28. Maiden Voyage

This past weekend I took the canoe up to the Adirondacks. She's not done yet (I still need to glass the gunwales and breasthooks, and add a backrest) but she was ready to go in the water.


I decided on Little Tupper Lake, which does not allow motorboats, and has many good campsites.

Also, I was expecting rain all weekend, and cold nights, but I got lucky. It was (relatively) dry, and warm.


Putting in at the launch on the northeast shore, I paddled to the southwest end of Little Tupper, went up the beaver creek to rock pond, and back, camped for the night, and then returned to the launch; about 12 miles total.

I saw a beaver and a pair of loons, and no bears :-)

Beaver out fishing

Beaver dam

Loons

Fall colors

27. Paddle Bag

I've made a happy discovery. This $11 rifle bag fits my paddles perfectly. (For more about these paddles, see post #13 from March)

26. Gunwales

Using leftover cedar strips, I've added inwales and outwales (collectively: gunwales).

If anyone ever tells you that you have too many clamps, don't believe them. The spring clamps work OK, but the small C-clamps can apply more pressure, and I wish I had more of them. After the glue sets up, I will go back and plane down the top of the gunwales, then sand.

Next: Breasthooks

25. Status Report

So, the past three posts catch us up to today. I have started bending the laminate strips for the next outer stem. After I finish installing both stems I will start on the gunwales. I had hoped to be in the water in May, or at least June, but I can see the conclusion approach now, and take heart from it.

This project has never been a chore. When I'm thinking about what I want to do with the next chunk of free time that comes my way, it is common for me to look forward to spending it on the canoe.

24. Installing an Outer Stem

To prepare the surface for installation, I first sawed, then planed the strips flush with the inner stem. Then I cut a rabbet (stop line) with a pull saw, and chiseled to that line. (not shown below, sorry)


I used way too many screws installing the outer stem, but they were brass and so shiny.. anyways, do you see where the outer stem stops? (in the picture below) That's where I cut the rabbet. (The outer stem is inset a bit)

In addition to the screws, I used a mix of epoxy and lots of wood flour between inner and outer stems. There was a small gap ( < 1/8 " ) and the thickened epoxy hides it.
I shaped the outer stem in place with a sanding drum attachment on my corded hand-drill.

When I was happy with the shape, I applied another layer of fiberglass and epoxy over the whole thing. Below, I have started to feather out (sand down) the new fiberglass. (The white dust is mostly epoxy dust) When I am happy with that the whole assembly will get another coat of epoxy.

23. Laminating an Outer Stem

As a guard, and a structural element, an outer stem covers the inner stem and the ends of the strips. Like the inner stem, I've laminated the outer stem from oak, except the outer stem is wider.


I've used waterproof polyurethane glue again, and as before, it's a bit messy. The glue drips come right of the floor easily, but I still should have laid something down.


I scraped the glue drips off ..

22. Fiberglass the Inside

Long time, no posts. I'll catch up a bit tonight. Here's the fiberglass cloth draped over the inside, ready for epoxy. I started pouring epoxy in the middle, and worked outward. It was more difficult to spread the epoxy on the inside than it had been on the outside. Puddles formed in the middle, and the area around the inner stems did not turn out as well as I'd like.