Vob span

It's the end of the sane season - October and into May when most people think that it is too inclement to be on the water.  Memorial Day weekend is the traditional first day of the Insanity Season, a day when everyone goes to the water, whether they should or not.  For me, it is a day to lie low.



I take S for her first trip to Messerschmidt Pond.  The pond is surrounded by trees and well enough back from the coastline, which is windy today.  It is also limited to paddles and small electric motors.  I expect a fair number of boats, but we find just a few.  We steer clear of the others, passing behind islands and rounding points... everyone has the pond to themselves.

The trees are well leafed out now and the birds are difficult to spot.  But, the pond is mostly quiet and the singing of songbirds reaches out to us the entire time. It is one of the most restful days that we have had on the water.

Rich F maintains a website devoted to the film, Last of the Mohicans. Some of the behind-the-scenes photos from this epic picture include shots of decorated paddles used in the brief canoeing scenes.

The center paddler in this fiberglass war canoe replica has a brightly painted red beavertail with some added chevron stripes designs.


The stern paddler in this shot has another painted paddle with horizontal bands of color. Resting in the bow of the canoe in the foreground is the previously mentioned chevron decorated beavertail.


Apparently between takes, some of the crew were able to take the war canoes out for a spin. Here's a shot of them escaping with a piece of the set!


Also on the site is a blurry shot of the gunstock war club and paddle used by the character Chingachgook. Difficult to make out the details but the red bladed paddle seems to have an image of a snake crawling up the blade.


Chingachgook's War Club & a Canoe Paddle

Get ready for some stunning paddle photos. After coming across this thread at the Song of the Paddle forums and the full set of pics on Flickr, I knew I had to post them on the site. These ash beauties were made by Tim over in the UK.








Tim is in the process of setting up as a wooden canoe builder & paddle maker and should have a website soon. Judging by the looks of his paddles and gorgeous BN Morris replica he'll be in high demand. If anyone is interested in contacting or purchasing some of his work, you can get in touch through the Song of the Paddle thread mentioned earlier or by email.

I think I speak for everyone when we say more photos PLEASE!

We had a very early start from Horseshoe Bay at Magnetic Island.

The sun rose as we made our way towards the Magnetic Passage through the Great Barrier Reef.

Once the wind turned from south-east to east we were committed to an upwind slog.

We did hook a nice mackerel passing between the reefs but unfortunately something even bigger dined on it before we could reel it in to the boat. Fish head soup anyone????

Our need to clear Flinders Reefs saw us heading even more upwind. It was good to turn the corner.

Sunrise is always very welcome after a night at sea, particularly a rough night.

Seas breaking on the reefs of Herald Cays in the distance.

The first of the low coral cays coming into view.

The Herald Cays are surrounded by extensive reefs that provide excellent protection from the south, south east and east.

We updated our Navionics electronic charts just before we left and found them to be quite accurate for our anchorage at North East Herald Cay.

Magnetic Island  to Herald Cays – 194.6 Nautical Miles (360.4kilometres) - 33 Hours 57 Minutes - Average Speed 5.7 Knots – Max Speed 8.4 Knots

Lynda, Anthony and Rob were all on coral watch as we approached North East Herald Cay.

Karen happy to be at anchor in the calm water behind Herald Cays.

Forget the ration of rum. Well deserved bubbles time on arrival at Herald Cays.

We tried to photograph our view of the sky but the movement of the boat made time exposure impossible. This shot of the Milky Way we found on the web provides a small idea of what we witnessed at Herald Cays.

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I here by reserve the right to change my mind, (like I change underwear,at least once a month) on the boat I plan to build.

In my last post,"Deciding On A Boat To Build",I gave a vague idea of what I want in a boat.There are so many pros and cons to building a boat by yourself,that it is nearly impossible to list them all.Any boat bought or built is nothing more than a series of compromises,unless money is no object or you simply want it to float.I started with my main compromise and worked back from there.You're probably thinking,"what would be the main compromise?"That would be the ability to trailer the boat, without legal implications, behind a full size pick up truck,van,or class C RV.My state,and most states, the legal width allowed is 8 feet 6 inches and a combined length of 65 feet with a maximum height of 13 feet.With this information,I know I want a boat that has an 8 foot six inch beam or narrower, and as long as possible.Over the years,my research has shown that most boats with a beam around 8'6" are between 25 and 30 feet in hull length.Don't confuse this with length over all.Swim platform and the bowsprit/pulpit contribute to the boats total length.After searching and searching some more.I found Spira International.He has many viable boats with a beam at 8'6" or narrower.Good thing about his site,he has the study plans right there in PDF for all to view.He will design a boat specifically for you,but you must be serious and ready to buy the plans.His plans are for the average DIY guy with a local lumber yard or home improvement store.I like to refer to his plans as "every day man's boat plans".They are fairly fast to build, and simple to construct with basic construction materials.He even has a video and ebook on how to build his boats.You can use top shelf marine grade materials and dress your boat up in polish and varnish if you wish.Nothing wrong with that at all.I prefer a more low key working boat appearance.


