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Plywood cut to fit car and fabric


Omar Mir

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Hi Folks,

 

I'm trying to build the stonefly and things are coming along nicely. I think I've even found a real Baltic birch locally! Well they may need to order it but it's definitely the real deal. My only problem is that it's 5x5 and will not fit in any vehicle I have. What size pre-cuts can I ask them to make so that it fits in my car? They are willing to do rough cuts for free but I don't know what size I can get cuts for. I might be willing to buy a second board simply because renting a larger car would be half the cost of another board and be terribly inconvenient.

 

I was also going to buy the fabric for the stonefly - how much do I need from the store?

 

Much appreciate your help! Very very excited to start seeing the boat take shape :)

Edited by Omar Mir
Added one more question
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I can't say if cutting it half would work but a 5x5 sheet is perfect. Do you know anyone with a pickup?  If you are building from plans you can do some measuring and see but I am afraid there would be a lot of waste. If you building from the offsets onto the sheet of plywood then no. You can't arrange them to make the most use and will probably have A LOT more scrap.

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Hmmm fair enough - and for the fabric - what length - how much should I buy?

 

Also I built the stands and the strongback today. Very excited :)

 

Thanks again!

10 hours ago, ttkayaker said:

I always use my roof rack to bring home my wood. If you do not have one, it should be your next purchase.

I recommend a high quality rack system from either Thule, or Yakima.

I have used Thule for over 25 years.

As much as I would like to buy one - the canoe build is going to maybe be all I can afford for a bit - can only buy things little at a time.

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12 hours ago, Omar Mir said:

- and for the fabric - what length - how much should I buy?

 

I always suggest buying 1 foot extra except on really wide boats.  The best way is to measure the boat along the gunwales, that is the longest length you will need and allow extra for sewing the ends.  1 foot over the length works for more boats though.

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9 hours ago, even-keeled said:

The Crawfish Tandem's 8 frames and the strongback brackets will fit on a half-sheet arranged like this. It's probably not practical like this with hand tools though. I arranged my paper lofting templates on the ground to see if a half sheet would work for the Barta. 

IMG_20180415_202131.jpg

 

That is perfect! Thank you! I have a Jigsaw (i figured its a solid investment) as I was able to find a very nice used one. I would like to build another canoe (or maybe even venture into Kayak land - maybe .... i do love canoes, we'll see). So the jigsaw made sense. I've managed to secure access to a pickup BUT coordinating the time is going to be very tough so I might still need to try a split piece of plywood. I called the distributor here and they are willing to have a look at the plans and cut the ply so that there is minimal waste. I guess an advantage of a local small business - the service (same can be said for Jeff and Kudzo :D).

 

11 minutes ago, Kudzu said:

 

I always suggest buying 1 foot extra except on really wide boats.  The best way is to measure the boat along the gunwales, that is the longest length you will need and allow extra for sewing the ends.  1 foot over the length works for more boats though.

 

And thanks - so the boat is just under 15 - recommended is 16 then and JUST to be safe I'll get 17 feet, I can always use the fabric in other places around the house/other projects. Shipping to Canada is pricey and so likely best to spend a few dollars than ship it twice because it borked it up.

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I carried a circular saw with me to the warehouse when I bought my plywood. I had determined that a cut right down the middle would work for me. For insurance reasons, though, they insisted on making the cut for me. :)

 

I don't know which boat you're building, but for my Short Shot, I cut out all of the frames and three coaming rings, and still had some left over material. I ended up not using the rings because I decided on building a laminated coaming. If you are careful when laying out your patterns, you should have no problem at all making the 5x5 work.

 

One more thing. There's really no reason to use your nice Baltic Birch plywood for making your strong back brackets. Any  wood you have laying  around that's adequate thickness should work.

 

Have fun!

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  • 2 weeks later...

So ended up buying two 30 cm x 30 cm pieces. Fit snug and almost no waste :) - unfortunately I used LePage spray adhesive and the plans didn't stick perfectly to the board so I'm struggling with that at the moment but It should be OK. I assume a few mm isn't going to be world ending (right?).

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I've used painter's tape to keep things stuck down.

 

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21 hours ago, even-keeled said:

I left my templates uncut on the inside to prevent distortion while gluing. You could double-check your frame's gunwale vs centerline offsets before assembly for peace of mind. Also, if the templates didn't wrinkle or tear, I'd guess that it's good.

 

I was able to peel the stuff off again and will use proper 3M adhesive spray next time and clean the surface better to ensure a better stick. I really wish the templates came in a slightly stiffer material. Would have preferred to trace them on the plywood and cut. Right now I'm sticking these to 1/4" (I think, cant remember) ply ($12 in cost - love wood costs in Ottawa, Canada). I will make templates and then trace them on the 1/2" baltic birch. If I ever want to build a second I can just pay the second boat fee and not have to do the paper gluing again.

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  I lofted onto heavy craft paper and adhered with the 3M. My plywood seemed to expand or contract with the day's heat, causing wrinkles in the template. If you want to try lofting, you could buy either book for about $18. #1 for two sea kayaks, #2 for two rowboats, a tandem paddle boat, a child's sea kayak and a recreational kayak.

  The cheap wood is the best part. The boat cost ramps up as you get closer to finishing. My costs added to about $200 USD at frame completion. Then double that for skin, coating, brass. Back band, seat and foot rest if a kayak, another 100. Yakima roof rack, 200-400 more.  Even with a PFD, paddle, float bags and whatever else, I'm still doing better for cost, performance and weight than a plastic boat.

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