We have very few pictures of boats. This is a building group.... so flaunt the boat :)

I would like to see your trim details as well as the whole boat

Here is a picture of my Merlin 38 Special.

Dick

I forgot to mention that I also have many pictures of this canoe including trim details in my Photo Albums on this forum.

Dick

Dick

Thanks for the photo. I looked at your albums. Beautiful boat and nicely trimmed for function

How do you like that sliding seat/yoke deal? Do you pad that yoke for carrying? The arrangement sure looks functional and a real plus to get away from a detachable yoke.

I like your decks and the drain holes....... something I have also been thinking of doing.

HighPlainsDrifter,

Thank you for the compliments!

The sliding seat portage yoke works pretty well. Not shown in the photos is the fact that I have added Chosen Valley portage pads to the yoke. These are really comfy pads and well worth the money. I am considering building a longer seat frame so that it will better accommodate a Crazy Creek canoe seat to help support my low back. To portage all I need to do is fold the seat back down and slide the seat forward.

The holes in the deck plates are for adding a painter line if needed.

The scuppers were machined into the inwales and the edges were rounded over with a piloted router bit. This makes draining water out very easy.

Dick

Dick
What kind of wood did you use for the gunnels? The finish is real eye candy.
Joe

HighPlainsDrifter,

The gunwales are two piece Honduras Mahogany epoxied to the hull with thickened epoxy and not fastened with screws. I did one piece at a time and after the first piece was set I did the next piece. The parts were clamped lightly with cheap plastic spring clamps so as not to squeeze all the epoxy out and starve the joint. They were epoxy coated and marine varnished after a light sanding. This is what gives the depth to the finish and a complete seal. They have held up extremely well and still look nice after several years of use in the BWCA and local lakes.

Dick

A few of my NW cruiser, as well as a few trim jobs I've done on Kevlar boats. You could easily do the same on a wood boat.

on insula lake...

bear bait,

Nice looking boat! Is that carbon fiber on the bottom?

Dick

quote buffalodick: "bear bait,


Nice looking boat! Is that carbon fiber on the bottom?


Dick"

thanks
its graphite

bear bait,

I have no experience with graphite canoe bottoms.
Is the graphite in powder form and mixed with epoxy or is it sheet material?
Where would I get the graphite?
Thanks

Dick

quote buffalodick: "bear bait,


I have no experience with graphite canoe bottoms.
Is the graphite in powder form and mixed with epoxy or is it sheet material?
Where would I get the graphite?
Thanks


Dick "

its a powder that you mix with epoxy.

got mine here... clc boats

quote bear bait: "

quote buffalodick: "bear bait,



I have no experience with graphite canoe bottoms.
Is the graphite in powder form and mixed with epoxy or is it sheet material?
Where would I get the graphite?
Thanks



Dick "

its a powder that you mix with epoxy.


got mine here... clc boats "

Thanks, bear bait!
Dick

Here is the first boat that I built. It is a Freedom 17-9. The decks are curly maple, and the rest of the trim is cherry. The seats are hand caned and built big enough for even my butt!



This is my second boat, still in progress. It is a Bob's Special, and I will probably use the same combination of trim wood.

Wables
nice work !
do you have a close-up picture of your maple decks?

quote HighPlainsDrifter: "Wables
nice work !
do you have a close-up picture of your maple decks?"

Not on this computer, but there are a couple in my Facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1082658376&aid=2024444

I have it set up so anyone can view the album. Let me know if you have a problem viewing it.

Ben

Thanks for the link to your FaceBook. Nice set of pictures. Beautiful work and "staple-less" too :)

I like the solid wood (deviation in scupper spacing) at your seats and center thwart..... form follows function ?

What is your spacing on the scuppers (I like them)? Scupper spacing can look beefy or elegant. I think spacing (pleasing to the eye and function) depends on the canoe size. Not sure one size fits all......

quote HighPlainsDrifter: "
Ben


Thanks for the link to your FaceBook. Nice set of pictures. Beautiful work and "staple-less" too :)


I like the solid wood (deviation in scupper spacing) at your seats and center thwart..... form follows function ?


What is your spacing on the scuppers (I like them)? Scupper spacing can look beefy or elegant. I think spacing (pleasing to the eye and function) depends on the canoe size. Not sure one size fits all......


"

The cut sections are about 2 1/2", and the uncut sections are about 2". I laid out the seats, etc. first, then tried to follow this pattern. The scuppers are 1/4" deep. The stock for the inwales was 3/4" X 3/4", and the outwales were 1/2" X 3/4".

