bobsim

I 'pre varnished' my frames for the Stonefly and aside from having to touch up a few spots (sharp edges needing sanding and some notches too snug) there were no problems. One thing worth mentioning is the effect varnish has on the lashings - surprising how well it penetrates and hardens the sinew (I used Jeff's product.) I was surprised. My thinking was the wax would repel the finish. Even with pre finished frames and stringers you may want to add some finish to the lashings.

The boat is beautiful. Good job! Looking forward to seeing pictures of her in the water!

Very good job on the video and five stars on the build! This should be on the news instead of the usual 'who shot who' and where to spend your money. Well done and thank you for sharing!

Hoping you post pics of the float bags. Has anyone tried a solo wet entry (Stonefly) with/without flotation?

Yeah, I know it's butt ugly. I will say though I can spend a full day on it and not hurt. It's full of styrofoam beads and well, it works. Simple matter to unzip it and take out some of the beads but it's too messy to do outdoors. Also good flotation and a seat/pillow whenever you need one.

Yep, the paint cured and there was a window yesterday morning with light winds so we hit the river. Had the ramp to myself and took my time getting comfortable and looking for leaks before heading out. No leaks and entry was a breeze, only issue was the cushion I use for a seat had me about 4" above the floor and she felt a tad tippy. I noticed at a certain point of chining she would steady though and thought that more weight or lowering my butt would help but it wasn't uncomfortable enough to change my plans. My main concern was Jeff's comment about maneuverability and something about a barge, but I didn't have the issue. Even after getting sideways in the wind she would straighten out easily enough and after two landings I had confidence. Yes this boat tracks well and maneuvering is work but certainly do-able, big relief for me. Jeff, I think you're too hard on her. My plan was to paddle out to a small island on the Saint Johns and back, about four miles. The first half of the loop was against the last of the incoming current and into a northeast wind of 5-8. I think I averaged around 2 mph but the speed doubled on the return. Light chop and small wakes from commercial traffic to deal with but no problems. The only time I was spooked was trying to get a picture of a lot of swallows, swifts (?) they were like a cloud buzzing around and following them trying to get a picture I was pointing the camera straight above me and whew! That was close. One of those 'don't do that again' moments. All said it was a success, even the backrest was comfortable. I'm looking forward to seeing how the boat leans on the chine but I'll wait for the river to warm up a bit first. Here's a link to the trip and more pictures: http://web1.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2715687 There is an icon for stats on the lower right of the screen that shows speed. The website does have some bugs going on, hope it works for you. Thanks Jeff!

When fishing from my yak I've thought about a small hull a 'trailer' if you will to pull behind the boat with an integral livewell and some storage. I know paddling with something in tow would open a can of headache but it could be done. How about a 'trailer consisting of the pontoons and you could incorporate your paddle to support them?

Speaks well of the frame design....

Same here Jeff but I only stretched 3 1/4". I read in the book that you recommended three fingers (2 1/4") for stretch. When I saw DB's post mentioning four inches instead of three I thought he meant fingers so I added a finger = 3" then added 1/4 for grins and giggles. It was a chore - I wound up with my back braced against a door with a rope from the door attached to the extra fabric, my feet were pushing on a 2x2 run through the forward frame and my hands were pushing on the bow. She creaked a little but did fit after an hour or so. I suppose I misread the directions and thought this was standard practice with poly. In hindsight I'm glad I did this as the best I could manage shrinking the skin with an iron was minimal. She's good and tight and the paint is curing now. Looks like a splash coming in a few days.

Hey folks, I have the first coat on, thinned about 15-20% with MS and she looks great. I tell you though after I cleaned up I bent down and looked at the inside of the canoe (she's upside down) and my heart broke. From that perspective it looked like a drunk monkey painted the boat! Pretty disappointing until I realized the lighting was messing with the appearance. A couple hours later I could tip her up on the gunnel to get a good look and it's all I had hoped for! Two more coats (24 hrs. apart) and a week to set up. Getting short here! Thanks again!

