Building a Two Paw 8 for Trailer Camping

[Don Silsbe]

When we go camping in our travel trailer, I like to take along a lot of stuff.  I'd say "everything but the kitchen sink", but the trailer does have one of those.  I like to paddle my Flyfisher 13, and I like to fish inland lakes using my 2.5 Suzuki to get around.  And my wife likes her Tupperware sit-on-top.  For the past few years, I have used a Zodiac inflatable for my fishing platform.  This past year, the Zodiac became too annoying and time consuming to deal with.  It took too long to assemble, go fishing, disassemble, pack, reassemble for cleaning & drying, disassemble again, and finally packing it all up.  The Two Paw kept creeping into my mind. Alan's video of their Quick Connect product on Micro was also intriguing.  Setup time would certainly be less with the TP8.  Best of all, I could also go sailing!  That did it.  I got permission from The War Department to build yet another boat.  (That was a shock, actually.)  So, what follows is the build thread for my TP8.  I am looking forward to taking all of you along on this build.  I will definitely pick your collective brains, as we go on this journey.  And together, we'll discuss a few design options.  This is gonna be fun!  I just hope I can fit all my gear into the 6'-4" bed of my pickup truck.  Some things will have to go, but that's OK.

[Chick Ludwig]

Old Codger and i will be following along with you. I can't take him with me camping, and I also am not satisfied with my current camping "take-along" boats. I carry on top of our Ford Explorer, but both Miss Debbie and I have problems lifting over our heads. A two part would be easier as each part is lighter to lift.

[Jknight611]

Don, you will love it!  Good choice, I built a TwoPaws 9 14-15 years ago and it is still the grandkids boat in the pond.  Ours was stored on the deck in a cradle and looks like a car top carrier on the boat.  Mine is decidedly lo tech, I used 1/4 all thread rod an wingbolts to attach the front and back halves together but I could attach it together in the water.  The new attachment system looks great,  much better.  I had (since removed) a piece of what looked like fire hose with foam pipe insulation as a full perimeter bumper.  It went pretty good with a Seagull outboard although most progress with that motor was 8 feet at a time when I pulled the cord! 

[Don Silsbe]

Chick,

I'm trying to envision hefting two halves of a boat up onto the roof of your Exploder.  It doesn't conjure up good images.  I don't know why you will not try out this simple, clever way:  

 

[Don Silsbe]

I’m starting to lay out my doublers for the incorporation of Quick Connect.  It is crucial to get perfect alignment of all the pieces.  I’m starting by making one template that will transfer the holes to either the forward bulkhead (two-hole pattern) or the after bulkhead (three-hole pattern).  I’m using a full-sized drawing of Quick Connect for this.  The first template is to cut the clearance hole in the bulkheads.  The other two photos are of making one template for drilling all the holes in the 1/2” doublers.

[Don Silsbe]

I’m closing in on going 3D!  I’ve been getting my doublers ready for gluing to the nesting bulkheads.  Quick Connect was designed for Micro, Graham’s tiny dink.  There are differences between the two boats, and I’ve had to make some adjustments.  My big concern is that the thicker doublers (1/2” instead of 1/4”) might affect the nesting geometry.  While I worry over that, I am gluing doublers, and drilling holes.  I’ll need to commit to Quick Connect (or not) in the next few days.  Here is my progress.

[ricknriver]

I'll be following too. Like Chick, I'm always trying to get lighter as I get older and have thought a lot about a two-paw. Might sell my almost done Amanda in FL for the two-paw kit, or finish her and try her out first as a gator/bird chaser this winter.  Thank for the thread and pictures. Rick 

[Don Silsbe]

The Amanda is a nice boat!  Where do you live?  Maybe you can play with this one when I’m done with her, before you do anything drastic.  Won’t you trailer the Amanda?

[Don Silsbe]

Doubling up my doublers tonight.

[ricknriver]

Thanks for the offer Don. Nice collection of clamps :-). We're way east of I-95, but visit Grandson's in Asheville so may take you up on it this summer.  Yes, I have a small kayak trailer that I'll modify for a couple of yaks and the Amanda, but would like a car top boat too, and wife and I can probably still stack two 35# sections. OR could use that loader you showed - have a plan for it.  Want to go electric but waiting for prices of lithium to come down. Tks, Rick 

[Chick Ludwig]

Hi Rick. Don is just down the mountain from me. Let's all get together when ya come.

