Nymph Canoe Build

[Fitz]

The bulk of the sanding on the exterior is done. I just need to go over it with a couple of finer grits, probably stopping at 180, and then it will be ready for varnish. The interior doesn't need much sanding, but I need to get to that.

It is nice to finally be able to see it outside the confines of the 18th century basement shop dungeon...



It is shiny because I rinsed the dust off and I wanted to get an idea about how it will look finished.



Fitz.

[Brian Palmer]

Nice. The cherry sheer looks very good in the photos, a subtle shade difference from the rest of the planking.

Brian

[Sailor]

Won't be subtle for long. Cherry darkens beautifully. And fast too. A matter of a couple of months and you'll have a much darker sheer. I left some things on my cherry floor and within a month or so, you could see the outline where it had been covered and the light didn't get to it. It darkens beautifully though as long as you let the light at it evenly.

[Canoez]

Well, cherry does darken with light exposure - UV light - but that's bad for the epoxy on a bright finished canoe, so Fitz should be using a UV filtering epoxy and it probably darken very slowly as a result.

[Fitz]

Plenty of UV filtering varnish is due soon, but too late for UV filtering epoxy.

My kid brother is building a flintlock rifle with a cherry stock. Apparently, the old timers used lye to darken cherry and accentuate the grain. I didn't get a chance to try it.

[Sailor]

Lye eh? I'll have to remember that before I finish my cherry parts. Any idea how it was applies? mixed with something? soak it? How long? What finishes are appropriate after? Oil? Varnish?

[JayInOz]

Traditionally lye is made from wood ash, but builders lime (calcium hydroxide) is easier to get, cheap and you can't accidentally make it too strong. I use it for de hairing hides when I'm making leather- traditional or braintan. You can make lye too strong. Another trad material for darkening and staining timber is Permanganate of Potash (common name down here Condys Crystals). It's purple but makes a brown stain for wood or bone. And a purple stain for fingers that just won't come off! JayInOz

[Natebr]

It doesn't need to be UV light to darken the cherry, visible light will darken it, albeit a little slower.

[Frank R]

Cherry darkens pretty quickly in bright sunlight. Even several hours on a bright day. Skip the dye and set it outside. Keep a control piece inside to compare. The slightly dark cherry looks far better than a stained or dyed cherry. And it will continue to mellow with time.

[Fitz]

Sand, (actually "scuff"), varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish...

I should be done in a week or so.

Fitz

[Sailor]

Cool, then you can come out to my place and sand the inside of my 18 footer.

[Fitz]

I was very apprehensive about fairing the inside, especially with these thin strips. I tried all kinds of tools. Most of the books say use a sharpened paint scraper. Once I got it sharp and got the knack of it, that was the way to go for the bulk of the work. I used a small, sharpened Red Devil scraper that was the cat's meow. After that, I used various sanders and sanding blocks and sandpaper wrapped around a bottle.

Just do it....

[Canoez]

Just do it....

Yep. The Nike approach to boatbuilding - I highly recommend it!

[Fitz]

Yeah, I gotta Just Do It too and finish the Nymph.

MoMan will like the next project. I gotta rehab a GEN-U-INE, 17 ft., Chestnut Canoe Company wood and canvas Prospector. It should be an easy one. It needs some ribs and a canvas job basically.

The owner wants the Shellacked bottom treatment too.

[MoMan]

I used a small, sharpened Red Devil scraper that was the cat's meow.

Fitz--Can you please post a picture of this? My interior is going to be hell because I neglected to wipe away my squeeze out as I planked.

[MoMan]

MoMan will like the next project. I gotta rehab a GEN-U-INE, 17 ft., Chestnut Canoe Company wood and canvas Prospector. It should be an easy one. It needs some ribs and a canvas job basically.

I bet you'll have that completed by the time I finish planking!!

[Fitz]

This is the 6th coat of varnish. I will likely stop now on the exterior and work on the interior and then put a coat or two on the exterior as after I'm done messing with it.



This is the scraper. Keep it very sharp with a file.

[Fitz]

Sand, (actually "scuff"), varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish...

Still at it.

