SBknox

If you figure the labor is worth half of Jeff's price, $75 would be a fair offer. I wouldn't be insulted with that offer in my shop. Remember, he's doing you a hugh favor using HIS tools.

Looks good! What finish did you apply to the skin?

Nice job, Jerry. It looks great and I like the bright color!

Very nice. Look's like you changed the fore deck stringers for a smoother transition line.

Jordan has been doing fine in his FreeB12. He's 12 at 64" & 125#. It was like putting a duck in a pond. Two trips on the Harpeth at 11 miles each and he's done great. It's a great river to start on, only about 24" deep. His sisters now want a boat but I thought the FreeB would be to big for them. They are 12,10,8 and very athletic. I told them they would have to get a little bigger before they got a boat. Now if a smaller design were available, who know's.

coaming cover with a bungee cord in edge seam.

Jeff, Would you elaborate more on the new sewing method and maybe some detailed pictures?

Zar is a good choice, however, it will not be a clear finish. We made several samples for Scott's Vardo. Plain Zar out of the can with 3 coats will give the boat a yellowish tan color and slightly transluscent. You will be able to see the frame thru the skin We experimented tinting it with Mixol stains and even plain wood stain at at 4:1 raito to get different color results. Scott decided on the mahogany stain. Jeff mentioned a different poly that is water-clear. Search this forum for the name.

you could also paint the pegs and the table top to prevent the glue from having anything to bond to. I cut the coaming strips to 3/32" thick, using the Ash, I had no problem bending and only had to use the heat gun on the small side of the radius about half of the time.

The manufacturer recommends no more than 15% using acetone. Personally, I liked using the thinned paint best. It went on much easier and smoother. With the 4" foam roller, it is quick to put the coats on. The paint is what seals the fabric, the ironing only tightens and removes the wrinkles.

Jeff, you might get a bigger bang for your buck in you go more direct to our specific group. I did a quick Google search for a canoe/kayak club directory and got this: http://www.canoekaya...paddling/clubs/. Although I haven't looked into it yet, I know Knoxville as well as Chattanooga, (and probable Nashville & Atlanta) have a strong club with scheduled outings and get together's all summer long. That would be the perfect audience. Guaranteed interest!!! I just depends on how much time and money you want to invest in this type of marketing, and how big to you want the business to get. Oh yea, for classes, do you have a community college close by? Here in Knoxville, Pellissippi State offers just about any type of craft/hobby class you can imagine. Perfect facility, equipment, and insurance in one easy to swallow pill. Compare that with an ROI on a metal prefab building large enough on your property and the cost of insurance. http://www.discoveret.org/chota/ http://kayaking.meetup.com/cities/us/tn/nashville/ http://www.tvccpaddles.com/index.php http://www.birminghamcanoeclub.org/ http://www.atlantakayak.com/ http://www.georgiacanoe.org/

replace the top stringers, quick and easy! and probably from scrap!

Next time your by WalMart, pick up a cheap box fan. They're usually around $15 bucks or so. When you get home from a day of paddling, drain all the water out that you possibly can, prop the boat on its side, and place the fan in front of it and leave it overnight. It will completely dry out the inside. We used this trick with our whitewater boats and it worked great. There wasn't a rot problem with the plastic boats, but a STINK problem if you left it wet after use. The fan will wick out any moisture in the nooks and crannies and leave it nice and dry for the next time.

Hey, it's not easy being green!

Very cool shot!

I split a 1" wooden bead on the band saw and epoxy'd it to the skin. I then applied epoxy to the rope to seal the thru hole. Kinda looks "bug eyed" but it is water tight!

Paul, have you seen this one for a valve system? http://columbiakayaker.blogspot.com/2008/06/diy-custom-flotation-bags.html

I think I did get 14' for Jordan's. Worked fine.

Woodcraft.com sells Mixol liquid tints that will work and they have 20 or so different colors. The Minwax stains work OK but you're limited to the usual woodworking stain colors that you see at the store. Mixol has some pretty bright colors. http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2005522/MIXOL-Universal-Tints.aspx

I did some research for Scott's Vardo that he used the Zar on. My guy at the paint store was very knowledgeable about tinting the stain and recommended only using a mixture of 1 part stain to 4 parts poly, (a 20% mixture). He felt that any more would lessen the positive characteristics of the poly. If you wanted a darker, he said to choose a different color or perhaps add extra coats with the same mixture. We played with several colors and Scott liked the dark mahogany best.

"Light Weight Skin on Frame Boats" "Custom Built By Me!" Very cool shirt! I like the blueprint one also.

I doubt the color would match the bottom if you did. Tell her you'll make her boat like that if she'll go paddling with you!!

I like the color contrast! How many coats have you applied?

When Scott and I built his Vardo, we had little luck with the bungee method. It just wouldn't cooperate no matter how much muscle we used with extra bungees. I had a length of 1/4" nylon cord in the shop that we cut into 16" pieces. We took the bungees off and started with one gunwale and tied it into place with the cord. It worked like a charm. Once we tied the second gunwale into place, we checked for level and then proceeded with the chines. It really worked well and was quite fast as we were only having to mess with one piece at a time. Once everything was tied into place, we would remove one cord/knot and begin lashing. I used the same method on Jordan's FreeB12 and it worked just as well. And that boat has a much more difficult bend in the gunwales. Hang in there, you'll get it!

Glad to hear you're OK. After my similar fall, (nothing broken) the doc said to be very careful lifting and twisting for several months. The spine takes quite a wringing in a fall like this. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Steve