[ricknriver]

Sounds fun. Look forward to it and whatever boats we have about then . Rick

[Don Silsbe]

Chick & Ricknriver (try saying that out loud 3 times), let me repeat myself.  Trying to nest two halves of a dinghy over your head sounds like something you’d see on an old-time movie.  I don’t recommend it.  But let me get this dink finished, and we csn try it— on YOUR car, not mine!

[Don Silsbe]

Well, it’s back to the drawing board, boys and girls!  Last night, the folly of my wonderful scheme became very evident.  Let me explain.

 

As you know, I’m planning to use B&B’s slick Quick Connect system.  This will speed up my boat launching, maximizing time on the lake (getting skunked by the Bass).  It is very important that these fittings line up with their mating parts.  The problem becomes how to get these various parts in perfect alignment.  This was a cool problem for this engineer.  I would draw on my 40+ years of engineering skills, using desctiptive geometry, geometric dimensioning & tolerancing, satellite imagery, and a handful of 16-penny nails.  The latter were to serve as locating pins for the various bits. All the pre-drilled parts would fit together precisely. That was the plan.  

 

Nothing lined up!  

 

New plan:  glue together the undrilled pieces, line the bulkead assemblies up & drill pilot holes through both halves.  This will ensure good alignment of the two halves.  I hope.  Photos of that process will follow.  (Unless someone else has a better idea.)   Meanwhile, here’s one showing my 1/8” misalignment.

[Chick Ludwig]

Awww, close is good enough. A bit of bailing wire and duck tape will fix it. As for " Trying to nest two halves of a dinghy over your head....".

Isn't the plan. Lifting one section on at a time is the plan, but they will be one behind the other on the cartop rack, NOT nested. Even us old folks can handle the weight of half-a-boat.

[Hirilonde]

6 hours ago, Thrillsbe said:

Well, it’s back to the drawing board, boys and girls!  Last night, the folly of my wonderful scheme became very evident.  Let me explain.

 

As you know, I’m planning to use B&B’s slick Quick Connect system.  This will speed up my boat launching, maximizing time on the lake (getting skunked by the Bass).  It is very important that these fittings line up with their mating parts.  The problem becomes how to get these various parts in perfect alignment.  

 

As Alan would say, "it's fiddly".  

I used the predecessor to the B&B hardware know to early members as "Garry's nesting hardware" for my Spindrift 9N.  I simply made the recesses, built the boat, then did the fiddly fitting of the hardware after I cut the hull in half.  The recesses were a tad oversized to allow for the fiddling/locating.  You may even need to tweek the depth of one or more recesses as well as finding the proper alignment for drilling holes. I don't think these boats come out exacting in dimensions enough to drill to a template before hand.

 

I found an old thread of Garry's, but the photos were removed for house cleaning.  Garry no longer hosts the pictures on his site.  My boat is in GA, so I can't take any photos.  Grrrr.

Edited November 27, 2018 by Hirilonde
add stuff

[Steve W]

I'm probably sticking my 2 cents into a place it might not belong, but I think 2 sided carpet tape could be your friend here. Same idea as your pilot drill, but you wouldn't have the holes. tape one side to its location on the bulkhead, and place the other piece where it belongs. Add two sided tape, carefully lay the bulkhead down perfectly aligned and then slide apart and attach.

[Don Silsbe]

Thanks for the input, guys.  Today, I started gluing the parts together.  The outboard doublers will be drilled later.  Since my center doubler was predrilled, I’ll use a different method.  You’ll see.  Fingers crossed!

[Don Silsbe]

@Steve W, on second thought, I will use the double-sided tape idea to locate the aft center connector.  I’ll make a new, undrilled doubler at this location. Thanks for the suggestion.  That’s one of the great things about this forum.  We can out our heads together to solve a problem.  The outboard  attachments will be easier to control.  This center attachment could be the most troublesome.

[Don Silsbe]

@Hirilonde, I wish Garry’s photos were available.  I’d love to see them.  Yes, there are a lot of “fiddly bits” to this system.  But it will be worth the worry, if it all works out.  It it turns out to be a headache, I can always fill, drill, and go with the old 1/4” bolt attachment method. That’s the nice thing about working with wood and epoxy.