I like the looks of off-colored scuppers...when done correctly. IMHO, one of the downsides to the method I used is that you are generating stress risers at each cut. I only had one split a bit, but it was mended with epoxy and a screw.

Wables,
What method did you use to cut your scuppers and what do you mean by stress risers?
Dick

I cut them out with a router and a 3/4" straight bit. You need to make several passes and make sure you don't burn the wood. You also make sure to watch the spin direction of the router so you don't splinter out the wood.

Stress risers happen any time you have a corner on something under tension or compression. The outside edge of the inwale is under tension because it is at the outside of the bend. The tensile forces want to "flow" into the solid part of the scuppers, and then back out. If there is a sharp angle to the scupper, you are more likely to have the inwale crack in this location. By cutting them out with a rounded profile, you are basically making a fillet, which helps distribute some of the stresses.

You can really see this when you are bending the inwale. It wants to bend at the cut-outs.

Ben

Out of curiosity how did you come up with your layout for your scuppers ? (cut sections are about 2 1/2", and the uncut sections are about 2").

I started cutting my scupper blocks today (1/4" X 2" X 3/4"). I am using black walnut and cutting the stock with 3/8" Forstner bit. I laid some out with different open areas. I kept coming back to your open and closed spacing.

There is something very pleasing about the spacing you used and I can't explain why......... but I will copy it....... :)

quote HighPlainsDrifter: "
There is something very pleasing about the spacing you used and I can't explain why......... but I will copy it....... :)
"

As they say, copying is the greatest form of flattery...or my motto "Steal Shamelessly!"

As far as how I arrived at the layout, I sketched out what gunwale needed to look like. I knew where the tapers should start, where the yoke and thwart were, and where the rear seat needed to be. I wanted to leave room for about 6" of front seat movement in case I didn't like the location once everything was installed. I basically started drawing different patterns and found one that would work with the spacings that I needed. They aren't all 2 1/2" wide. They range from 2 1/4" to 2 3/4", but the solid areas are scaled to match. Just don't make too big of a change at once. For example, 2 3/8, 2 1/2. 2 3/8 looks a lot better than 2 1/2, 2 1/2, 2 1/4. I figured that seat and yoke locations were the most important part of the gunwale, and the rest just needed to look pretty.

On my next boat, the gaps will be 5/16" instead of 1/4". After some touch up sanding, etc, they are a hair shy of 1/4". That is a REALLY tight fit for BDB's, 1/4" rope, etc.

HighPlainsDrifter,
I'd like to see some pictures when you get them installed. I don't quite understand how you are going about forming your scuppers. It sounds as though you are using individual scupper blocks.
Dick

Ben
You have an artistic eye. Regardless of how you came up with your spacing........ the end result was that it looks good. Thank you for the design

Dick
Yes, I am using individual scupper blocks. The blocks will be glued to the inwales in their appropriate places (hopefully) with thickened epoxy. Take a look at this link to Michne boat. Michne has a nice WEB page for builders. His write-up of the scupper blocks is excellent and he has pictures.

Michne Boat: Gunwales

Here is a picture of my block cutting jig:

HighPlainsDrifter,

I like your jig and how you are using the forstner bit to cut the blocks to length. The contrasting wood will also be a nice touch. I am looking forward to see your finished boat. You do nice work!

Dick

I was waiting to make sure she floated before I posted. Maiden voyage was yesterday, I'm still smiling.

Northwest Passage

Congratulations on a good build and successful launch. Did you break a bottle of bubbly over her bow?

Sure looks like the Hudson River...... is that where you went?

yep, that's the Hudson. The ponds and lakes in the area are still frozen. The wind picked up quite a bit while I was out there and had a bit more of test than I was looking for on my first time in a solo canoe. I was really pleased how easily I could hold a heading or turn into the wind. I wouldn't have been able to do it paddling my Northwind solo.

OK, Here are the latest pictures of my Bob's Special.

I don't know what happened to my original pictures but here they are again.

Bob's Special

quote Jiimaan: "


Bob's Special"

Beautiful! Got any close-ups?

Wables,

This was my first canoe and I had a ball doing it. I've been a woodworker for many years but this was my first foray into using fiberglass and epoxy. The Biggest lesson I learned was that on glassing the inside, the risk of outgassing is much higher and if you wet out the interior and go in to watch the first half of the Packer game, you will have air bubbles that cannot be fixed easily 8(

But overall, I am very happy with the boat and she paddles beautifully.

The decks are pine, cherry, and walnut. The gunwales are black ash.