BUILDING WITH PLYWOOD

I studied Spira's site and really considered what I wanted in a boat.I have to have a full stand up head with shower,enclosed cabin,and galley.With the health issues and medications I take,I can't be in the sun or heat for long periods without getting sick.I only want a small rear deck for fishing from so a larger than usual cabin can be built.All this adds up and makes the boat heavier affecting the boat's draft.I need a hull that has a flat bottom and a draft of around 12 to 16 inches with the lower unit out of the water.A flat bottom allows the boat to sit flat on the ground when the tide runs out.I will get more into this in a later post.Shallow draft is a must here.Our area is prone to sudden shoaling.I don't mean going from deep to shallow water in a short distance.I mean the bottom will silt up and become shallow over night, or after a freak down pour.Ask me how I know,but I rather you didn't.

COMPLETE BOOK OF WOOD BOAT CONSTRUCTION

 Another issue is propulsion.Most areas around me have banned two stroke outboards.Only the newer two stroke OBs with EPA approval can get the OK to be on the lakes.Four strokes are a non issue.Both are very expensive still,especially around here where two strokes are banned.The only viable option for me is stern drive,straight inboard,or V drive.The least expensive option for me is a stern drive.They are also referred to as I/Os or inboard outboards.I can usually find them in complete boats in good condition from $1000 to $5000.Buying a complete donor boat insures that I get everything needed to make my boat go.I will get more into this in another post.

I looked at a number of Spira designs in the 25 to 30 foot length.Most of Spira's designs are based on dories of different locales around the US.I live in South Carolina and went straight to looking at the Spira Carolina dories.They really are wonderful boats but they have narrow bows and taper to a fairly narrow transom.This kills interior volume compared to other dory designs.However,he does have a design with a layout that I really like,just wish it was beamier.That boat is the 27 foot Bahaman.The layout can be found on page two of the study plans.I have decided to go with the Bahaman cabin and layout.

The other boats I considered were.
24 foot Clamente-This boat was to small over all but would make a great weekender or fishing boat for the family.
27 foot Chubasco-This boat would be good compromise and could still happen.
27 foot Newfie St.Pierre dory-This boat is to small but they are beautiful,have great fuel economy,and get attention.
25 foot Kona Hiwaiian Sam Pan-These boats are solid,but have a center keel and deeper draft than I prefer.
27 foot Cane River-This boat is an option for me.It has a shape that is a little more time consuming and difficult to build.
27 foot San Miguel-This boat is a serious option and gets good fuel economy.The down side is the center keel.
27 foot Sitka-This is the boat I chose.I will build it to 30 feet with a V entry bow as shown on the plans.

The deal with center keels,is they do not allow the boat to sit flat when the tide runs out and the running gear can be damaged if the boat is allowed to sit on it's bottom.

Why I chose Sitka.If you look at the study plans,you will see that the boat has a rounder bow and the sides run straight back to the transom.This design allows for maximum room in the largest space.It can be stretched to 30 feet with a V entry bow.This is my intention.The bottom is dead flat with no rocker(curve) from bow to stern.This makes for a very shallow running hull.This hull was designed specifically for outboard power.However,I contacted Jeff Spira,and when I start building,he is going to advise me on how to build the stern to accept a stern drive set up.I think I will be the first to build this design to these specs.I will be purchasing my plans early spring 2013 and hope to start building soon after.While this design will not get the best fuel economy,it will have room and the ability to carry large amounts of weight.The V entry bow will help with fuel economy since the boat will spend most of it's time running displacement speed.

My next post will deal with build costs and planning.I will break down the cost of a few of the bigger boats,including the one I plan to build.


BOATS WITH AN OPEN MIND

Using the panel layouts from FreeShip, I marked the plywood with grid lines every six inches in the lengthwise direction. Measuring across these lines, I placed a wire brad in the wood at the edge of each plank location. Using a flexible piece of molding as a batten, I connected these points to create smooth curves that indicate the planking outlines.

This view shows the lower three planks (or strakes) in place. Notice that on the righthand side, between the clamp and the DeWalt box, I have taken the sharp front corner indicated on the original Hulls model and changed it into a smooth curve using the batten.

The lower edge of the first plank (right) was placed along the uncut edge of the plywood so that it will be perfectly straight. The cut edge of the plywood is on the left side.

The two 16' x 2' pieces of plywood were clamped together so that one cut will make parts for both sides of the canoe. I made a heavy pencil line so that I can see it through the sawdust when cutting.

I cut just outside the line so that the lines can be trued up later with a plane.

The doubled-up planks were mounted in a vice and planed down to the pencil lines. I planed the bevel needed between the planks at this time also, by adding an angle on the outside edges. When assembled, these outside edges will become the inside edges.

Some 3/8" (10 mm) plywood is marked with the bulkhead dimensions taken at the 48", 96", and 144" stations in the Hulls model. I then marked a cut line another 3/16" outside the first lines, to allow for the thickness of the Okoume plywood.

These parts will be used to make a basket mold in which the hull is assembled. By previous experience with the kayaks I built five years ago, this is the best way to get a true hull shape and tight fitting planks.

Two eight foot 2 x 4's were cut in half and the four foot sections were used to space the mold sections apart and hold them upright on the table.

Laying out the first three planks on the plywood took 2 1/2 hours. Cutting them out took another 1 1/2 hr. Laying out the basket mold, cutting, and assembling it took another 1 1/2 hr.