GunwaleTaper?

[essaunders]

Anybody out there have (and care to share) an opinion on how much I should taper the ends of my gunwale for my WeeLassieII? Based on how I've got them cut I could do an almost flat bow (end flush with furthest extent of stem) or 'large' (~1" radius) semicircle (again, the stem this the forward most item).. or I could make any other taper, perhaps bringing the taper back a foot or more.

I've got relatively thick decks to be installed in the ends so I don't see needing the gunwales up there for strength so much... As both the inwales (?) and gunwales will be visible at the ends (the deck I've got is built to sit flush) I should probably reveal the inwales have close to a 15" taper on them.

Pictures:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid163/p0e976c069c488695a0cd60f2d6ba6fe0/f49397e5.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid163/p6853778f5a3995f1a80e39ca682a9e84/f49397ed.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid163/p8db0bb4b0eae3576823cfedb40464df2/f49397fc.jpg

Ok. That being said, Anybody got suggestions?

[maa. melee]

planes it flat and ease the edge into a pretty radius like this..

http://www.get-outside.com/skerry/sk209.jpg

or what i would say looks nicer, fasten on a rounded cap to both hide the endgrain and offset the sheer more evenly.

[Del Lansing]

How about not too flat yet not too pointy...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid163/p46e14dcb705dad7ae5b2646153db76a4/f4936fdd.jpg

[Jack Heinlen]

I'm not quite clear about the question, but a slight taper, a lightening in the horizontal and vertical lines, is good. Do it before fastening or gluing. Looks too late for that.

There is little worse, and this includes bad plank lines, in a small boat than clunky, square rub rails.

[JimConlin]

Here's another Wee Lassie II. IIRC, I tapered the outwales to maybe 60% of the 'midship thickness.
http://www.conlin-boats.com/canoe_25_4.jpg

[ion barnes]

My suggestion comes from a Popular Mechx how to build a cedar strip canoe. The gunwale strips are tapered on two sides, outside and bottom, for about 24" from each end. Taper just enough that it is obvious, perhaps 1/3 of the original dimentions.

[essaunders]

The Gunwales haven't yet been attached. Well, the inwales have, the outwales are only clamped to allow me to think about this problem.

Mac McCarthy seems to favor the more blunt-to-gently rounded... but I am worried that looks a little clunky.

Of course, I could try Del's suggestion first and then trim down later if I decide it looks bad. While it may be preferable to taper before attaching, it is possible to shape on the boat

[ 04-05-2005, 06:48 AM: Message edited by: essaunders ]

[Jack Heinlen]

My suggestion comes from a Popular Mechx how to build a cedar strip canoe. The gunwale strips are tapered on two sides, outside and bottom, for about 24" from each end. Taper just enough that it is obvious, perhaps 1/3 of the original dimentions. The person who wrote that for Popular Mechx knew. That's what looks right.

[essaunders]

Side view (older picture) for me to ponder the vertical taper...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid163/p121ef778d6d164ead25c6999996fcc14/f49397dd.jpg

The taper would change the relationship between the feature strip and the gunwale... but perhaps that's what i'll want.

[Mrleft8]

Regardless of taper, you might want to reconsider that stbd. gunwale. The grain runs the wrong direction, and the runout is fairly extreme.

[Wild Dingo]

Semi round looks great... a length of copper brass half round looks grand up and over the stem... Actually now I come to thinkin on it I think "MIke" has one that looks a treat with just that effect... sorta right you know?

Sharp can cause injury to munchkins or self in a moment of forgetfullness blunt looks plain wrong rounded looks sweet as a nut :cool:

Sent me some pics awhile back but sigh there gone somewheres or other flamin mongrel computers and mutter bluster imagestation/shutterfly :mad: ah well maybe he will pop in and post the pic Im thinking of :rolleyes:

[hoz]

I tapered my outwales by useing a table saw to nip 1/4" off the outer bottom at about a 30 degree angle. I then taped both gunwales together and starting about 3' back from each end tapered the outside edges of both with a plane to 3/8 at the ends.

When done I smoothed all outer edges by sanding.

You end with an outwale that tapers in two dimensions. A "scuplted" gunwale.

[marsbar]

I don't have a close-up photo, but you may get an idea from what I have included. I just "nipped" off the point of the gunwales to ease the transition to the outer stem. http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1149/2/24/83/70/90/8/890708324203_0_ALB.jpg

[rbgarr]

Pete Culler's method was close to the Popular Mechanix suggestion mentioned by Ion, and his smallest boats ('Butternut' double paddle canoes) always looked good to me.

[dmede]

Walter Simmons 15' glued lap canoe specifies that the gunwale be tapered 1/4 in I belive. So it goes from 3/4 to 1/2 at the ends (or something similar).

I stared planing the taper 1' either side of the center and slowly moved where I started my plane from towards the ends until I got the 1/4" planed off. Then went back and sanded fair with a flexible long board to take away any knuckels or flat spots. It looks like an even curve now and has the effect of making the gunwale look the same thickness from end to end, where it would have looked heavy at the ends if left an even thickness across its entire length.

This was also done for the inwale as well.

dave

[ 04-05-2005, 07:31 PM: Message edited by: dmede ]

[Bill Perkins]

I know Culler read Chapple carefully .That's where this spec comes from :largest width and thickness at point of lowest freeboard , tapering down just enough to tell toward the bow and stern .Ideally I think it's not something that happens just at the bow and stern .

[Paul Scheuer]

I'd be very careful about any vertical taper. You want to be sure it harmonizes with the planking. I'd do a few full sized layouts. You'll know when it looks right. Bill may be right about the full length taper, especially if the planking is doing the same.

As far as the horizontal taper goes, I'd certainly not go any thiner than the inwale. The 1/3 sounds like it might work. Here the wood colors play a role, so you may want to color in your layout drawing.

[Tom Robb]

Sawed off flat works structurally, at least causes no harm even if it's unnecessarily heavy at the stem.
In my mind it's really an aesthetic judgement.
Tapered both in width and thickness like a proper mast taper will probably come close.
You're looking for a certain fineness or lightness to its look. If you have a good eye for that sort of thing, plane it down until it looks good to you. It is your boat after all. And if you end up not quite pleased with it, try for a different look on the next boat.

[essaunders]

Tom said:
try for a different look on the next boat. Yep. just gotta get busy doing. There are already more serious 'mistakes' --- sorry, 'artistic elements' in this boat already....

[MJC]

Given the significant taper already applied to the inwales, taper the outwales to match.

I didn't taper the in/outwales on my Wee Lassie and regret it.

And thanks a lot guys! Now I regret it even more.