New Member - First Build & Second Build

[Joe Rugby]

Greetings All!

Built my first pirogue for me best buddy up in Connecticut and delivered it 2 weeks ago, and tested it in a snow storm! Happy to report it worked like a champ!

12 footer modified from Bateau.com plans.

I have now begun my second build and decided to try something "different". All of the plans I have seen pirogues are built sides down. I have decided to go bottom up.

#2 will be 14' long with 30" bean at the center butt join. There are battens attached along the edges that have a 20 degree ascending angle. Picture to come soon!

 

[oldsparkey]

Nice looking Pirogue and I never knew they liked the snow. That's a wide smile on your buddies face , but pirogues make folks smile a lot.

 

[beekeeper]

Nice boat.
Pirogues and snow, it happens but not too often.
Welcome to the forum. Please tell us more about the boats, this one and the next one.

beekeeper

 

[Kayak Jack]

Welcome aboard, Joe. Some of the other fellows may try to pull your leg, or put over a fast one on you. But, you can trust me. Over 200 years ago, Cap'n Merriwether taught me to be honest, and I have been ever since.

 

[Joe Rugby]

Thanks Gents!

The pictured shell took me about 2 weeks to build. I added ribs and battens to the Bateau.com plans and shortened it as well, bit of over building as it was my first. Did not add the fiberglass but it does have 3 coats of epoxy! Learned an absolute load! Like DO NOT put on rub rails until the end!!! I also added a plastic folding seat picked up on amazon as he has a bad back.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Joe,
Congratulations! The pirogue smile is contagious. I also just finished another one, but the creek and lake are in Kansas are frozen so launch will have to wait. I'll try to put it on here in a day or two.
There are some good people on this site, thay have an abundance of good advice to pick and choose from. Well crap, I just ended a sentence in a preposition--- I'll bet Jack can fix it for me.

Andy

 

[Kayak Jack]

Tough luck, Andy. "From" can't be converted into an adverb. Maybe, we could just tack on "single malt" at the end?

 

[Joe Rugby]

As promised here is boat number 2 under way. Trying to build from bottom up on this one...for no other reason than to see if I can.

Battens are ripped pine 1X2 and the corbels were a bot of a brain storm as a sort of ready made rib.

 

[oldsparkey]

Trying to build from bottom up on this one

Lets hope when it is done and tested on the water it is not the same way as when it was made but is right side up.

 

[beekeeper]

You will probably make it(from bottom up) work for you. Will it be easier? I don't know.
I also build different than "normal". I start with the floor, then chine logs, and then the sides, but with the floor up(supported from underneath) for ease of fitting. Check out http://www.gatorboats.com/
Two issues I think you might encounter are:
1. Fastening ( clamping, screws, nailing) the sides to the chine log. Awkward to reach with the boat on the table.
2.When the sides are fastened to the stems each end will rise. The floor will have to be bent to match them. May be hard to do with the boat upright and not secured in place.
Just food for thought. "You have to go to know.", so go for it.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Those vertical braces - corbels? - are industrial strength. You'll be able to put a 50 horse outboard on there and use it in demolition derbies

 

[Gamecock]

Hey Joe, if you go back a few pages in pirogues you will find a build by ilbucksnduks. It's called My Gator Build and he started from the bottom up too. Dave.

 

[beekeeper]

You will probably make it(from bottom up) work for you. Will it be easier? I don't know.
I also build different than "normal". I start with the floor, then chine logs, and then the sides, but with the floor up(supported from underneath) for ease of fitting. Check out http://www.gatorboats.com/
Two issues I think you might encounter are:
1. Fastening ( clamping, screws, nailing) the sides to the chine log. Awkward to reach with the boat on the table.
2.When the sides are fastened to the stems each end will rise. The floor will have to be bent to match them. May be hard to do with the boat upright and not secured in place.
Just food for thought. "You have to go to know.", so go for it.

This is how mine looks. I fit the sides to the floor so I can control the amount of rocker I want. If you fit the floor to the sides then the sides shape determines how much rocker. Without plans or patterns I would not know how to determine what shape equals how much rocker.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Joe,
I finally figured out I'm not smart enough to build like Bee Keeper and Seed Tick. I very much admire there ability to visualize and build it. Now I pick out a design from JEM and build it SS&G. Of course always tweaking it to suit my needs! Every year that goes by seems I need a lighter more stable boat.
As Bee Keeper said ..go for it.

Andy