The Larkspur "stretched"

[swamprat]

The reports will come for sure, And yeah, the whole idea behind this one is a boat I can load up for a week and take off and still have a boat that can put some miles under the keel in a days time.

Dad was pretty impressed with the boat! I don't know if he'll slow down enough to take the time to build one in the near future but maybe after he retires and another 4 years....... He's just getting back into paddling somewhat seriously after a bunch of years out of it and has bought a barge of a tandem kayak that , I'm betting, will be replaced with a smaller, faster solo canoe before to long.
That is as soon as he figures out he doesn't have to carry everything he can pack ino the boat on every trip
Dad on the Suwannee last week

 

[swamprat]

Getting close!!

Finally got all the "major" fiberglass work done with the finishing of the outside of the hull.

Got the inwales glued up and put on folowed by the outwales

Shes starting to look FAST!

Interesting to put the two boats side by side.

Looks even longer than it is in this one!

Still have a few coats of epoxy to put on the outside and a few coats of graphite on the bottom but I hope to get her wet this coming friday. Right now she weighs 38 pounds! I was shooting for under 50 pounds so that is a pleasant suprise!

 

[skiabq]

WOW! Thats is a great looking canoe. You did a fantastic job on that thing.

I read that it is 18' long, but what is the beam, height and rocker? What plans did you use? Did you scale it yourself to that length?

 

[swamprat]

Hi Corey,

The larkspur design is from Tom Gerd at this site:

http://eskimotom.com/
I had him stretch it out for me to 18' to get a little more tracking/speed and weight capacity.

Its 18'X30" max beam. 28" at the gunnels and just a scooch under 10 inches deep at the mid point with the bow being 15" and the stern being 11". Not much rocker at all, I think there is an inch at the bow and a 1/4 " at the stern.
Not a rough water boat by any means but I should be able to load it up with a weeks worth of camping gear and put some miles under it pretty quick like.
I think I'm gonna like it!

 

[JEM]

18' solo!! :shock:

That's a bigen. I bet you hit about warp 9 paddling it.

 

[hairymick]

That is looking bloody magnificent! Well done mate. I also love your joinery with the inwhales to the decks. - very nice.

Oh dear, so many beautiful boats and only one lifetime to build em in.

If we had rivers big enough here nearby to justify something like that, I would be wanting on of those for sure.

 

[swamprat]

Another one launched!

Finally finished her up and got her in the water last Friday!

Think I need a longer truck! :shock:

Ready to go at Rum Island on the Santa Fe River

Just a short trip up to Lily springs and back.

Overall, I'm very impressed with her. No arguing, the fastest boat I've ever paddled. Stability is as good if not a little better than my Mohawk. Tracks pretty good even with a light load and I imagine that a little more weight in her to get her down on her lines will make her track like she's on rails.
Still have to mount a permanent seat in her and a couple of coats of varnish but I'm calling it a done build and looking for my next one

Thanks again for all the help and advice on this one folks!And a special thanks to Chuck for the redwood flour to make this one just a little bit more special!

 

[skiabq]

No doubt about it, that is a beautiful canoe. 8) Someday I hope to paddle something like that just to see how fast canoes like that are. It will make a great boat to go camping in, it should hold pleanty of gear.

 

[hairymick]

Hi Swamprat, You done good mate. I just love that boat.

 

[adminold]

Hi Corey,

The larkspur design is from Tom Gerd at this site:

http://eskimotom.com/
I had him stretch it out for me to 18' to get a little more tracking/speed and weight capacity.

Its 18'X30" max beam. 28" at the gunnels and just a scooch under 10 inches deep at the mid point with the bow being 15" and the stern being 11". Not much rocker at all, I think there is an inch at the bow and a 1/4 " at the stern.
Not a rough water boat by any means but I should be able to load it up with a weeks worth of camping gear and put some miles under it pretty quick like.
I think I'm gonna like it!

swamprat ....... You have one nice canoe and I will bet it will get a lot of use , now if you Dad gets in it and out of that plastic boat he was paddling thru the shoals you might end up with the canoe misssing .
There will be a difference between the two boats and with yours at 18 feet and 38 pounds a world of difference. That is one sweet canoe.