Thank you. I've learned a good bit from this build and in my mind I've already caught fish in this one. My favorite fishing spots are a good paddle in the rec yak that I have and I have a hunch the Stonefly will make the trips much easier. She looks like a racer next to the yak! The Nimrod is a looker too. Good luck with it!

Thanks Dave, 10 - 15% does sound more reasonable. Couldn't find a color I liked in Rustoleum so I had to go with Behr. The can says not to thin, salesman said to do a test and see results. I'll try it unthinned and with a little mineral spirits next. Sure want to get some color through the cloth, the white won't look good for long!

Thanks very much folks! I appreciate the info, the skin is on and all went well. I have some vertical wrinkles around the middle of the boat at the gunnels I'm hoping will come out with the iron later. They're minimal and I could live with them if I have to. I suppose I was was over thinking the process - a lot of worry for nothing. Quick question... I'm painting with oil based enamel and saw in Jeff's video he thinned the first coat with acetone. I tried this on a test piece and thinned 50/50, sure was blotchy. Too much acetone? Suggestions? Thanks again.

First, thanks to ya'll for the advise and input here on the forum. Very helpful for a first timer! She's pretty much done now, I still need to turn her over and treat some bare spots before I skin her. Frames and breasthooks are okume, everything else is cypress. The backrest is scrap stringers and floors that I will lash in once I get her in the water and see if it's comfortable. Looks like the 11oz polyester I ordered from Jeff on Friday will be tomorrow, (that's fast) and the weather will have me stuck at the house so I may skin her tomorrow. Any insight here would really be appreciated...I'm nervous guys. I understand I won't be able to heat shrink the 11oz much so I need to get it tight and right when I sew it but...I don't sew. There are more pictures on my Photobucket album if you're interested:http://s204.photobucket.com/user/bobdsimmons/library/Stonefly%20Canoe?sort=3&page=1 Thank you again!

Hilarious Jeff! Can we get a video of a group racing? Thanks for the morning humor.

I know how ya feel. I don't have a scroll saw or any table tools but every notch gets better and easier than the last (or it's break time) and sanding is a constant anyway - what's a little more? About your issue with carrying long lumber...The yard I found (small and local) was very helpful and ripped the material for me. Once ripped the bundle of strips was very flexible and could possibly be wrapped around a car, van or suv. I've seen folks on the road with long lengths supported by towels rolled up in windows and tied off at the bumpers. Just a thought. I gotta ask, and I know I'm not the only one wondering....The first paragraph of your post has me wondering if something's gonna happen to the wife?

To be honest I hadn't even thought about that. I decided against a nail and the lashing seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm new at this and now wondering about alternative methods of attaching the floors...? I wear old sneakers while paddling and don't see my feet being a big issue but a hard cooler on the floors could sure cause some abrasion. maybe a towel under it? Maybe a soft cooler? Maybe I should have nailed em down. What do ya'll think? I did get the thwarts and breast hooks cut and stained today, might have a decent picture by the end of the week. I noticed in one of Jeff's videos that oil based paint will penetrate the polyester cloth and give the inside of the boat some color. Does anyone know if this is the case with the 11oz cloth? Is the process/penetration uniform? Thanks folks!

Thanks guys for your input and there's nothing like a compliment on a grey day like we're having here - crazy weather. Jeff, The picture of Stonefly on the lily pads is magic. Love at first sight for me and a pleasure to build. Hope she doesn't change too much. Mr. Douglass, I understand both you and your wife. I haven't a clue why I'm building this one! I have no place to put her and many of our trips are in oyster country where she can't go. She's just so doggone pretty! I believe we have some type of disorder. NY, That pic was a day or two old and the floors were just laying in place. I did toy with the idea of using some silicone bronze ring shanks I had to attach them. I thought it would look nice but the penetrations into the end grain didn't sit well with me and I wound up lashing them. I'll post a current picture. Here are the lengths of the pieces you asked about: Gunnels - 14' 1/2" outside 10' 3" inside Stringers top to bottom - 14' 4 1/2", 14' 7", 14' 6" Keel - 12' 10 1/2" Having a couple of extra inches sure made scribing the cut for the bow/stern easier for the stringers. Also these measurements are rough, give me a +/- of an inch.

