New Build Journey

[Bibomo]

Project Milestones:

Bought the lumber today for bottom and sides went with Luann cut by the folks at Home Depot.
Found the 16' lattice, just got to find a way to get it home in one piece.
Ordered the kit, not sure I could make the parts in the kit myself.
Will call Raka in the morning to order fiberglass material.
Still on the fence as to just tape inside and out seams or go the whole outside/inside route. Budget is very tight for this project.

Many thanks for all the information on the site.
Robert

 

[oldsparkey]

If you decide to glass the inside of the boat and outside then the tape is not needed. If you only go with the tape then epoxy saturate the boat before using it. the epoxy will provide a water barrier and even help to stiffen up the wood.

My suggestion is if you can not decide then epoxy saturate the inside , several times and glass the outside for extra protection. Which is a good way to go to save on the cost.
Or just use the tape on the seams inside and outside and epoxy / graphite the bottom to save on the wear an tear. It will offer some protection but not as much as if the glass was there.

You know where you will be using the pirogue and what you will be into out there with it , the rest and how you want to do it is your decision.

Heck there are a lot of ways to do a build and we can cover them as you go along...... The epoxy and glass is the major expense but they are what protects the boat.

Chuck.

 

[Bibomo]

Went for the whole inside and out fiberglass materials. Now patiently waiting for the UPS truck on Monday.
Time to do more studying on best practices.

Got to find that digital camera.

Robert

 

[Bibomo]

Raka order arrived today as promised.
Retrieved the 16' lattice strips from Home Depot
Just finished glassing one side of the butt joints on the side pieces. Its only about 65 degrees here today.
? How long to cure before i flip over and do the other side. They are in an unheated garage.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[oldsparkey]

I play it safe and give them a day , or a little less depending on when you can work on them. If you do the one side at 5 PM then the other can be done at 1PM , it is a play it by ear situation.... Depending on the cure rate of the epoxy.

If the epoxy is not sticky then it is safe to move forward. Now with the cooler weather , I had to warm my epoxy jugs up in a black garbage bag. Set them in the sun and covered them for about an hour. The up side is when I mixed a batch and the other one to do some filleting. I got the whole boat done before it decided to start curing. The down side is it takes longer to cure or set up.

Heat makes it set up , heat it makes from the chemicals being mixed and in the summer the heat from the weather sure speeds that process along. I have a lot longer working time in the cool times then in our hot times.

Chuck.
Like you my work area is cooled in the winter and heated in the summer.

 

[Bibomo]

All of the previous luan butt joints dry. Kit arrived this morning from UJ. Epoxied the sides to stems and epoxied ribs together.
Prepped the sides today by using excess epoxy to saturate the top 2" where the rails will go.

Tomorrow:
Remove screws from stems
Sand the stems flush with Luan.
Attach the ribs and rails, using lattice for the ribs as suggested.
BTW, tested using large binder clips from Staples to hold lattice rails in place and they seem to do the trick. A lot cheaper than investing in a bunch of spring clamps.

Wait overnight Thursday for everything to set and flip on Friday to sand bottom of sides level to ribs.
Then measure,cut and epoxy bottom.

Todays question?
Radius edge where bottom meets side, or leave a hard edge. Read up and both styles were suggested by different folks.

Still looking for digital camera, I think one of my nephews borrowed it.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[Jimmy W]

Todays question?
Radius edge where bottom meets side, or leave a hard edge. Read up and both styles were suggested by different folks.

My vote is to radius the edge. That is also what Uncle John calls for. It will be easier to glass and less likely to wear through the glass.

Jimmy

 

[oldsparkey]

Radius it , the hard edge will give you fits trying to get the glass to lay over it without pulling and having bubbles in it. The glass lays over the rounded edge a lot easier and nicer. Doesn't have to be a lot , a little will do.

It also helps to do a fillet along the inside where the seam is , adds some reinforcement to the seam.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Rule of thumb is about an 1/8" radius.

I have a lot of rules; and each one is accompanied by its own, individual thumb. I have a lot of thumbs.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Rule of thumb is about an 1/8" radius.

I have a lot of rules; and each one is accompanied by its own, individual thumb. I have a lot of thumbs.

Some folks iz all thumbs...