I think the outside of the hull may be done, but the inside still needs about 6 coats and the dry time is holding me up. I'm not much of a hot coater. I like to let it dry, scuff and give it another coat.

Fitz.

[Canoez]

It's tempting, but don't put too many coats on the interior. There's two reasons for this - you don't want a glossy interior (it's blinding) and it is slippery as all get-out. Alec Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks had a nice little dinghy at the Maine Boatbuilders show that had a textured varnish on the floor - Probably just washed sand in the varnish, but nicely masked on the floor. Might look funny on the carbon/kevlar twill, tho.

[Bill Huson]

This is the 6th coat of varnish. I will likely stop now on the exterior and work on the interior and then put a coat or two on the exterior as after I'm done messing with it.



This is the scraper. Keep it very sharp with a file.

Yep - my Red Devil has a reversible blade. I filed the edge round (convex) so it would scrape the inside curves without digging the corners in. It is the Cat's Meow, Bee's Knees, and whatever other accolade one can name to get rid of glue smears, and it also does a fine job of fairing the strips.

[Fitz]

It's tempting, but don't put too many coats on the interior. There's two reasons for this - you don't want a glossy interior (it's blinding) and it is slippery as all get-out. Alec Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks had a nice little dinghy at the Maine Boatbuilders show that had a textured varnish on the floor - Probably just washed sand in the varnish, but nicely masked on the floor. Might look funny on the carbon/kevlar twill, tho.

Yes, I would like some texture of the weave left, but I was gonna try some Epiphanes matte finish on the interior. The manufacturer suggests putting this over at least five coats of gloss to get adequate UV protection.

The interior of the canoe won't see a great deal of UV anyway. I guess I will keep going until I sense I'm losing texture and stop there.

Fitz.

[cprinos]

Great looking little canoe, I love the cherry accent and the bit of tumblehome. Any chance we'll see this one slipping under the North Bridge, or is it destined to launch in Maine waters?

[Fitz]

Well, I gotta give it at least a test run before I turn it over to Grandma.

I would hate to screw up the varnish though.

[MoMan]

Is this a mother's day present?

[Fitz]

Yep, it is a Mother's Day Present, but the schedule has slipped some, mostly due to varnish dry time. I may call it done on Sunday. So, a week late is pretty good for me. I can't blame the cats either. Ma is still in sunny Florida, but returning soon. I need to find a good time to deliver it to Maine too. There is a chance that the Mother's Day Present will be officially launched on Father's Day, if she is here for our annual paddle.

I was also hoping to craft a double paddle to go with this. Afterall, you gotta have something to propel it with.

I'm debating the glossy versus matte interior too. The gloss is kinda cool. The gloss on the hybrid kevlar/carbon fiber makes the finish on the interior look inches deep - a very neat effect. I am worried that I would lose this effect with a matte finish. The gloss however, shows many imperfections too.

I'm leaning towards leaving it shiny.

[Canoez]

Matte, man.

Otherwise, you'll always look like

[Fitz]

Well, after slacking off for a few days in the North Maine Woods, I am back at it.

I installed most of the fancy trim today and the seat and back rest. I was trying to finish up the brass stem bands, but I kept breaking cheap screws. I have lots of experience with stem bands too. I pre-drill, drive a "steel" screw, back it out and then drive the brass screw. I didn't get it to work well today though. I'll try again tomorrow.

Then I'll touch up the varnish and launch at some point soon.

[JimConlin]

Well, after slacking off for a few days in the North Maine Woods, I am back at it.
...

Can't miss the black fly season!

[Fitz]

Can't miss the black fly season!

But that is exactly the reason we go to the woods when we do - to miss the black fly season! There is a very small window of opportunity just after mud season and ice out and just prior to and during fiddlehead season that lasts for a period of about 2 weeks. During this period, if the nights stay cold enough, you can get your canoe trip in and not be harrassed at all by the little buggers.

We did see a few one evening last week, but the rain knocked them down. They should be in full swing now.

[Fitz]

I'm calling the Winter Project Finished!

Thanks to all the Forumites for the help on this one, including Canoez, Todd, Jim Conlin, Nick Schade, Sailor, MoMan, Andy and anyone else I missed. I am very happy with the results.

