17' Lapstrake Canoe

[bthomas]

Vernon --congratulations and thank you for some terriffic tutorials. Really like the white paint it is so tradational.

Hey please let me know what they ask for at DMV...are they going to want receipts on materials etc? Last month when the weather was warm around here I went shopping for a lightly sprung trailer and bought a homebuilt with coil springs down in Taylor Mi..not far from you....the springs flex with my 200 pounds on the axle so i am hoping it provides a gentle cradle for my cedar strip build. most trailers i was seeing wouldn't flex with my weight and i thought would be too harsh for these light hulls.

Bill

[Vernon]

Hey Bill,

I won't need any receipts for the registration. I have to take the canoe to Sandusky, ODNR Division of Watercraft for an inspection. To my understanding, they only take a measurement and look at the hull type so they can assign a HID. They will give me a small brass plate to install with the etched numbers. At the same site, they will take my $25 and give me an Alternative Registration so I don't have to display the OH registation numbers, just a 3"x6" decal that can go one of 4 locations. I like the idea, since the 3" letters wouldn't fit on the laps and would need a plate mounted. The process seems relatively painless, the only rub is that an officer has to do the inspection and it's by appointment - I called last Thursday morning and am waiting for a callback at this point.

I had intended to take the canoe to the lake this weekend for the obligatory launch fotos. I might just take it to an out of the way reservoir just 5 miles from me anyway, I'll have to check the consequences in case I get caught publicly defying the Man.

I only drive a pickup and I don't want a rack on it, so I purchased a 16' x 6'-4" tandem utility trailer. I have plenty of opportunities to make good use of it throughout the year. I'll just build a couple of carpeted blocks to throw on for the canoe. I'll also use the same trailer at least temporarily to haul the next boat - 18' Matinicus or 19'-6" Sooty Tern. I'll be looking for a Craiglist cheapo boat trailer I can fix up and customize, but I'll be ready in any case.

Vern

[Tim Marchetti]

She looks great Vernon. What a shame you have to wait, here in Maine we don't have to register non-motorized boats. