RE: [bolger] Re: Oops, I did it again - Kotick
Thanks, Jamie, I'll have to buy that book. I want to try building a skin
boat next, but there is no way to 'test drive' a skin boat before you put
the cockpit in place, so I was at a bit of a loss on how to get the trim as
perfect as a test-float can. I'd heard of this book but didn't know which
one it was - there are so many new books out on kayak building, now that
kayaks are so fashionable. Actually, what I REALLY want to do is build a
high-performance solo skin kayak, with a folding frame! Then I can fold it
up and take it travelling in the Micro ;-). Our folding double kayak is fun
for laid back outings and togetherness, but it's a real barge to paddle
compared to a sleek, light solo boat...
How many boats does one person really need, anyway? There really ought to be
some kind of 'anonymous' group for us with this 'disease'..... keeps me off
the streets I guess.....
Paul
boat next, but there is no way to 'test drive' a skin boat before you put
the cockpit in place, so I was at a bit of a loss on how to get the trim as
perfect as a test-float can. I'd heard of this book but didn't know which
one it was - there are so many new books out on kayak building, now that
kayaks are so fashionable. Actually, what I REALLY want to do is build a
high-performance solo skin kayak, with a folding frame! Then I can fold it
up and take it travelling in the Micro ;-). Our folding double kayak is fun
for laid back outings and togetherness, but it's a real barge to paddle
compared to a sleek, light solo boat...
How many boats does one person really need, anyway? There really ought to be
some kind of 'anonymous' group for us with this 'disease'..... keeps me off
the streets I guess.....
Paul
> -----Original Message-----is worth buying for anyone who wants to
> From: Orr, Jamie [mailto:jorr@...]
> I recently bought Robert Morris's book on building skin boats and found it
> fascinating how they built the boats to fit the paddler's body. The book
> custom fit their kayak,
--- In bolger@y..., "Paul Lefebvre" <paul@w...> wrote:
the moment I have about 16 manhours spent. I might be naive, but I
even feel like the end is in sight at this point.
I traced the bulkheads on cardboard as insurance, before I started
framing to them. I can use the cardboard as templates, making
adjustments, and then building a second "more perfect" boat if
needed. [The truth is, I started making this boat by accident
anyway!]
I think I will try your wind balance test prior to decking the boat.
It seems simple and worthwhile to attempt. I have decided to not
glass the interior, except the sole of the cockpit. I will probably
paint the rest of the inside with linseed oil thinned with turpentine
as a sealer.
--- In bolger@y..., "Jamie Orr" wrote":
and a good soaking can hardly be avoided as long as I remain banned
from the garage by my wife!
> I'm intrigued by your quick strip 'n fill technique -My quick and dirty impulse, so far at least, is paying off. As of
> it will certainly lend itself to more experimentation
> than traditional stripping.
the moment I have about 16 manhours spent. I might be naive, but I
even feel like the end is in sight at this point.
I traced the bulkheads on cardboard as insurance, before I started
framing to them. I can use the cardboard as templates, making
adjustments, and then building a second "more perfect" boat if
needed. [The truth is, I started making this boat by accident
anyway!]
I think I will try your wind balance test prior to decking the boat.
It seems simple and worthwhile to attempt. I have decided to not
glass the interior, except the sole of the cockpit. I will probably
paint the rest of the inside with linseed oil thinned with turpentine
as a sealer.
--- In bolger@y..., "Jamie Orr" wrote":
> as Bruce noted, a good soaking will make the strip behave.Discovered purely by accident, it is raining in California right now,
and a good soaking can hardly be avoided as long as I remain banned
from the garage by my wife!
I recently bought Robert Morris's book on building skin boats and found it
fascinating how they built the boats to fit the paddler's body. The width
of the boat, the height of the deck, and so on, is all based on body
measurements, and the book gives very detailed instructions on how to find
the balance point so the cockpit is in the right place. The old eskimos
knew their kayaking! The book is worth buying for anyone who wants to
custom fit their kayak, or to build a "skin" boat (ballistic nylon,
anyone?), whether kayak or small dinghy.
Jamie Orr
Also enjoyed the Kotick pictures. I've done a couple of canoes, but no
kayaks, in strip. I found out (too late) that how the strips are laid makes
a big difference in how easy it is to follow the designed shape. But as
Bruce noted, a good soaking will make the strip behave.
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Lefebvre [mailto:paul@...]
Sent: March 7, 2002 10:47 AM
To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [bolger] Re: Oops, I did it again - Kotick
Bruce,
I'm intrigued by your quick strip 'n fill technique - it will
certainly
lend itself to more experimentation than traditional stripping. I got hooked
on strip building first, but after 4 boats I'm open to shortcuts - even
though winters here continue to be plenty long to take your time, my
patience isn't what it once was. Beware of 'The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats
of N. America' - not enough lifetimes to try out all the boats in there! I
learned alot from that book, and from the boat I built from it. My last
kayak is a dimensionally faithful, but stripped, rendition of an 1853 SW
Greenland design from that book, except I lengthened it by a foot from the
original. My 2 previous kayaks had suffered from a 'lee helm' which resulted
in one arm working overtime when paddling with any wind except right on the
nose, just to maintain course. I found this exhausting and aggravating. I'd
spent many hours paddling with one sore arm, whilst dreaming up all sorts of
active water-ballast systems with a glassed-in tank in the stern and pumps I
operate with my feet to trim the boat, but kayaks are supposed to be simple,
no moving parts, and I'd already injured my back car-topping my first two
too-heavy boats. So this eskimo boat was supposed to avoid all the faults of
the previous ones, be a joy to paddle, and be light and simple for flipping
onto the roof rack. Since I'd changed the proportions from the original
eskimo design, and since my body is not of eskimo proportions, I resolved to
find a perfect balance point on this boat fore-aft, to balance the
underwater lateral resistance with the windage above-water for my weight and
proportions, and THEN cut the hole in the deck for the cockpit. Of course I
wasn't about to wait for warm weather to do this - the hull was done and
glassed inside and out, and I wanted the boat finished by the time the
weather got warm, so I got all dressed up and took the undecked hull out in
the harbor here one saturday in early April when there wasn't much of a chop
but with a 10 knot southwesterly, and with a magic marker in the pocket of
my drysuit, I paddled back and forth at all different headings to the wind
until I found a spot to plant my butt where leaning forward would make the
boat point up into the wind, and leaning back would make it veer off
downwind, while a comfortable upright position would make it hold a steady
course on any heading. I'd just about finished my markings as the wind
started picking up, kicking up a bit of a chop, and a small wave splashed in
over the stern; then another, then water started to flood the stern section.
The bow slowly starting to point skyward as I scooted forward and paddled
furiously to try to get to shallower water, while my 2 Brazilian housemates
laughed and cheered me on as they took pictures of the whole adventure from
the beach. I didn't make it far, the boat sank, and I had the opportunity to
find out my drysuit was quite comfortable for a 75-yard swim in sub-40
degree water, something I'd never done voluntarily. The glassed stripwood
hull floated easily in the water and was easy to tow with one hand as I
'crawled' with the other. So I took the boat home, took a long hot shower,
then cut out the cockpit hole and attached the deck, and to close this long
story I can say it was truly worth it - I now can enjoy paddling in any sort
of wind, and it's really nifty to be able to steer by manipulating windage
with subtle fore and aft leans, while maintaining a smooth paddling rhythm
and symmetrical effort. I've been out on many days I never would have
considered paddling in my other boats due to the wind, and it's great not to
have to fight the boat. Notably, the seating position for this neutral
handling was more than 2" aft of where I would have put it had I followed
the original design, even making allowances for the lengthened hull. The
formula for calculating seat position in canoes only works for symmetrical
boats, and eskimo boats are not symmetrical underwater, they are hunting
boats and have deep bows designed for holding a hands-free, harpoon throwing
position facing into the wind, waiting for the prey to surface upwind so the
critter won't smell them - turns out this is probably not an optimum design
in a touring kayak. Proper seat position (farther back than normal) offsets
it quite well, but it is probably not as efficient as a more symmetrical
design would be.
One other thing I learned about eskimo boats - it doesn't appear
that
eskimos of 150 years ago had size 13 feet, and mine's a bit cramped for foot
room for long days on the water. So while I love this boat, the perfect boat
is still out there, waiting to be built.......... maybe after I finish the
micro.....
Paul Lefebvre
Bolger rules!!!
- no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, or flogging dead horses
- pls take "personals" off-list, stay on topic, and punctuate
- add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts, snip all you like
- To order plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA,
01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
- Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject tohttp://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
fascinating how they built the boats to fit the paddler's body. The width
of the boat, the height of the deck, and so on, is all based on body
measurements, and the book gives very detailed instructions on how to find
the balance point so the cockpit is in the right place. The old eskimos
knew their kayaking! The book is worth buying for anyone who wants to
custom fit their kayak, or to build a "skin" boat (ballistic nylon,
anyone?), whether kayak or small dinghy.
