Posted this a week or so ago after we proudly launched our DIY canoe:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116121&highlight=floats
Some folks showed interest in the photos I took during the build. So here they are:
First off - this is not meant to be a "build-along" type guide as the photos are more illustrative than instructive. There are also some gaps as I couldn't take photos when my hands were covered in sticky epoxy resin
! I built the canoe with ORCA (website: http://www.orcadventures.co.uk) in the Lake District and can thoroughly recommend their course.
When we arrived on the Monday morning we were given a panel saw and a set of four plywood boards with the outline of the parts already traced on them:
A morning of brisk sawing produced all the panels needed for the canoe:
After drilling holes every 10 ins or so along the panels we used zip ties to bind them together. Amazing to see how quickly it all started to resemble a canoe. There is a temporary thwart fitted to give the boat some shape.:
Close up of the tied together bow. The gaps would be filled with an epoxy paste at a later stage. This was how it looked at then end of the first day:
Now it was time to fix the gunwales and inwales. These were made from long lengths of softwood skewed through we very 10 inches or so. The plywood "arches" held them in place until the screws were put in:
Once the hull was tied together we used glass tape and epoxy resin to permanently fix the panels together (dodgy photo due to VERY stick hands!):
The yoke was temporarily fixed in place until the gunwales were finished then bolted through the inwales:
Next, the hull was turned:
Looks a bit like a hedgehog at this stage. Tape added to hold panels just where you want them ready for the epoxy filler:
Zip ties snipped off. Time now to mix up an epoxy filler paste and fill the gaps:
(Distinct lack of pics here due to working with epoxy!)
Gaps filled then left to cure before being planed and sanded to smooth out the curves. A coat of epoxy added inside and out:
Last day was very hectic trying to get it finished so not much time for pics! Seats, decks and carrying handles added:
The temperature dropped considerably on the last night and, as a result, the epoxy did not cure as I would have liked. Adding a second coat the following morning only made it worse and so, when I got it home, I used a heat gun and a paint scraper to strip it all off. I then reapplied epoxy followed by three coats of exterior paint and three coats of yacht varnish:
I took the seats, decks and handles out and varnished them. I then applied three coats of exterior paint to the inside (no varnish as I thought it might get a bit slippery):
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable process and one I would love to repeat - maybe make a smaller, solo canoe or try a strip planked canoe. As I said earlier, the course at ORCA is very good - intense but enjoyable. Amazing to see six canoes built in three and a half days. One couple even took theirs out on Ullswater on the last afternoon.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116121&highlight=floats
Some folks showed interest in the photos I took during the build. So here they are:
First off - this is not meant to be a "build-along" type guide as the photos are more illustrative than instructive. There are also some gaps as I couldn't take photos when my hands were covered in sticky epoxy resin
! I built the canoe with ORCA (website: http://www.orcadventures.co.uk) in the Lake District and can thoroughly recommend their course.When we arrived on the Monday morning we were given a panel saw and a set of four plywood boards with the outline of the parts already traced on them:
A morning of brisk sawing produced all the panels needed for the canoe:
After drilling holes every 10 ins or so along the panels we used zip ties to bind them together. Amazing to see how quickly it all started to resemble a canoe. There is a temporary thwart fitted to give the boat some shape.:
Close up of the tied together bow. The gaps would be filled with an epoxy paste at a later stage. This was how it looked at then end of the first day:
Now it was time to fix the gunwales and inwales. These were made from long lengths of softwood skewed through we very 10 inches or so. The plywood "arches" held them in place until the screws were put in:
Once the hull was tied together we used glass tape and epoxy resin to permanently fix the panels together (dodgy photo due to VERY stick hands!):
The yoke was temporarily fixed in place until the gunwales were finished then bolted through the inwales:
Next, the hull was turned:
Looks a bit like a hedgehog at this stage. Tape added to hold panels just where you want them ready for the epoxy filler:
Zip ties snipped off. Time now to mix up an epoxy filler paste and fill the gaps:
(Distinct lack of pics here due to working with epoxy!)
Gaps filled then left to cure before being planed and sanded to smooth out the curves. A coat of epoxy added inside and out:
Last day was very hectic trying to get it finished so not much time for pics! Seats, decks and carrying handles added:
The temperature dropped considerably on the last night and, as a result, the epoxy did not cure as I would have liked. Adding a second coat the following morning only made it worse and so, when I got it home, I used a heat gun and a paint scraper to strip it all off. I then reapplied epoxy followed by three coats of exterior paint and three coats of yacht varnish:
I took the seats, decks and handles out and varnished them. I then applied three coats of exterior paint to the inside (no varnish as I thought it might get a bit slippery):
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable process and one I would love to repeat - maybe make a smaller, solo canoe or try a strip planked canoe. As I said earlier, the course at ORCA is very good - intense but enjoyable. Amazing to see six canoes built in three and a half days. One couple even took theirs out on Ullswater on the last afternoon.
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