I took a different approach to hanging the seats. I decided to use a combination cleat AND hangers. I am a fairly large man and decided that the redundancy was warranted

I have seen many pictures of some very beautiful work here on this forum and continue to be impressed with the workmanship I have seen.
Let me say that my intention is not offend anyone here but, I want to point out that I have noticed some glue residue remaining under the glass on some hull pictures. While this in no way affects the the performance of the finished canoe it does detract from it's finished beauty. As a perfectionist myself, I strive to remove all glue that is on the surface of the wood prior to glassing. After I finish sanding I will wet the hull with a sponge soaked in water which helps to raise any dents as well as causes the unsightly glue to show up clearly. I will then mark all glue areas with pencil and re-sand after the hull dries. We all spend a great deal of time and effort in building our "special boats" but tend to rush the final phases of construction. Life is a learning experience and I realize that I am expressing "my" opinion only. It is my hope that this observation will be received as constructive and positive in the long run.

Dick

It's a little tough to diagnose a problem with a picture on the web. My problems had absolutely nothing to do with glue residue. My recommendation to new builders would be to practice your glassing technique on something other than the canoe. Glassing is a whole different animal if you're not use to it. I learned that!

Hey Buffalodick, I resemble that remark. My canoe is covered with imperfections, or character marks. Some are intuitively obvious to the casual observer, while others only to a discerning eye. If you make your first canoe perfect, where's the motivation to build a 2nd and 3rd? I figure on the 2nd canoe you can eliminate most of the mistakes you made on the 1st, but make some new ones. And by the 3rd canoe you'll actually know what you're doing.

It seems as if I ruffled a few feathers here but that was not my intention as I stated before. I was using general terms and I didn't single anyone out and would never do so. This is a builders forum and as such we all should be able to freely express our opinions here and that is what I did. I made many mistakes on the boats I have built as well and will probably continue to make more in the future. I am always seeking to improve my workmanship and I thought others also might be interested in how to overcome a common finishing issue and that is why I brought it up.
Dick

quote Jiimaan: "Wables,


This was my first canoe and I had a ball doing it. I've been a woodworker for many years but this was my first foray into using fiberglass and epoxy. The Biggest lesson I learned was that on glassing the inside, the risk of outgassing is much higher and if you wet out the interior and go in to watch the first half of the Packer game, you will have air bubbles that cannot be fixed easily 8"

I had my issues on the outside. I figured that it would only take a couple of hours to fiberglass working alone, so I grabbed a homebrew and started after the kids went to bed. Six hours later I was exhausted, but it turned out OK.

Jiimaan

Question! How did you round over the inside top edges of your scuppers?

HPD, I have a set of roundover router bits with the roller bearing. The roller bearing prevents uneven cutting but be sure to get one that will fit inside the scupper. I will honestly tell you that I was very nervous when I made the first cut, but it worked well.

Incidently, the scuppers are black walnut and the gunwales are black ash.

Thanks
interesting....... my scupper blocks are black walnut and my inwale is white ash (sapwood white). My outwales are white ash (heart wood brownish)

Michne (WEB page) provides a source called MLCS. I have ordered from them before. The brass pilot can be found at:

brass pilot round-over bit

quote buffalodick: "Here is a picture of my Merlin 38 Special.


Dick



"

buffalodick - where could I find plans for a merlin 38 special?

Evrybody else = how much do these beutiful canoes weigh?

My Freedom 17-9 weighs 62# with yoke pads and ropes.

quote BigZig: "

quote buffalodick: "Here is a picture of my Merlin 38 Special.



Dick



"

buffalodick - where could I find plans for a Merlin 38 special?


Evrybody else = how much do these beautiful canoes weigh?"

I bought my plans from Northwest Canoe in Saint Paul. Check with them to see if they still are available. Northwest Canoe

My 38 Special is the Original Merlin with no rocker scaled up 3.8%. That is where the 38 special name comes from.
My canoe as built weighs 42 pounds.
Dick

Evrybody else = how much do these beutiful canoes weigh?"

NW Canoe lists the Passage at 40 pounds, I weighed mine at 45 pounds on a questionable bathroom scale, but that feels about right.

My Bob's Special weighs in at a svelte 52 lbs

Did anyone else loft their own plans rather than buying printed plans? I thought the lofting process added immensely to the enjoyment of the project.

quote Jiimaan: "My Bob's Special weighs in at a svelte 52 lbs

Did anyone else loft their own plans rather than buying printed plans? I thought the lofting process added immensely to the enjoyment of the project. "

I purchased my Freedom 17-9 plans, but lofted the Bob's Special that I am building now. The only thing that miss from the Bear Mountain plans is the seat locations.

Jiimaan, would you be willing to share your seat placement details with me and if there is anything that you would change about them?

Wables,

I would be happy to share but I will have to find the measurements and post later. I am happy with their placement.