Jamie Orr
Also enjoyed the Kotick pictures. I've done a couple of canoes, but no
kayaks, in strip. I found out (too late) that how the strips are laid makes
a big difference in how easy it is to follow the designed shape. But as
Bruce noted, a good soaking will make the strip behave.
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Lefebvre [mailto:paul@...]
Sent: March 7, 2002 10:47 AM
To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [bolger] Re: Oops, I did it again - Kotick
Bruce,
I'm intrigued by your quick strip 'n fill technique - it will
certainly
lend itself to more experimentation than traditional stripping. I got hooked
on strip building first, but after 4 boats I'm open to shortcuts - even
though winters here continue to be plenty long to take your time, my
patience isn't what it once was. Beware of 'The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats
of N. America' - not enough lifetimes to try out all the boats in there! I
learned alot from that book, and from the boat I built from it. My last
kayak is a dimensionally faithful, but stripped, rendition of an 1853 SW
Greenland design from that book, except I lengthened it by a foot from the
original. My 2 previous kayaks had suffered from a 'lee helm' which resulted
in one arm working overtime when paddling with any wind except right on the
nose, just to maintain course. I found this exhausting and aggravating. I'd
spent many hours paddling with one sore arm, whilst dreaming up all sorts of
active water-ballast systems with a glassed-in tank in the stern and pumps I
operate with my feet to trim the boat, but kayaks are supposed to be simple,
no moving parts, and I'd already injured my back car-topping my first two
too-heavy boats. So this eskimo boat was supposed to avoid all the faults of
the previous ones, be a joy to paddle, and be light and simple for flipping
onto the roof rack. Since I'd changed the proportions from the original
eskimo design, and since my body is not of eskimo proportions, I resolved to
find a perfect balance point on this boat fore-aft, to balance the
underwater lateral resistance with the windage above-water for my weight and
proportions, and THEN cut the hole in the deck for the cockpit. Of course I
wasn't about to wait for warm weather to do this - the hull was done and
glassed inside and out, and I wanted the boat finished by the time the
weather got warm, so I got all dressed up and took the undecked hull out in
the harbor here one saturday in early April when there wasn't much of a chop
but with a 10 knot southwesterly, and with a magic marker in the pocket of
my drysuit, I paddled back and forth at all different headings to the wind
until I found a spot to plant my butt where leaning forward would make the
boat point up into the wind, and leaning back would make it veer off
downwind, while a comfortable upright position would make it hold a steady
course on any heading. I'd just about finished my markings as the wind
started picking up, kicking up a bit of a chop, and a small wave splashed in
over the stern; then another, then water started to flood the stern section.
The bow slowly starting to point skyward as I scooted forward and paddled
furiously to try to get to shallower water, while my 2 Brazilian housemates
laughed and cheered me on as they took pictures of the whole adventure from
the beach. I didn't make it far, the boat sank, and I had the opportunity to
find out my drysuit was quite comfortable for a 75-yard swim in sub-40
degree water, something I'd never done voluntarily. The glassed stripwood
hull floated easily in the water and was easy to tow with one hand as I
'crawled' with the other. So I took the boat home, took a long hot shower,
then cut out the cockpit hole and attached the deck, and to close this long
story I can say it was truly worth it - I now can enjoy paddling in any sort
of wind, and it's really nifty to be able to steer by manipulating windage
with subtle fore and aft leans, while maintaining a smooth paddling rhythm
and symmetrical effort. I've been out on many days I never would have
considered paddling in my other boats due to the wind, and it's great not to
have to fight the boat. Notably, the seating position for this neutral
handling was more than 2" aft of where I would have put it had I followed
the original design, even making allowances for the lengthened hull. The
formula for calculating seat position in canoes only works for symmetrical
boats, and eskimo boats are not symmetrical underwater, they are hunting
boats and have deep bows designed for holding a hands-free, harpoon throwing
position facing into the wind, waiting for the prey to surface upwind so the
critter won't smell them - turns out this is probably not an optimum design
in a touring kayak. Proper seat position (farther back than normal) offsets
it quite well, but it is probably not as efficient as a more symmetrical
design would be.
