxy to get some penetration, then apply thickened epoxy and clamping pressure.

Using scientific testing in the manner of the gorilla in the old suitcase ads I found a proper glue joint is stronger than the surrounding wood.

I am now fascianted by planes, too.  ;D

I'd say get your work are in shape then start building at an unhurried pace.  Do what you know how to do, what you don't, devise methods from what others have done, practice on junk wood, then dive in.

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I am a rather untalented woodworker just finishing a CS17 - I'll launch in the Spring.  It's taken me about 5-6 years at an unhurried pace.  This forum has been absolutely invaluable.  You're not in over your head if you aren't in a hurry.  The help you'll find here will guide you through every part of the boat building, and when you're confused, just ask for advice.  These guys are generous and understanding.  Welcome to the addiction.

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My thoughts echo those of Scot and Apteryx.  I was a studs n' nails kind of wood worker until this CS 17 project.  Couple of other references I found useful are "Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding" by Chris Kulczycki who founded Chesapeake Light Craft.  "Kayaks You Can Build" by Ted Moore & Greg Rossel has some good basic info, especially if you want much bright finish.

I use West System Epoxy.  I recommend reading their reference material if you haven't worked much with any brand of epoxy before.

Two videos that helped me put it all together was Devlin's and one from Chesapeake Light Craft, "The Zen of Wooden Kayak Building."

I began building 14 months ago and have about 4 or 5 to go.  As you probably know, this forum is an excellent help.  Most begginer-type questions have been asked at least once so can be searched.  The experienced guys are very patient with us.  Sometimes opinions vary but everyone is respectful and open to more than one way of getting the job done.

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Regarding the worthiness of amateurs, I feel very fortunate to stand on the shoulders (or step on the toes) of all those real craftsmen who've gone before me.  Tools that work and techniques that have proven successful are already all there.

Scarf joints scared me away from building a boat for a long time, then Graham told me how to build a scarfing sled for a table saw.  For up to the cutting depth of my saw I can now make perfectly true scarf joints that exceed the strength of the surrounding wood.

But yesterday I decided to scarf my keel batten and was much chagrined to find my table saw didn't cut deeply enough to saw through a 1x4 on edge.  First I tried cutting partway through, flipping the board, and cutting the rest of the way, and got predictable (bad) results.

Then I was going to buy a band saw, but anything in my budget was uninspiring.

So, I decided I would seek a good sharp plane and the counsel of what hair I could find on my chest and shape the joint the right way, mano-a-mano, me against the wood with nothing but simple tools in hand.

First I staged the planks about 8 inches apart for I guess a nine or ten to one taper.  The bottom board shows my first miserable attempt at cutting the taper.

1.JPG

I started with a power hand plane, then went to a smoothing plane for a few strokes and finished the planing with a low angle block plane.  A few passes with 100 grit in a random orbital sander left the taper looking like this.

3.JPG

An added benefit was the chance to check my machinist's square, just to make sure the straightedge is still true.  Looks good...  ;D

2.JPG

I don't like the feathering I got at the end of the lower board.  I should have put a sacrificial board under it.  I've got the joint clamped up and curing right now so it will be tomorrow before I'll have a look.  For anything ugly at the ends of the tapers I believe the healing power of thickened epoxy and a little sanding will cover up my mistakes.

Much to my surprise I doubt if I spent as much as ten minutes shaping the wood.

Anyway, I hope it was OK to insert a few images.  I'm having a whole bunch of fun doing this stuff.  I would have never dreamed a plane was such a precision instrument, but you can almost machine a surface perfectly flat with your eyes shut - where the plane drags a little more, that's where you work.  Amazing.

I don't have a boat yet, but my sense is this project is within the reach of just about anyone.  It isn't even frustrating to go slowly.  I didn't build a boat this afternoon but I built a nice scarf joint - and for me that was good enough for today.

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I wrote some little story about the process of building a CS17 for Small Craft Advisor Magazine. If you don't have access to that publication, here's the unedited material on my website:

http://www.fivenineclimber.com/boats_sailing/articles/cs17_sca_part_one.htm

It's a bit long, but it covers many aspects of the stitch-and-glue method. Be forewarned though, like you all I'm just an amateur builder and there's more than one way to play this game of ours.

Good luck, Jan

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