Don Silsbe Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 This is probably the most outrageous thing I've done in a long time. I started building my new canoe this week. What is outrageous about it is that I'm not finished building my Bay River Skiff! But there was talk about going to Florida for a week, and I just couldn't see being there without a canoe, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Way-to-go Don! Florida is a GREAT place for a canoe. Especially the crystal clear springs and rivers in the northern part of the state, and the mangrove swamps around Tampa Bay, the Glades, the upper Gulf Coast where you can walk out for 5 miles before getting over your head, and.... So, where will you be staying? Oh, a warning---watch out for the jet ski types, they hold controlling interest in all of those places! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Funny thing is that I don't think we're going now! Not to worry about the jet skis. I have a paintball gun for those guys. (Not really, but it is tempting.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Canoes are good boats for everywhere. And slingshots are easy to hide... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 The paintball leaves a little remembrance of our encounter, though. But the slingshot idea is worth considering-- using a jug of paintballs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Funnelators can be loads of fun too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I stole the idea for the slingshot from the late Robb White, one of the great writers about messing about. I'm also a fan of the blowpipe/ blowgun. Made for paint balling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Yesterday, boatbuilding friend Terry Finley helped me take the canoe to 3D. It was a fun time, with a surprise at the end. I'll save the surprise for a separate post, to follow immediately. Sorry about the listing boat in the last photo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Sometimes I hear voices. I'm OK with it, and I'm harmless. Last week, when I was laying out the pieces, a little voice said "measure twice, cut once". Of course I ignored it. This is what I got by ignoring that little voice. I was supposed to take a 3/8" wedge off each sheer. Instead, I took it off the chine. Doh! Remind me to listen to those voices in the future, OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Looking good. There is an old saying, something like "a pound of putty and a gallon of paint, make her look like what she aint". I say it often and it is especially convenient for stitch and glue boats. When it's all said and done I'm sure you won't even notice the repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 That pesky little voice bothers me at times too. I usually ignore it with the same results you got. Anyway, good job on a cold day. I'm still snowed in and too cold to work up the road here in good-ol' Hooterville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2016 While my priority is still the completion of my skiff, I did manage to fix my cutting error. There is 6 oz. cloth on both sides of the butt joint. Tomorrow, I'll drive to Asheville to pick up an Ash board (!) for my wales. I think I'll just use some scraps of walnut for the breasthooks. These are my next steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Those woods together are gonna be purty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Actually, I discovered they were closed on Saturdays! Anyway, I realized that I have enough walnut to do the wales, too. What do y'all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Tomorrow, I'll drive to Asheville to pick up an Ash board (!) for my wales. Where do you go to buy Cedar? (silly guesses expected) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Around here, we have Eastern Red Cedar. I don't think that is what you are looking for. i don't know if it is useful for boat building. I get my wood rough cut from a local saw mill. i use poplar and red oak. They also have white oak, some walnut, and small quantities of other hard woods. Mostly they sell the local varieties of pine that are full of knots. I'll check in on the cedar. a quick check shows that it is suitable for building but may be hard to get varnish or paint to cure on it, but epoxy should be fine. The resin in it is highly allergenic to some folks. Me for one. I was trimming some branches and my face started swelling up. I had "blubber lips" when I tried to talk. I was hauled off in an ambulance before I went into anaphylactic shock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I think it was a joke, Chick. The answer he's looking for is "Cedarville", which is in Michigan. There is local cedar, here in the NC foothills. It is aromatic cedar, and is quite knotty. I wanted to build a strip canoe with it-- a design named a "Wee Lassie". One builder did build this boat with knotty wood. He named it "Knotty Lassie". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 The wee lassie is a nice boat. I've built two. If I ever wanted to do all that mess again, I'd build another in a heartbeat. I wouldn't use the wood stems again, though. I'd just butt the strips and fillet/glass the inner stem, with an extra wrap or two of glass around the outer stem. I think building a strip/glass boat with knotty wood would be cool. You could use color and knots to make patterns. Maybe I could hire one of my kids to do all the sanding (andsandingandsandingandsandingandsanding)... If you do gunwales and breast hooks in that walnut, you know you have to paint the canoe yellow, too, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Robert, Local Honey will have enough yellow for my boatyard. I need another color! I've been looking at a unique shade of green that Kirby's offers. They call it Pea Green. My family has another name for this shade of green, which comes from a story written by Jean Shepherd. In that story (Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss), Jean's father's car is painted this ugly shade of green that his father calls Goat Vomit Green. So, that's what it'll be called around here. The color in this photo doesn't quite capture the pukey shade of it. It is more like split pea soup. I think it will contrast nicely with the varnished Okoume interior and the Walnut trim. I wanted something old-fashioned for this build. Speaking of the Walnut, this is a different batch of hoardwood than I made Local Honey out of. My family has been carrying this lumber around for over 50 years. It is truly hoardwood, and it'll be nice to finally put it to use. This is a slightly more red version than the skiff's trim (Michigan wood vs. North Carolina). Does anyone have experience using Kirby's paint? It is old school enamel, so it should behave well with the roll and tip method. (I assume.) I am considering having Jamestown mix a custom batch of Epiphanes Two-part Poly in this shade. The poly would be more durable, which would be the reason to pay double the price. But the Kirby's should touch up easily. What do y'all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Tiger Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I am imminently in favor of green canoes. Bravo! I would use oil paint and a brush, personally, given the choice you're facing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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