'Morning Folks, I'm coming along nicely and will be cutting/shaping my thwarts today. I plan on two and I have a question about the location of the rear one which I would like to use as a backrest support later. I'm curious as to how the seat location works out and if anyone has had to shift their weight forward/rear to trim the boat. I'm about 6' and 215 # and can see an additional 20 pounds or so in the boat when fishing. I've noticed on some pictures the rear thwart is placed farther aft and wonder why. Does anyone see an issue with placing the thwart about 8" behind the rear most of the two frames that locate the seat? My guess now is I'll be stowing a cooler behind me and reaching over the backrest would be easy but a thwart behind it would interfere with the cooler lid. FWIW the gunnels worked out to be solid instead of spaced blocks and feel quite strong. I was trying to cover the tops of the frames with notched blocks then got lost in finding a symmetrical layout for the blocks....end result was a solid gunnel. A bit off the path I know but I like the look...

Beautiful! Thanks for mentioning the 11 oz cloth too.

Thanks Fellas, I was able to get the stern on last night and the chines cut in. Very impressed with how the stringers are fitting into the frames and forming lines. So far just hand pressure and clamps, the books mentioned tapping with a wood mallet and watching the frames for stress but I haven't come across anything yet that didn't co-operate. Very impressed Jeff! The cypress is a joy to work with. I would say it's a little more dense than WRC. It loves a block plane but tends to gum up sandpaper. There are some pieces that were 'greener' than others though all were cut from the same board. I believe these were closer to the heart. They didn't take the stain until I heated them and wiped with denatured alcohol. I used these for the keel and chines and making the cut at the stern with a Japanese pull saw took some time, the teeth would tend to clog up and bog down. My first thought was the wood was wet until I lit some shavings, they burned well and no smoke so my guess is it's pitch and not water. (?) I don't really know. I'm on the fence with the 'pecking' though, it seems to be random and tooling exposes it. Aesthetically it doesn't bother me too much ( I am going back to get some more wood for the gunnels that doesn't have it though) but structurally I worry a little about what may be hidden inside the wood. I gotta say this lumber yard is awesome, one of those places hidden in the old side of town with a dirt driveway and several outbuildings full of treasures. The last time I was there the owner had to run out and told me to dig around and find what I wanted until he got back. I was in heaven! Deltabravo, Thanks for the insight. One more question - the Stonefly is 14'9". Seems like five yards may be cutting it close. Will there be enough stretch to accommodate the whip or rolling stitch ( I forget the name of it) on the bow and stern? Thanks again

Hello Folks, I've been taking my time with this, figure it's time to post some pictures. The shop got real small and there's not much room to get back and make a good photo. This will have to do until I can get her off the workbench (strong back.) http://s204.photobucket.com/user/bobdsimmons/library/Stonefly%20Canoe?sort=3&page=1 Going to work on the bow and stern this evening. First experience with cypress and I like it. The 'pecks' were a surprise but I'm starting to warm up to 'em. I noticed there's an 11 oz polyester fabric in Jeff's store, any one used it? I'm leaning that way but just a little reserved about the difficulty factor, going to be my first time sewing anything, ever. Thanks for any input... Bob.

Great prices. I noticed 12mm okume and meranti were less than $30 for a 4x8' sheet.

I don't know what it is about work and boat building but when things are slow and I start building something the phone starts ringing. Maybe the trick is always have something going on in the shop. No complaints, but it makes me go hmm. I have the frames sanded and stained. Here's a link to them: http://s204.photobucket.com/user/bobdsimmons/library/Stonefly%20Canoe?sort=3&page=1 This afternoon I decided to go ahead and varnish them, the dull finish was screaming at me. I'll keep the PB album updated as things progress but progress will be slow for a couple of weeks. I'm trying to get a blog going so I don't clutter this thread. I did find a good source for kiln dried cypress so they will be the rest of the frame and maybe the strips for the floor. I've never worked with cypress, any input on how stable it is? How it takes stain? Things they don't tell you at the lumberyard?

No. I do keep a small dry bag in the cockpit.