One other thing I learned about eskimo boats - it doesn't appear
that
eskimos of 150 years ago had size 13 feet, and mine's a bit cramped for foot
room for long days on the water. So while I love this boat, the perfect boat
is still out there, waiting to be built.......... maybe after I finish the
micro.....
Paul Lefebvre
Bolger rules!!!
- no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, or flogging dead horses
- pls take "personals" off-list, stay on topic, and punctuate
- add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts, snip all you like
- To order plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA,
01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
- Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject tohttp://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Bruce,
I'm intrigued by your quick strip 'n fill technique - it will certainly
lend itself to more experimentation than traditional stripping. I got hooked
on strip building first, but after 4 boats I'm open to shortcuts - even
though winters here continue to be plenty long to take your time, my
patience isn't what it once was. Beware of 'The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats
of N. America' - not enough lifetimes to try out all the boats in there! I
learned alot from that book, and from the boat I built from it. My last
kayak is a dimensionally faithful, but stripped, rendition of an 1853 SW
Greenland design from that book, except I lengthened it by a foot from the
original. My 2 previous kayaks had suffered from a 'lee helm' which resulted
in one arm working overtime when paddling with any wind except right on the
nose, just to maintain course. I found this exhausting and aggravating. I'd
spent many hours paddling with one sore arm, whilst dreaming up all sorts of
active water-ballast systems with a glassed-in tank in the stern and pumps I
operate with my feet to trim the boat, but kayaks are supposed to be simple,
no moving parts, and I'd already injured my back car-topping my first two
too-heavy boats. So this eskimo boat was supposed to avoid all the faults of
the previous ones, be a joy to paddle, and be light and simple for flipping
onto the roof rack. Since I'd changed the proportions from the original
eskimo design, and since my body is not of eskimo proportions, I resolved to
find a perfect balance point on this boat fore-aft, to balance the
underwater lateral resistance with the windage above-water for my weight and
proportions, and THEN cut the hole in the deck for the cockpit. Of course I
wasn't about to wait for warm weather to do this - the hull was done and
glassed inside and out, and I wanted the boat finished by the time the
weather got warm, so I got all dressed up and took the undecked hull out in
the harbor here one saturday in early April when there wasn't much of a chop
but with a 10 knot southwesterly, and with a magic marker in the pocket of
my drysuit, I paddled back and forth at all different headings to the wind
until I found a spot to plant my butt where leaning forward would make the
boat point up into the wind, and leaning back would make it veer off
downwind, while a comfortable upright position would make it hold a steady
course on any heading. I'd just about finished my markings as the wind
started picking up, kicking up a bit of a chop, and a small wave splashed in
over the stern; then another, then water started to flood the stern section.
The bow slowly starting to point skyward as I scooted forward and paddled
furiously to try to get to shallower water, while my 2 Brazilian housemates
laughed and cheered me on as they took pictures of the whole adventure from
the beach. I didn't make it far, the boat sank, and I had the opportunity to
find out my drysuit was quite comfortable for a 75-yard swim in sub-40
degree water, something I'd never done voluntarily. The glassed stripwood
hull floated easily in the water and was easy to tow with one hand as I
'crawled' with the other. So I took the boat home, took a long hot shower,
then cut out the cockpit hole and attached the deck, and to close this long
story I can say it was truly worth it - I now can enjoy paddling in any sort
of wind, and it's really nifty to be able to steer by manipulating windage
with subtle fore and aft leans, while maintaining a smooth paddling rhythm
and symmetrical effort. I've been out on many days I never would have
considered paddling in my other boats due to the wind, and it's great not to
have to fight the boat. Notably, the seating position for this neutral
handling was more than 2" aft of where I would have put it had I followed
the original design, even making allowances for the lengthened hull. The
formula for calculating seat position in canoes only works for symmetrical
boats, and eskimo boats are not symmetrical underwater, they are hunting
boats and have deep bows designed for holding a hands-free, harpoon throwing
position facing into the wind, waiting for the prey to surface upwind so the
critter won't smell them - turns out this is probably not an optimum design
in a touring kayak. Proper seat position (farther back than normal) offsets
it quite well, but it is probably not as efficient as a more symmetrical
design would be.
One other thing I learned about eskimo boats - it doesn't appear that
eskimos of 150 years ago had size 13 feet, and mine's a bit cramped for foot
room for long days on the water. So while I love this boat, the perfect boat
is still out there, waiting to be built.......... maybe after I finish the
micro.....
