After a couple months of preparations I am just about ready to start building the actual boat! The West Systems epoxy was delivered a couple weeks ago - 105 resin and 207 special hardener. I used it to laminate the stem strips that I steam bent the week before. Compared to some of the epoxy systems I worked with as an undergrad at Illinois, this stuff seems to behave really well, with the epoxy setting up slowly after about a half hour of open time without any noticeable shrinking or cracking.
Once I had the stems laminated, the forms were free to be set up on the strongback. This just involved a lot of double and triple checking of right angles and making sure everything was plumb, level and square to the strongback centerline. This was accomplished by setting up the bow and stern stem molds first and using a string line between them to line up the rest of the stations. A batten was stapled to the top to make sure all the stations are vertical and to hold them securely in place.
Next up is fitting the stems and laying on the first cedar strips.
1 comment:
I just found this blog, good luck with your canoe project! You will definitely not regret the experience. I finished my 15' Bear Mountain Ranger last summer and there is no better experience than paddling in your own boat. My blog may be useful for tips and tricks on your build, considering that you are using canoecraft as a guide - frankscanoe.blogspot.com.
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