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New guy building two Ravenswoods


bagarre

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Hello all. New to the forum.

 

I just put my order in for two Ravenswood kayak kits.

 

I built a one off stitch and glue hull with skin on frame kayak 15 years ago and I though it was time to jump back in.

That one took 9 months because I had to solve every problem along the way. No kit, no plans. Just lofting number for the hull and figure out the rest.

I never built another one because of the work involved with the first one.

 

I'm really excited about the Ravenswood kit and build time should be very quick indeed which lets us get back on the water in nice boats quickly.

 

As things progress, I'll share photos here and maybe folks will find it useful but the builds are already very well documented.

 

In the mean time, here is a link to the 1st Kayak I built. Lots of lessons learned along the way.

https://goo.gl/photos/jYLtrJgas31vXx5f8

 

 

cheers!

 

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Just went through your album. I think you built the most difficult boat in the world to build! It is very cool looking, though.

Please be assured, these boats will be much simpler than figuring out all that.

Good job on figuring out that hybrid boat, though. Very neat.

Peace,

Robert

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Just went through your album. I think you built the most difficult boat in the world to build! It is very cool looking, though.

Please be assured, these boats will be much simpler than figuring out all that.

Good job on figuring out that hybrid boat, though. Very neat.

Peace,

Robert

Thanks. The hull was the S&G Guillemot numbers. It was a fun.

 

Does anyone have the stringer dimensions for the Ravenswood? I could start building those before the kit arrives.

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Welcome, bagarre.  Nick Schade has some lovely designs.  I've had my sights on building a stripper, but I know that there just aren't enough hours left, and too much water to be played in.  My "ShortShot" has taken long enough, since I'm a first-time builder.  That was plenty for now.  Hopefully painting this weekend, and on the water before the end of July.

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Nice boats, the canoe however looks a little small.  :P

 

I believe all of Jeff's boats use 5/8"x1" hull, deck and keel stringers and 5/8"x1 1/2" sheer stringers.  The exception is the new laminated beam he is introducing for the fore deck of some models.

 

Robert (Action Tiger) is correct, we mostly commiserate.  That and look at pictures.  I think I speak for all when I say we like posts with pictures.  And all build threads in this section of the forum require FROG pictures (frame resting on grass) when the builder finishes lashing.  I don't think a punishment for failure to post frog pictures has been determined yet, but we're working on it.

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Or a FROH ( ... Resting On Horses), or, a new category FROR (...On Rocks, in a delightful decorative stream bed), if you ain't got grass.

The punishment... Hmmm?

Dang, that's a good one. We do need an enforceable threat. :)

Perhaps recalcitrants should be flogged with artificial sinew? Heh heh heh.

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Day One: 5 Hours including set up, strong back building, scarf jig making, stringer cutting and clean up.

https://goo.gl/photos/1oBbrN99NxPDBRzs7

 

Q: Any tips on gluing scarfs? I was planning on using some aluminum angle stock and a bunch of hand clamps to keep things straight and then run them thru a planer to final dimensions.

Q: Do I paint the stringers in boiled linseed oil before trying to the frames?

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Thanks! I completely forgot about the PVC clamps.

 

So, just eyeball it straight on a flat table and make sure the joint doesnt slide.. I may have been over thinking the problem.

When I dry fit each one, I'll strike a line across the middle of the joint to help lines things up with glue oozing out.

 

A long time ago, I was told the difference between an amateur and a professional is knowing what's good enough.

The amateur will tend to over or under work a problem where the pro will have the experience to know when enough is enough. 

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The other difference is a pro knows how to deal with, um, unexpected events. A pro simply has made enough mistakes to know how to fix or prevent them. Or, at least, the professionalism to not point them out! ;)

Putty and paint makes a thing what it ain't, right? Of course, I spent years as the putty and paint guy, trying to make things what they ain't.:)

You sound like you'll be fine. After the first one, you'll relax.

I suggest you practice on a scrap, to make yourself familiar, and to give you some comfort. Better to learn on "junk" wood, as it were.

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I ran my stringers/gunwales through the planer first, cut the scarfs second and did the scarf glue-up third. I lined up each set of scarf joints, marked the tops/sides with alignment marks and then applied the glue to the respective surfaces. If your clamps aren't holding the glued joint to the alignment marks, I have used an industrial duty staple to span each side of the joint and keep it together. (And of course, pull the staples out when the glue dries.)

 

I didn't apply the tung oil until after everything was assembled because (a) If you do need to apply some putty/epoxy during the assembly, the oil would probably keep the putty/epoxy from adhering properly... and (B) if you need to do some sanding in any areas, oiled wood clogs up your sandpaper pretty quickly.

 

One final tip is to get a few large strips of wax paper (from the kitchen) and put it between the glued up joint and whatever the joint is resting on...keeps glue drips from spreading and it keeps the joint from sticking to whatever it is resting on.

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Did a test joint last night and it was much easier than I thought. I expected the joint to slip all over the place while setting it but it didn't at all.

Plenty of glue, let is soak in for a minute, line i up and put a few hand clamps on it.

Will be cutting PVC clamps to night to do up the rest.

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See. You ARE awesome! The freedom to mess up on scrap frees you.

Have a great time.

The fun part is later, when you tell people you make scarfs. They will wonder if you mean scarves. :) My grandma was so disappointed when I told her I would make scarfs with her one year for Christmas. I showed up with sticks and planes.

I think that's the closest she ever came to really punching me in the mouth... :)

Have fun!

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All stringers are finished as of yesterday. I'm counting 25 hours for both sets. 10 hours last weekend, 2 hours each night and 5 hours yesterday.

25 hours might seem high but it also includes set up(making scarf jig, PVC clamps, experimenting with the router, beer drinking) and shop clean up each night.

I think that's more representative of the task for home DIY guy living in suburbia. A week of evenings. 

 

 

Home Depot now carries maple and of all things, walnut!

Q. Is walnut viable for a coaming (1/8th inch strips) or a masik?

      I was planning to do it in maple but the walnut is SOOOooo pretty. At a minimum, I'm going to have a pretty rabbet plane made out of it.

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Both kits arrived yesterday. Parts look great! Next step, make some stands to hold the strong back.

3 hours to make both stands to include a 6" height adjustment as I made them too tall.

1x4 knotty pine glued and screwed.

 

LUCKILY, my wife is a saint and is allowing me to build them in the living room to keep her company in the evenings..  

Hard wood floors and a good little shop vac should keep me out of the dog house with the saw dust.

 

post-5722-0-83492300-1469577468_thumb.jpg

post-5722-0-37466000-1469577471_thumb.jpg

post-5722-0-00768700-1469577474_thumb.jpg

 

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These are very little mess to build, and all pretty harmless mess. Sawdust ain't no joke, but it ain't plutonium, either.

If you just spread newspaper/tarp/sheet under the area you are creating dust, you can clean up less. I built more than a few boats inside. Built a little lapstrake canoe once. We used the shavings from the plank laps and gains to start our fire. I annealed the copper tacks on the wood stove. That is also a method that involves nearly zero sanding...

Keep it up!

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