Paul Lefebvre
I'm intrigued by your quick strip 'n fill technique - it will certainly
lend itself to more experimentation than traditional stripping. I got hooked
on strip building first, but after 4 boats I'm open to shortcuts - even
though winters here continue to be plenty long to take your time, my
patience isn't what it once was. Beware of 'The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats
of N. America' - not enough lifetimes to try out all the boats in there! I
learned alot from that book, and from the boat I built from it. My last
kayak is a dimensionally faithful, but stripped, rendition of an 1853 SW
Greenland design from that book, except I lengthened it by a foot from the
original. My 2 previous kayaks had suffered from a 'lee helm' which resulted
in one arm working overtime when paddling with any wind except right on the
nose, just to maintain course. I found this exhausting and aggravating. I'd
spent many hours paddling with one sore arm, whilst dreaming up all sorts of
active water-ballast systems with a glassed-in tank in the stern and pumps I
operate with my feet to trim the boat, but kayaks are supposed to be simple,
no moving parts, and I'd already injured my back car-topping my first two
too-heavy boats. So this eskimo boat was supposed to avoid all the faults of
the previous ones, be a joy to paddle, and be light and simple for flipping
onto the roof rack. Since I'd changed the proportions from the original
eskimo design, and since my body is not of eskimo proportions, I resolved to
find a perfect balance point on this boat fore-aft, to balance the
underwater lateral resistance with the windage above-water for my weight and
proportions, and THEN cut the hole in the deck for the cockpit. Of course I
wasn't about to wait for warm weather to do this - the hull was done and
glassed inside and out, and I wanted the boat finished by the time the
weather got warm, so I got all dressed up and took the undecked hull out in
the harbor here one saturday in early April when there wasn't much of a chop
but with a 10 knot southwesterly, and with a magic marker in the pocket of
my drysuit, I paddled back and forth at all different headings to the wind
until I found a spot to plant my butt where leaning forward would make the
boat point up into the wind, and leaning back would make it veer off
downwind, while a comfortable upright position would make it hold a steady
course on any heading. I'd just about finished my markings as the wind
started picking up, kicking up a bit of a chop, and a small wave splashed in
over the stern; then another, then water started to flood the stern section.
The bow slowly starting to point skyward as I scooted forward and paddled
furiously to try to get to shallower water, while my 2 Brazilian housemates
laughed and cheered me on as they took pictures of the whole adventure from
the beach. I didn't make it far, the boat sank, and I had the opportunity to
find out my drysuit was quite comfortable for a 75-yard swim in sub-40
degree water, something I'd never done voluntarily. The glassed stripwood
hull floated easily in the water and was easy to tow with one hand as I
'crawled' with the other. So I took the boat home, took a long hot shower,
then cut out the cockpit hole and attached the deck, and to close this long
story I can say it was truly worth it - I now can enjoy paddling in any sort
of wind, and it's really nifty to be able to steer by manipulating windage
with subtle fore and aft leans, while maintaining a smooth paddling rhythm
and symmetrical effort. I've been out on many days I never would have
considered paddling in my other boats due to the wind, and it's great not to
have to fight the boat. Notably, the seating position for this neutral
handling was more than 2" aft of where I would have put it had I followed
the original design, even making allowances for the lengthened hull. The
formula for calculating seat position in canoes only works for symmetrical
boats, and eskimo boats are not symmetrical underwater, they are hunting
boats and have deep bows designed for holding a hands-free, harpoon throwing
position facing into the wind, waiting for the prey to surface upwind so the
critter won't smell them - turns out this is probably not an optimum design
in a touring kayak. Proper seat position (farther back than normal) offsets
it quite well, but it is probably not as efficient as a more symmetrical
design would be.
One other thing I learned about eskimo boats - it doesn't appear that
eskimos of 150 years ago had size 13 feet, and mine's a bit cramped for foot
room for long days on the water. So while I love this boat, the perfect boat
is still out there, waiting to be built.......... maybe after I finish the
micro.....
Paul Lefebvre
--- In bolger@y..., "pvanderwaart" <pvanderwaart@y...> wrote:
how many decades? Three?
I can say that my version does not match the Kotick offsets exactly
both by my whim/error and by nature. I chose not to fight nature, in
other words, when the battens did not want to follow the shape of the
ribs, I let the spring of the battens control. Plus I widened the
boat by about 1" because I guess that my butt is about that much
bigger than Mr. B's. And further, due to my whim or whatever, I
lenghten the boat by about 6". The Kotick coaming has straight
lines, and I plan to curve my coaming boards a little bit.
