The Pigging Canoes & Stupid Idea

[No Idea]

The sides have had a week to dry.

Stepkid got sent shopping for Mothers day, so it was just the wifes boyfriend who arrived.

So far the timber has been rough cut with a circular saw. The edges are all splintered and not cut to size.

Knowing the middle joints were unlikely to be that accurate, I encouraged them to leave the edges like that to allow a bit more flexibility when we were ready to true it all up.

This is the first time the sides have been next to each other since they were joined. The joins were aligned by eye and are out by about 2mm. They have enough leeway to cover that.

Both sides set up in two workbenches.

You can see the differences in height and how wobbly the jointed pieces ended up.

With practice, you get better joins, but then these two hadnt ever used fibreglass before.

 

[No Idea]

He hasnt used a hand plane before either, so I am doing the thicker piece in the middle, demonstrating how to keep your fingers and not do too much damage with it.

The two edges are slightly discoloured where they have been out in the garden under tarp. As the plane cuts them, they change colour.

Im using that colour change to work out when the plane is cutting both sides ao I know they are level. This isnt a racing machine needing to be built exactly to size, so Im just looking more for good curves with no flat spots.

His first go...

He says its not quite as easy as I made it look.

Both hands on the top of the plane keeps fingers away fromt he blade. Oh, and even I wear goggles with this thing.

Cutting the ply along the grain leaves massive splinters. Ive still got several stuck in me.

Starting the other side. This is a concave curve, but the plane seems happy as its very gentle.

Had to point out that the plane needs to be level to get it to plane both sides at 90 degrees.

Getting there....

The joint still looks a mess.

Im going to chamfer it to get it to fit the base. Er.....Im going to grind it at 45 degrees with an angle grinder. No one else gets to use the grinder as its too easy to lose big chunks of hand with it.

 

[No Idea]

One side done...

Will leave the other side until I can get to it without risking injury with the grinder.

Time to get rid of all the splinters...

You can see the curve of the bottom of the sides.

Time to sort out the bottom.

One end is about 6 mm too wide.

Trued up with the plane and chamfered.

 

[No Idea]

We didnt think it was fair to put it together without the stepkid as he is building it too.

Sorting out the edges took the two of us about an hour.

Leaving it now till stepkid arrives. Hope he hurries up as I would like to join it up today as its warm and not raining.

 

[No Idea]

Rang him. He had just got home, so we went and collected him before he could escape again.

Ive only ever joined sections of boat together with cable ties before fibreglassing.

Never tried using duct tape. Didnt expect it to stay put and not give.

Was surprised that the canoe instructions said to use it.

You stick the 3 sections together across the middle with duct tape, then tape a bit of wood across the middle to keep the sides at the right angle, then tape the outside of the joints with more duct tape.

The wife phoned, saying she wanted me to go collect her from the pics with the kids while we were struggling to set this up. Grrr...

Stepkid taping the nose together...

We have jammed some wooden blocks under it to keep the base up.

You pull the tape out to the length you need, then tear it off with your teeth, then fold the end of the tape on the roll so it doesnt get stuck down, then grab the other end and try to get it on without creases....

This is a joint that you can still see lol

 

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Pushing it on firmly...

Must remember not to stick it to your lip. It ripps off skin.

Stick it to the base first...

Then smooth it up over the side.

He is making sure to overlap the lengths of tape.

Hes muttering that I made it look easy...Wonder what he will say about fibreglass tape then lol.

 

[No Idea]

Wifes boyfriend doing the other side...

Needed help.

Its going together a lot neater than I expected. I thought there would be some gaps of up to 6mm.

They are sticking the tape under, then pulling the panel in to close the gap, then smoothing the tape up the side...

This isnt quite as easy as it would seem as the panels seem to want to go on crooked. Think it may be where the panels have warped a bit.

 

[No Idea]

She isnt scowling! Im frightened. Very frightened.

Step kids mixing resin, wifes boyfriend is priming the joints with some of the resin..

Mixing in microfibres...

