Compared to other forms of boatbuilding skin-on-frame is significantly faster, easier, and less expensive, so much so that it can feel like cheating at times. The big caveat is that there are formidable design challenges owing to the unpredictability of the materials. Unless you simply overpower the problem with extensive bracing, lamination, or oversized...
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Day 13: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 13, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 7hrs. A huge disappointment today, I’m having difficulties with the shape of the canoe due to the heavy skin I put on it. It’s worth a detailed explanation so I’ll tackle that in a separate post. Got all the pieces together today and started setting things...
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A hard-working umiak
A stark contrast to the romance of polished brass and meticulous varnish is this hard working Umiak built by my friend Don in 2001. Beginning in Olympia, Washington, Don and his wife Edith rowed this boat 1000 miles self supported to Juneau, Alaska. The trip took 143 days. Almost 20 years later the boat...
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Day 12: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 12, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 2hrs. Webbed the canoe seat copying the commercial seats I’ve purchased. I have a compressor and a 1/4 crown pneumatic stapler so I was able to do it the exact same way as the pro seats. Not sure how you could do it otherwise. I set...
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Day 11: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 11, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 4hrs. Coated the boat/boats today. The coating I use to waterproof and protect the raw nylon cloth is the 2 part polyurethane sold by skinboats.org. It’s not a perfect coating due to lack of UV resistance but it is damn tough, long lasting finish that’s a...
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Day 10: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 10, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 7hrs. Spent the morning making VHMW skid-strips which I’ll talk about and show in another post. After that I stripped the frame and took the opportunity to weigh all the components separately which much to my surprise came out lighter than my last boat despite using...
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Small business, smaller van.
Small business, smaller van. Shipping day here at the shop. My imported from Japan Kei class Subaru Sambar just got a rack to serve as overflow storage for my boat problem. Shorter and narrower than a Honda Fit with twice the room, this tiny supercharged van might be the perfect minimalist vehicle if you...
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“I should have just bought the ribs from you!”
One of the most common comments I get from people who have built one of my boats from plans is: “I should have just bought the ribs from you!”. First time builders, the ones who would benefit the most from perfect bending stock are usually the ones who get sticker shock and try to...
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Indecision…
Obviously I’m not having a problem deciding on a curve........
Day 9: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 9, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time:4hrs. Put a coat of oil on the frame. I’m pretty sure the instructions don’t say “use at 36 degrees” but sometimes you have to bend the rules. I use Watco Danish Oil because it penetrates well, dries fast, and is reasonably inexpensive. The reality is that...
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Day 8: Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 8: Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 4hrs. With 8 coats of varnish on I brought the spars out of the basement to get some real world measurements for the mast partners. One thing I’ve always liked about historic small boats is the generous use of sheet copper, sometimes to protect the mast....
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Taking a trip to the sawmill to refocus
Ran into my first major hurdle on the new version of the row/sail canoe today so I thought I’d step away to refocus. I’ve been out of bending oak for a few weeks so I drove down to Zena Forest and bought some nice sticks from Ben and Paul. Zena Forest Products is a...
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Day 7: Row/sail canoe version 2
Day 7, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 6hrs. Marked the oar socket positions, made rub rails, made removable floor boards. I typically avoid floor boards wherever possible. They add a lot of unnecessary weight, expense, and time to a build. A thin pad in the bottom is all that is generally needed to...
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Day 6, Row/sail canoe version 2
Day 6, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 4hrs. 4 hrs of work, 9 hours of work day. Things always slow wayyy down when the video camera comes out to document new things. Finally found a seat setting method I like for rowboats. For regular canoes it’s simple, glue some blocks on the gunwales,...
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Day 5, Row/sail canoe, version 2
Day 5, Row/sail canoe, version 2. Build time: 8hrs. I have an OCD-like compulsion about finishing things. Stopping part way through anything is like fingernails on the chalkboard of my brain. This can result in some serious lashing marathons. Luckily I have Liz to help my tie. Today was a 6 hour day but...
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