The spring of my battens causes the fullness of the midsection to
extend a little more towards the stem and the stern that the Kotick
lines literally require.
In Small Boats PCB suggests that tweaking of the lines will be
necessary. "Offset...accuracy is not adequet to dispense with full-
scale, full length lofting in this construction."
Not to mention that my level of craftsmanship is probably several
orders of magnitude below that of Dynamite Payson.
I am thinking of building another decked canoe after this, and I have
sent away for the book _The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North
America_ by Adney & Chappelle, which PCB cites as being "full of
fascinating diagrams", and which may have been at least a partial
source of his ideas for the lines of Kotick.
> I think this project will please PCB greatly. HisThe full offsets for Kotick have been published in Small Boats for
> own Kotick is one of his favorites,
> and I have never heard of another
> one being built, although it must
> have been done thru the years.
how many decades? Three?
I can say that my version does not match the Kotick offsets exactly
both by my whim/error and by nature. I chose not to fight nature, in
other words, when the battens did not want to follow the shape of the
ribs, I let the spring of the battens control. Plus I widened the
boat by about 1" because I guess that my butt is about that much
bigger than Mr. B's. And further, due to my whim or whatever, I
lenghten the boat by about 6". The Kotick coaming has straight
lines, and I plan to curve my coaming boards a little bit.
The spring of my battens causes the fullness of the midsection to
extend a little more towards the stem and the stern that the Kotick
lines literally require.
In Small Boats PCB suggests that tweaking of the lines will be
necessary. "Offset...accuracy is not adequet to dispense with full-
scale, full length lofting in this construction."
Not to mention that my level of craftsmanship is probably several
orders of magnitude below that of Dynamite Payson.
I am thinking of building another decked canoe after this, and I have
sent away for the book _The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North
America_ by Adney & Chappelle, which PCB cites as being "full of
fascinating diagrams", and which may have been at least a partial
source of his ideas for the lines of Kotick.
> Six pictures are posted at:Looking very good. I think this project will please PCB greatly. His
>
>http://www.hallman.org/bolger/Kotick/
own Kotick is one of his favorites, and I have never heard of another
one being built, although it must have been done thru the years.
PHV
> pictures or what?Six pictures are posted at:
http://www.hallman.org/bolger/Kotick/
I got 14 more battens on this evening before it started to rain, and
it remains to be seen how much of the glue will survive the rinse.
Oh well, I am counting on the fiberglass to hold the thing together
anyway.
You read on the stripper canoe websites about redwood not being the
best wood because it is brittle, which is true if it is dry, but when
it gets wet it is much more plyable.
Practice helps with my technique, and I think I have to make another
boat to take advantage of all I have learned. <grin>
>-- In bolger@y..., "roger99a" <roger99a@h...> wrote:'Enablers' is an AA reference; to the friends/family that enable a
> Enablers? Whatever that means..... Are you going to post some
> pictures or what?
compulsive drinker to drink, [bad joke, sorry]. My wife calls me a
compulsive boat builder. Though, my wife has calmed down after the
initial flareup.
About the boat. I have a few pictures on a roll of film still
undeveloped in my camera. Weather permitting, I will take a digital
camera picture tonight and post it.
Building with batten strips on frames is much easier and quicker than
I had previously feared. IMO, no more than twice as time intensive
as plywood.
My impressions came from the PCB commentary in Small Boats where he
suggests that a boat built this way is uneconomical to sell, and too
precious to risk damaging.
So far, I have 6 hours spent on lofting/layout and cutting frames
[Saturday], 6 hours on shopping, strongback, stern & stem posts and
ripping the battens [Sunday].. 4 hours so far on installing battens
[Mon./Tues.]
Now, I have the bottom/bow/stern parts done, with sides/deck/coaming
to go, [perhaps 2/3rds of the battens to go]. I am approaching half
way done overall.
My building technique is the "quick/dirty/fast" school. I was
astonished to look at the "slow/clean/precise" works of art at the
several stripper canoe sites on the web, beautiful, but ridiculously
time intensive.
I plan on filling my numerous gaps and cracks with Bondo filler,
[which pretty closely matches the color of my redwood]. I will sheath
the outside and cockpit with epoxy and 4 oz cloth and will finish
bright.
