Finished my Flyfisher

[kiwiboatbuilder]

Hello everyone.  I've been reading posts for a while here and thought I would post a few pictures of my Flyfisher that I finished a couple of months ago.  It was a reasonably easy build except I had a bad crack in the ply when I forced it up into the bow curve.  I put a glass patch over all four bow cuts then and moved on.  It paddles nicely and carries me and my daughter no problem on a local reservoir here in Senoia, Georgia.  Cheers Rich.

[Jim Stumpf]

Very Nice, I hope you are enjoying some spring/summer weather as we are getting blasted in the American Midwest.

I am toying with the idea of building a Flyfisher, I posted a day or two about a 13 ft flat bottom solo that I built out of cheap materials this summer and have liked it so much I may spring for a decent set of plans and lumber to build a keeper. What are your over all thoughts on the boat, have you done any river paddling? I am wondering how well she manuvers in tight conditions.

Congratulations on your new build

Jim

[Gordy Hill]

Jim,

I built a Flyfisher some years ago. I took it down the Rock Springs Run just a few miles north of Orlando. Crystal clear water flows from a hole in the ground and becomes a small stream. After the first half mile or so it's all wild for about four hours. There's a section that's particularly twisty and a challange in an aluminum rental canoe with a novice paddler in front. I really wanted to see how it did in that section. However, by the time I thought about it we were well past that part. Evidently, it wasn't much of a problem.

The first time I went fishing I paddled to a spot that looked like where I would be if I were a fish and got my gear ready. When I looked up I was no where near where I intended. If you don't stop that little boat, and I mean really stop it, it won't stop. The little rascal will just keep on going and you'll be forced to pretend you really wanted to fish in the bushes.

                                                                         

[Jim Stumpf]

Thanks Gordy,

We paddle a couple of the scenic sections of the Cuyahoga that can sport a lot of down trees. A camp down stream cuts notches through the trees wide enough for a canoe not to hang up on but at very low water levels some precision paddling can be required and an occasional portage or lift over is necessary. No white water stuff.  Being able to zig zag and turn around are a plus. My 16ft SOF tracks like a freight train but sucks for river work. The Bateau Cheap Canoe was built out of luan and has already been repaired due to delamination twice this summer but the size is perfect for these type of day trips.

[kiwiboatbuilder]

Jim,

The flyfisher is quite manoeuvrable.  As Gordy mentioned, it carries its way very well to, just keeps going and going.  You have to back paddle to stop it.  It's pretty light - I didn't glass the bottom as I mainly lake fish with occasional river use (Flint River in Georgia).  I'll weigh it and post the actual weight for reference.  However, if I was going to do a lot of rocky river or stump paddling I'd probably add a layer of 6oz cloth or polyester to it for abrasion resistance.

[Jim Stumpf]

Thanks Rich,

I should have read your post more closely, Kiwi builder made me think you were down under somewhere but I see you are in GA.

Thanks for the input and congrats on your build again.

[John Turpin]

The photos of you and your daughter are priceless.  Soak up those memories.  They grow up remarkably fast.

[doyle007]

Rich,

I'm a few weeks late to this thread, but wanted to say that your boat looks great.  Very nice job. 

I also plan on building the Flyfisher, and will most likely order the plans in a few days.  I wanted to find out how long the boat took you to complete, and how hard was it to build. I know that the description says that it's a great project for those with even the most basic woodworking skills, which pretty much covers me.  I was a bit concerned with the cutting of the butterfly pattern and the bending of the ply, but I guess it is designed to be able to bend the way it needs to.

What was the approximate cost for the project?  I know that I can get 4x8 sheets of Okume 1088 4mm for $53, but I couldn't find a listing of how many sheets of ply it takes to complete the boat.  I'm figuring two, but again I'm not sure.

Last question, how much weight can this boat handle?  I am 195 lbs at 6'2", and would like to take my 8 y.o. daughter with me.  She comes in around 65 lbs or so, so we are at the 260 lb mark.  I couldn't find a listing of the capacity for this boat, so I wanted to see if you knew.

By the way, Jim Stumpf, your canoe looks great as well.  It's nice to see the attention to detail that shows in the breast hooks in the one picture.  That canoe looks like another nice project.

Thanks.

Joe

[Gordy Hill]

Rich,

I think you'd do better with one of the slightly larger canoes. The 15 foot Birder or Moccasin would be a better choice. I built a 12 foot Moccasin and my 240 pounds made it somewhat unstable. I found the Flyfisher a marked improvement, but if I build another canoe it will be larger. These boats are so light and agile you'd be giving up very little and getting a boat that will be much safer for the two of you.

[kiwiboatbuilder]

Joe,

I weigh about 220 and my daughter in the picture about 33 lbs.  I do not think the weight will be an issue for you, however, depending upon how tall your daughter is, and where she sits, legroom might be a bit tight.  I had my daughter sitting forward of the cross member, and she was quite comfortable, but she's only 3.  She could have sat behind the cross member on a folding chair (I use folding stadium seats I got at a garage sale for 50 cents each) and had tons of room facing forward.  Stability was just fine I thought, I haven't tried standing yet though.  As noted by Gordy above, I agree that the next size up would be more comfortable for two.

It only takes 2 sheets of 4mm plywood, but there are a couple of tricky parts as with standard sized sheets you have to add little corners from the scrap to get to the right size for the butterfly shape.  Adds a day depending on how fast your resin sets (about an hour's cutting and fitting work), but not too hard.  I found bending the sides into shape tricky, and did not screw a piece of plywood on as suggested by the designer, so I heard a loud crack and ended up with a split I had to fix.  I then put a small square of glass each side of the remaining undamaged 3 cuts and had no problem.  That really was a problem to fix the split.  I would definitely reinforce that joint as described if I did another build.  The design is really economical on plywood and has nice lines, and paddles great.

I estimate it took me around 50 hours labor time to do, plus waiting for resin to set, but my paint finish was more utility than cabinet grade.  I did it in around 3 months very part time.

Rich