Chuck.
PS. Boy that truck of yours is really short and compact. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Kayak Jack]

Sure was a sneaky way to get an excuse to buy a new truck! He has raised the bar, fellas:

1. Great new boat
2. Got his Dad out paddling with him
3. Needs a new truck to haul longer boat

Gonna be tough to top this guy.

 

[swamprat]

Busted! Wondered how long it would take before somebody caught on! LOL

Actually I think I need a bigger truck to tow the next build! I'm thinking pretty seriously about selling the power boat to finance the building of a 17-22 ft sailboat of some sort :wink: The core sound 17 or 20 is looking like a a great possibility
http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/cs20.htm

 

[oldsparkey]

That would be an ideal sail boat for the Gulf and your area, sort of like the CLC Sharpie which is slightly smaller and narrower but a lot lighter.
http://www.clcboats.com/boats/sharpie.php

Chuck.

 

[swamprat]

I'd looked at that boat Chuck, And its still a possible but if I'm going to build an all out open water boat I think I want more of a V hull design. Sharpies for sure have thier place and they are a fine, time tested design. But that flat bottom will still be a liablity when it kicks up out there on the gulf.Up here on the coast theres very few places to tuck into and hide when it gets rough. :shock:

 

[swamprat]

oops! meant to post a picture of the larkspur on the water!

She's riding a little bit stern heavy in this picture but the seat is just a temporary bench. I think I'll most likely mount the seat in the same position and let her ride a little bow high on light daytrips as on long camping trips I'll have a cooler in front of the thwart and that should balance it out.

 

[oldsparkey]

You are sitting quite high in the picture, for me I would drop the height and lower the center of gravity. I might even suggest you make one of my chairs for that reason and since it is not a permanent fixture of the boat you can move it to balance the load in the boat when camping. If you want to take someone else with you then use the 2nd chair and both of you can balance the canoe for the perfect paddle.

http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/seat/default.htm

That is exactly what I am going to do this weekend with the stripper pirogue I made, taking Mary and a friend paddling. The friend will be in a canoe, solo paddling while Mary will go with me in the stripper. We just adjust the seats to balance the boat and have some fun while relaxing.

One chair ...... Lots of uses.........

Chuck.

 

[swamprat]

Hi Chuck,
Thanks for the suggestion but I'm actually more comfortable a little higher up in the boat as long as I have the stability to do it. This boat has surprised me stability wise, I figured at 29" wide it would be a little twitchy but its rock solid. To the point that I can stand in it as long as I'm careful!
I've got a ash and cane contoured seat ordered and should be here tomorrow. Kind of a cross between a regular bench seat and a tractor style seat and I'll hang it about an inch lower than what the bench I'm using now is. I may even get fancy and make a sliding seat rig for it so I've got a little bit of adjustment there.

I did get the seat plans when I built the pirogue and have built several of them. They work fine in the pirogue and are real handy around camp. I built one for a buddy of mine and he is having it professionally upholstered at a boat shop with fancy shiny vinyl!

 

[Kayak Jack]

Rat,

Normally a canoe should ride a tad nose high. About the only exception to that is if you are paddling into a strong head wind; then, nose down is a bit better.

A simple trick is to buy one of those bulls eye levels like used in an RV to make sure the kitchen counters are level when you park. Lay your boat on something level, check it with a real bubble level, then use some GE silicone silastic (or other similar goo) to mount the bulls eye near where you will be sitting. It's easy to check trim.

In my boat, I just watch which way the water is running - toward the back or toward the front. Like the Edmund Fitzgerald, I have no waterproof bulkheads. So, as water collects in one end of the boat, that end gets even lower. Fortunately for me, it's only a little bit. But, for the Fitz ....?

 

[bearridge]

I built one for a buddy of mine and he is having it professionally upholstered at a boat shop with fancy shiny vinyl!

Friend Brad,

I reckon Elvis hizownself would take a shine ta that. 8) 8)

regards
bearridge
paddlin' geezer

Woodrow Call: What do you want legs for anyway? You don't like to do nothing but sit on the porch and drink whiskey!
Gus McCrae: I like to kick a pig every once in a while. How would I do that?

 

[bearridge]

That is exactly what I am going to do this weekend with the stripper pirogue I made, taking Mary and a friend paddling.

Mister Hoodoochie Man,

Better call FEMA. Give 'em a heads up. :mrgreen: :roll: :mrgreen: :roll:

regards
bearridge
bodine meterlogikle institute

In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane. Oscar Wilde