I can now see that two frames ["B" and "G"] are out of perfect
alignment by 1/2" or so, but I can do some tweaking and the battens
are springy and the take a nice shape almost naturally. Even if I
don't match Kotick lines exactly I never-the-less will have a
streamline shape.
At first I was all thumbs, but learned to keep my copper nails in a
nail pouch [and my mouth], my hammer in my belt clip, and my Makita
cordless drill in a holster. With my left hand I twist the batten to
position, drill a hole with my right hand, and insert a nail with
hammer taps, [then move to next spot]; quickly.
Enablers? Whatever that means..... Are you going to post some
pictures or what?
Roger S
pictures or what?
Roger S
--- In bolger@y..., "brucehallman" <brucehallman@y...> wrote:
> My wife was out of town over the weekend, and I started innocently
> enough. Being curious about "lofting", I just wanted to learn how
it
> works. First, I was trying to get my computer to plot the curvy
> lines from the table of offsets for Kotick, from Phil Bolger's
book
> _Small Boats_.
>
> Of course, my computer kept crashing. Then it all began...
>
> Having a bright idea, I rolled out a piece of butcher paper in the
> garage and plotted out the offsets full size. Then I connected
the
> dots. Gosh, it looked like a boat!
>
> Why not transfer these dots onto some scrap 1/4" plywood to see
what
> the rib sections might look like? Harmless enough, right? Once
> done, buzzing them out with a jig saw took no time at all.
>
> The lumber store is only 15 minutes away, so finding a strongback
and
> some clear redwood was too easy.
>
> That ripping attachment to my skillsaw, and two hours, was all it
> took to reduce those beautiful clear 2x6's into a large pile of
> perfect 16 foot long battens.
>
> Those battens seem to fall onto the frames naturally by
themselves.
> Anyway, it is really beginning to look like a boat now. [And my
wife
> is definitely not happy now.] {Why is it that she seems to
believe
> that there needs to be something like an alcoholic's anonymous
group
> for boat building?} <And, I suppose you guys around here are
going
> to be my enablers now right???>
My wife was out of town over the weekend, and I started innocently
enough. Being curious about "lofting", I just wanted to learn how it
works. First, I was trying to get my computer to plot the curvy
lines from the table of offsets for Kotick, from Phil Bolger's book
_Small Boats_.
Of course, my computer kept crashing. Then it all began...
Having a bright idea, I rolled out a piece of butcher paper in the
garage and plotted out the offsets full size. Then I connected the
dots. Gosh, it looked like a boat!
Why not transfer these dots onto some scrap 1/4" plywood to see what
the rib sections might look like? Harmless enough, right? Once
done, buzzing them out with a jig saw took no time at all.
The lumber store is only 15 minutes away, so finding a strongback and
some clear redwood was too easy.
That ripping attachment to my skillsaw, and two hours, was all it
took to reduce those beautiful clear 2x6's into a large pile of
perfect 16 foot long battens.
Those battens seem to fall onto the frames naturally by themselves.
Anyway, it is really beginning to look like a boat now. [And my wife
is definitely not happy now.] {Why is it that she seems to believe
that there needs to be something like an alcoholic's anonymous group
for boat building?} <And, I suppose you guys around here are going
to be my enablers now right???>
enough. Being curious about "lofting", I just wanted to learn how it
works. First, I was trying to get my computer to plot the curvy
lines from the table of offsets for Kotick, from Phil Bolger's book
_Small Boats_.
Of course, my computer kept crashing. Then it all began...
Having a bright idea, I rolled out a piece of butcher paper in the
garage and plotted out the offsets full size. Then I connected the
dots. Gosh, it looked like a boat!
Why not transfer these dots onto some scrap 1/4" plywood to see what
the rib sections might look like? Harmless enough, right? Once
done, buzzing them out with a jig saw took no time at all.
The lumber store is only 15 minutes away, so finding a strongback and
some clear redwood was too easy.
That ripping attachment to my skillsaw, and two hours, was all it
took to reduce those beautiful clear 2x6's into a large pile of
perfect 16 foot long battens.
Those battens seem to fall onto the frames naturally by themselves.
Anyway, it is really beginning to look like a boat now. [And my wife
is definitely not happy now.] {Why is it that she seems to believe
that there needs to be something like an alcoholic's anonymous group
for boat building?} <And, I suppose you guys around here are going
to be my enablers now right???>