I may get a chance to give it a Test Paddle on Monday.

Cheers,

Fitz.

[Brian Palmer]

That's wicked awesome!

Brian

[Fitz]

I forgot to mention, it is a little on the heavy side. With all the hardwood trim, brass hardware, stem bands, extra unnecessary epoxy this 12 footer weighs in at 30.6 pounds on the bathroom scale.

Fitz.

[Brian Palmer]

You are in good company. My Tom Hill "Charlotte" (11 1/2 feet) is about 29 lbs. I think the lowest he predicted was about 27 lbs using spruce for everything except the planking.

I do not think you can get a production, roto-molded, plastic "rec" kayak for less than 40 lbs and they won't paddle nearly as nice. Hornbeck boats makes some kevlar and carbon boats that are really really light, but they are not as nice to look at.

Brian

[hokiefan]

Beautiful

[Fitz]

You are in good company. My Tom Hill "Charlotte" (11 1/2 feet) is about 29 lbs. I think the lowest he predicted was about 27 lbs using spruce for everything except the planking.

I do not think you can get a production, roto-molded, plastic "rec" kayak for less than 40 lbs and they won't paddle nearly as nice. Hornbeck boats makes some kevlar and carbon boats that are really really light, but they are not as nice to look at.

Yeah Brian, I found out last night that designer Nick Schade says the 12 footer should run about 22 + pounds using lightweight softwoods etc. So, I am not far off especially considering all the hardwood trim and brass. I also used slightly thicker strips.

Fitz.

[JayInOz]

Congratulations Fitz. A beautiful job! And thanks for recommending "The Caners Handbook" which arrived last week. I have an incredibly beaten up old fibreglass Canadian but the epoxied board seat is the only thing retaining some of the intended hull shape so the next canoe will get the caning When do we get to see launch piccies mate? JayInOz

[JimConlin]

30 lbs. is still a one-hand boat. That's fine. My Wee Lassie II is the same.
I'm sure your client will enjoy it.

[Fitz]

Today was launch day. We dropped by Walden Pond, but that place was nuts today given the holiday and the hot weather, so we took it over to the Calf Pasture Launch on the Concord River, just below Egg Rock. Probably the Native Spirit vives were better at the alternate location anyway, since Egg Rock was reportedly a meeting place for Native Americans.

I tried the canoe first, and given my weight, I was probably pushing the upper limits of the capacity. My first thought was that the canoe was a bit tender, and I was wondering when the secondary stability would kick in. The canoe is easily paddled and my impression is that it is very fast. I was easily passing tandem canoes and other kayaks at the launch. It takes a bit of effort to make a U-turn but it is not unreasonable either. I am very pleased with the speed and ease of paddling traits.

Here I am in the canoe. Not much freeboard is left. I weigh about 195 lbs, and the 12 ft canoe capacity is 200 lbs. or so.




Next, we put young Nimrod Brendan in the canoe. Weighing in at about 110 lbs, I think he is slightly more suited for the canoe. He also had no problem paddling it and bringing it up to speed.



Since I was not willing to swim today, Brendan graciously volunteered to give it a stability test. He tipped it to the gunwale before he made a wet exit. Here he is prepping for the Tip Test:




Grandma is not a fan of "tippy" boats, but I suspect after she gets a feel for it, she will be fine. All and all, I am very happy with the performance.

[Canoez]

I think she'll grow to like the maneuverability of the thing. That lack of initial stability lets you lean the boat over to the side to aid turning. Once you get the knack of it, you can almost steer the boat with small body movements. Pretty boat, Fitz - I think Brendan may need one now....

BTW - looks like the cherry is starting to color up a bit. Nice.

IIRC, Nick had either another design or something else about stretching the spacing of the patterns on this canoe to get an even longer boat 13 or 14', I think. Might be a bit better for your, uh, ballast. What's the amidships depth, anyway - about 11 or 12"? I can't really count strips from the picture, but you probably had it at the design lines (4" waterline) and appear to be 2 strips or so deeper in the water than Brendan.