Needs to be thick enough that it doesnt sag too much...

Er.... thats a bit wides than I was expecting, but it will do.

 

[No Idea]

Er.... if he leans on the side, I think it will all move..

He is using a syringe to squirt a bead of microfibres into the joint...

He is using resin to run the glass tape over the wet microfibres so it will form a nice clean joint..

He is struggling a bit. Seems I make it look easy and he is finding keeping the tape straight and not forcing the microfibres into mounds difficult.

Still...Credit to him, hes having a go and succeeding.

It doesnt look that bad....Especially not for a first try.

Im starting the boyfriend on the other side by doing the inside of the front join and into the side join..

He is struggling to get the tape on flat. Stepkid is microfibring the other end...

All this is a battle against time, as the resin starts to set after 20 minutes from mixing..

 

[No Idea]

He is pushing the tape into the microfibres to keep it straight...

Nose is almost microfibred...

Er....

Not sure where all the lumps came from, but we will simply grind them down and fill them with microfibres when its all cured.

There was a bit of resin left....

After doing the base, there was a little left, so he tried the side, but it flexed too much and I would rather the join survived than lose the little bit of resin.

They went home buzzing.

Seems they couldnt really imagine building a boat - despite the fact that they were, until today.

They have suddenly come face to face with the first boat they have ever built!

It does need a few more bits yet before its finished though.

 

[No Idea]

Left it to cure overnight.

Big Idea and I flipped it over this morning before we went out with our hammocks and hobos.

It is holding itself together.

Didnt attempt to see how strong it is as it will need at least a week before it has any real strength, and to try it now would just damage it.

Hopefully, the wood work of this one will be finished in the next week.

 

[Robbi]

that's looking really good mate

 

[No Idea]

Thank you Robbi.

I will pass on your kind words.

 

[No Idea]

It cured.

Time to tidy up the bits that wernt very nice.

He is cutting along the edge of the bits of glassfibre tape that isnt flat on the wood.

The bits that are stuck out are razor sharp and must come off to stop feet getting cut.

 

[No Idea]

The boyfriend is doing the same.

Hes got a sanding drum on the dremmel and so he can flatten the bits he just trimmed.

The joint got microfibred together too.

Cutting that apart again is a bit delicate.

THere two triangles at the ends to hold the sides. They make the boat a lot stronger.

Hes is marking them out.

Other side getting done...

They can believe how much stronger it has got.

Triangle is marked out...

 

[No Idea]

Hes going to get my bench again..

Er....

I checked his measurements. THe sides are too close together.

Not going to try to force it, just going to cut the triangle down.

THe boat probably wont have as much curve from end to end as it should, but I think it will be ok.

Its in.

..and the other..

 

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Now they have finished pulling it about..

Tiem to take off the tape.

Its a bit er....lumpy...

 

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The sides are on top of the base at the nose...

Then inside down to the bottom of the base in the middle...

Hmmm

Its also got a few lumps and bumps..

I discussed it with them and suggested that if the sides had a gentle radius, it would smooth out the anomolies.

20 minutes with the angle grinder later....

Sanding it smooth....

It already looks a lot better. Ive made sure not to cut enough to weaken it.

 

[No Idea]

Time to prime the joint so the wood wont suck the resin out of the microfibres...

Hes filling the holes and dips with the microfibres.

Smoothing them..

I stretched the tape on as its the outside and will affect how it looks.

That stuff will set if he doesnt go any faster.

 

[No Idea]

If you pull glassfibre tape carefully by the edges, you can get it to sort of distort or stretch around corners, so it covers both sides.

Hopefully, there wont be too many bubbles under the tape.

Will need to cut the tpae over the join when its dry.

Cant do it now as the tape is stretched and might move.

There are a few sags in the resin, but its looking pretty good.

Happy with the way that went in.

I sort of want to put a couple of 6mm x 50mm runners along the bottom for the inevitable occasions when its dragged up the beach.

Would have liked to coat the whole bottom, but we had to go get the kids.

Triangles and rub rails next - hopefully.