Freighter canoe update

Link to here: http://blog.ravenwoodcanoes.com/2015/03/the-fishing-machine-or-currently-about.html

Some progress, after interior paint. Rails are done, thwarts in. next is hang seats, and hull and deck paint. It will get kevlar skid plates, and an engine and its on the water.

Good bye blue!

Looking better, outside is next

Few more coats of varnish for the ash

Damn baby blue is ugly.

1st of 3 coats. Epifanes produces a nice, hard enamel finish.

Time for kevlar skid plates

All 3 keels plus stem and stern

Hard beach landings and floating over rocks and shoals arent kind to unprotected gel coat

Broad stern cover

bombproof stem

Black pigment in the skids will blend them in with the black hull paint

Much tougher!

Filling in the felt as it starves while epoxy is drawn down

One more coat of black and the yellow disappears

Almost all cured. 

Final coat goes on after tape removed to fill felt and seal edges

Curing outside

Protection!

Stern cover

Paint job next, hang seats and  go fishing

The fishing machine - or currently, about 80lbs of shit fiberglass...

Always interesting to see peoples interpretations of how work, whether making repairs or completely reworking existing boats. This is the second fiberglass that likely had aluminum gunwales but for some reason has had them remove in favour of wood. Albeit poorly done, the basic hull is just what we were looking for in a motor canoe. Double ended (somewhat) below and at the water line, it could technically be moved by paddle, but at 40" wide, but with a huge flat run and three keels and at 14" deep who would want to?

Missing the 16' Tremblay and 4hp merc combo i had years ago, its time again to get an engine and let it take us greater distances quicker, to where the fish are. With a cart, it wont be terrible to portage either, as it wont top 100 pounds. 

16' Tremblay V stern w/ 1971 red band Mercury 4hp. Pickup truck for the water.

The van snags another one. 

V stern, not a true flat stern. Technically a wineglass transom.

Enough rocker to be manouverable. 

With 2 piece gunwales and not even joined, the piece of metal was used. Cant keep the shape with these.

Temp thwarts to make it rigid enough for 70mph on the roof

2 thwarts to be replaced

Nice amount of flotation bow and stern

Stern seat 2' and a bit in front of stern, for proper trimming

3-5 hp will fit, 4 should be optimum.

More bad work, all to be stripped off. 

Next: sanding, interior paint, 2 part epoxy exterior paint, kevlar skids on bow, stern and bottom keels, ash gunwales in and out, cherry seats, thwarts, deck and transom.  Gotta be gloss black out/grey inside.

Oh, and an engine. Cant forget the engine.....

New rails temp'd in place

Nice fair curves

Glass on this brute is thicker, need to do a heavier back cut than usual for glass or kevlar

The fun pack - 2 part urethane gloss black outside, a super tough and durable coating, and oyster mono urethane for the interior. Lots of kevlar felt for skid plates, and black pigment for the epoxy to saturate them so the yellow disappears.

Work forges ahead as the ice heads towards break up...

Wineglass, motor pads off

Canoe profile at waterline

Rough fit rails

Glass cleaned up and rails fitted

Deck on, sanded ready for paint

Thwarts located and fit

Clamps, clamps, clamps

Paint is next, and skid plates

Boat is railed

She'll get carry thwarts bow and stern for moving to and from water

Next is filling in the keels so the inside is smooth, flat and easy to keep dry

Another rotted fiberglass canoe

Per usual, relatively maintenance free fiberglass and kevlar boats get left outside and on the ground, and with aluminum or vinyl gunwales dont suffer much at all. But after paying extra for wood trim, if treated the same they deteriorate at a rapid rate. This one has a nice shape, some tumblehome and upswept ends, likely copied off of a more traditional boat like a Pal or Deer. Was fine until the recent windstorm picked it up and threw it, now it needs a glass repair along one side. Milled the gunwale stock today, next to strip it in preparation for the new wood.

Rotted ends gone

Rotten rails with some weird seats, lots of effort went into them but they're going in the fire.                                                     

Rotten ash

Doubt its factory, but maybe. Inners stop before the deck, not strong or correct. Even if not full length, inletting to deck would be better than this. 

Fairly traditional shape.

New rails, and 3 cordless tools means never having to change bits! Countersink, drill bit and robertson tip.

Maybe should have washed it first. No matter, its getting sanded anyways

Flat run all done. 

Shape restored, ends will need steaming.

Thwart back in to hold shape

Bring out the steamer......

Reusing seats from another boat that was refurbished with new seats, ash frames.

Easy weave, more so than cane!

Cypress decks from a board we had laying around, not a glue up, change in colour through the board

Ash rails, seats, thwart

2 coats of Tung oil before varnish.

Thwart to be positioned at centre for portaging

Crack repair along side from windstorm picking up boat and throwing it across 2 yards....

Next up is colour...