People always seem to be surprised at how fast these little boats can be. The double-bladed paddle certainly helps, but the relatively small profile and wetted area doesn't hurt much either.

[MoMan]

I'm calling the Winter Project Finished!

Thanks to all the Forumites for the help on this one, including Canoez, Todd, Jim Conlin, Nick Schade, Sailor, MoMan, Andy and anyone else I missed.

Beautiful Fitz--Congratulations!! I'm a little confused about being lumped in with the folks who helped on this, unless by help you meant "entertained" in my case. Regardless, I'm looking forward to my own launch, sometime before the close of the current decade.

[Fitz]

Grandma put the boat through its paces today. Through the recently herbicide killed invasive species of Warner's Pond in Concord next to the Medium Security Prison...(and people wonder why I drive 800 miles round trip to MAINE), but I digress....

She loved it and put it through a rigorous stance of manuevers and highly approves!!






Her biggest concern is whether or not it will handle her largest tackle box or not!!

We are all looking forward to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Norumbega Chapter Annual Father's Day Paddle tomorrow morning.

Fitz.

[Canoez]

Grandma put the boat through its paces today. Through the recently herbicide killed invasive species of Warner's Pond in Concord next to the Medium Security Prison...(and people wonder why I drive 800 miles round trip to MAINE), but I digress....

She loved it and put it through a rigorous stance of manuevers and highly approves!!






Her biggest concern is whether or not it will handle her largest tackle box or not!!

We are all looking forward to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Norumbega Chapter Annual Father's Day Paddle tomorrow morning.

Fitz.

Most excellent. I am jealous of your paddle tomorrow. I was hoping to take my father and my son and/or daughter for an early morning breakfast and paddle tomorrow, but my dad is up on Third Lake in Maine with a family friend feeding the blackflies and teasing the bass.

[Sailor]

Not to pump life into a dead thread but I have a couple of questions. How light can this boat be? A buddy of mine (Jon, in my redbird thread) plans on building a Cape Ann kayak. He's going to do so in my shop. I have all the tools and the space, as well as a bit of boatbuilding experinece to pass on to him if he needs it. He offered to pick up some extra planking material as a thank you for the space and help. I am considering building this boat as a father son project with my son Gabriel. He'll be 4 in November so it will be mostly daddy doing the work but it will be his boat. I want him to be able to carry it on his own so at 4 years of age, it'll need to be very light. I also would like it to last more than a couple of seasons before outgrowing it, so this one seems suitable. How difficult is it to plank with square edges rather than bead and cove? what about the thinner planking? I would build a simple one, not much trim or fancyness to it other than some different coloured planking for accent stripes. How did the lofting from WB mag go? I have 199 and 200 out in front of me and it seems pretty straight forward. Any recommendations?
Daniel

[Fitz]

Hi Sailor:

I stretched the Nymph from 10 ft. to 12 ft. I used heavy hardwood trim - ash and cherry and lots of brass - stembands, painters etc. and the final canoe product ended up weighing 30 pounds. Nick Schade built a 12 footer that weighed in at 22 pounds, I believe.

You could build the 10 footer and get it to weigh around 16 pounds with lightweight trim etc.

The rolling beveled planking is not hard to do. You pick up the knack quite quickly. I practiced on a few strips and it became very easy with a bit of time. I used a sharp finger plane.

I used 5/32's inch thick strips - standard thickness for wood/canvas canoes and I was not in danger of sanding through it during the fairing stage. Nick used 1/8th inch.

"Lofting" was pretty straight forward. I plotted up the stations on graph paper with 1-inch squares. I think I found a minor mistake in the table, but I can't recall what it was - something to do with the stem(??). It was no big deal.

Grandma has had it out on quite a few outings now and still has nothing but good things to say about it. It is quite fast and has performed well in headwinds and light chop so far. It is a bit of a challenge to get into and out of, but still much easier than a kayak I would guess. It easily cartops and gets lots of comments at the landings.

We just took Grandma to the northern Maine "wilderness" and the boat traveled well and got all dusty from the tree length logging trucks.

Fitz.

[Sailor]

Awesome. Thanks Fitz. I'll keep this one in mind for the little guy.