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PNWSOF

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Posts posted by PNWSOF

  1. Hi all,

     

    My son is outgrowing his Tadpole, and I'm starting to think about his next boat. He paddled my Ravenswood last week and loved it, but he didn't weigh enough to get it down on its lines. I'm considering trying a low volume Ravenswood for him, but have some questions for Jeff and/or those of you who've built one. For starters, does it share any frames at all with the full-volume version? And is the coaming the same, or is it narrower on the low volume? I've got frame templates that I made when building my Ravenswood, and a buck for laminating the coaming. Those would make it much easier to build a second full-volume Ravenswood (after paying the second boat fee, of course) than if I had to start from scratch, though if the low-volume shares the same coaming or some frames, it's not as big a difference.

     

    If anyone's built a low-volume for a kid, how long did it last them before a larger boat made sense? If he'd be better off in just a couple of years with a full-volume, it's tempting to go that route from the start. Adding some ballast would make him easier to catch anyway. ?

     

    Thanks

  2. I just saw this follow-up now. Sorry to be slow. I've attached a couple of pictures showing what the seam looked like before painting and covering with the strip. At the ends of the boat, I cut the fabric and pulled flaps over the bow and stern pieces and stapled them. (I used monel staples 'cause I had a bunch on hand.) There's a double-corded seam along the top of the boat, and at the ends I used a hot knife to slice the cords off vertically. My HDPE piece sticks up far enough to cover the end of the double-corded seam so everything looks tidy. I hit the end of the HDPE with a heat gun to get the sharp kink required to cover the end of the seam. I bedded the strip in lexel when it got applied, so it helped keep everything watertight as well. I've used this approach on two boats now and it's holding up well.

     

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    • Like 1
  3. You're right -- I did one coat of thinned tung oil after that first picture.  That was probably overkill for a kid's boat, especially since the stringers were all cedar, but it made me feel better.  Also, the plywood I used for the frames is high quality (lots of plies, no voids) but not particularly rot resistant.

    • Like 1
  4. I used a laminated beam on the tadpole I built earlier this summer, to make it easier for my son to get in/out of the boat.  I redrew the frame at the front of the cockpit so that the top of the frame was replaced by a laminated piece that kept the deck stringer in the same position, but gave better clearance -- especially at the sides of the opening.  (I also lowered the bottom of the opening a bit since I didn't run the floors under the frame.  I'd intended to use brackets there, but ended up lashing to the side of the frame in the end.  I'm not sure I'd take that route again.)

     

    Brad

     

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    • Like 1
  5. I got a chance to get my Ravenswood in the water today, and chase my daughter around in her Kidyak for a bit.  Water stayed out, and everyone had a great time.  I'm looking forward to spending lots more time in the boat.  It paddled beautifully, and the acceleration was amazing!  I made the mistake of letting my wife try it on as well, and I'm guessing there will be a second Ravenswood in the pipeline before long...

     

    Stringers are WRC, with frames in Hydrotek marine plywood, and the masik and coaming in ash.  Skin was the 6oz premium fabric with 3 coats of Ace's Rust Stop paint.  It weighed in at 28.1 lbs ready to launch, and I could shave a bit more weight on the floors and pedals next time.  The boat was made on the cheap: All of the cedar except the gunwales was found for free in a local cedar dealer's curbside scrap box (full length with no scarfs needed), and I had enough Hydrotek left over from previous projects for the frames and floors.  (I got two Kidyaks, a Tadpole, and the Ravenswood out of one sheet, so it's hard to complain about the cost there in any case!)

     

    My thanks to all of you who answered my questions during the build.

     

    Brad

     

     

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  6. Thanks for the input.  It's hard to tell from that picture, but the chine stringer is deformed "vertically" -- up away from the waterline, rather than being forced against the frame in an effort to meet it at a 90 degree angle.  It's as though the notch in the frame is too high by 1/4 or 3/8".  I take your point though.  In general I avoid fasteners on the chines and keel, but that frame was an exception.

    • Like 1
  7. Thanks for your response.  I went ahead and pulled them down to meet the masik, though there's definitely a curve to them now.  (See photo below.)  I double-checked the frame positions and shapes, and verified that they all matched the plans -- including the laminated beam -- so I'm not sure where things went wrong.

     

    Of perhaps more concern is the fact that there's an odd bend in the chine stringer on both sides where it meets the frame at 12' 0" (the second frame from the bow -- just behind the bow assembly).  The gunwales and keel have nice sweet lines to them though.  It's only the chine that wiggles.  Is that part of the design, or am I off?  (Photo is below, with frame inverted briefly on strongback.)  (As you'll see, I'm not of the lashing persuasion, though I'm getting closer with each boat.  I mean no offense to the purists.)

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  8. Hi all,

     

    I'm finally making some progress on a Ravenswood, and things have been coming together pretty well so far.  I've got a question about how the deck beams meet the masik though.  I know the center beam is notched and goes under the masik, and the two side beams are supposed to land atop the masik, but my side beams don't meet the masik.  Left to their own devices, they end up about 1/2" high and would have to be pulled down to meet the masik.

     

    I'm fine with that, but I wanted to consult the forum before making any decisions in case it was evidence that something else is amiss.  I double-checked the frame positions and all looks good, and the masik came out with just about exactly the right shape (according to the plans), so I'm not sure what could have produced the "error" if indeed it's an error.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Brad

  9. My son outgrew his Kidyak, so we built him a Tadpole.  We finished it a week or two back, but didn't have a chance to launch until today.  It was a little windy and choppy, but everybody stayed right-side-up!  Frames are 12mm Hydrotek, stringers are WRC and coaming is ash.  (I have a cedar dealer down the road, and found enough free scrap in their bin a few weeks back for two Tadpoles and most of a Ravenswood without any scarfs!)  It came in at about 16 lbs ready to launch, finished in 8oz polyester. 

     

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    • Like 1
  10. I just finished a Tadpole and used strips of King's StarBoard (HDPE) at both ends.  I cut them from 1/4" sheet, which is probably overkill, but it worked well.  In the photos below you can see that I ran the rub strips all the way up to cover the ends of the seam.  The material softens enough when hit with a heat gun that I was able to bend it to make it fit against the end of the seam.(I did that off of the boat, just to be clear!)

     

    Brad

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    • Like 1
  11. Thanks.  That's helpful.  How do you keep the ends of the welting cord tidy?  Are they visible, or do you stop the cord just short of the top of the bow and then do something with the (cord-free) folds to tidy them up before the bow?

     

    Also, I've seen some recommend that you do the seam first and then the bow/stern, while others suggest getting the bow/stern secured before doing the seam.  I don't want to start a war (though this seems like a friendly place), but suggestions are welcomed -- especially if anyone's got experience with a Tadpole, in particular.

  12. I'm building a Tadpole with my son, after he outgrew his Kidyak.  In earlier boats I've done the skin in two pieces and stapled at the gunwales, but I'm going to try using the double-corded stitch and a rub strip this time around.  I've read up on the stitch and watched a bunch of videos, but I'm having a hard time visualizing the transition from the double-corded seam to the stapled overlaps under the rub strip.  How does one terminate the double-corded stitching?  On a pointy ended boat like Tadpole (and the Ravenswood that's in the pipeline behind it), how far down the stem/stern does the double-corded stitching end up going?  (I suspect that's one of those things that will become clear once stitching is underway, but rough guidance would be appreciated.)  If anyone's got pictures showing what they've done, I'd appreciate links!

     

    Thanks,

     

    Brad

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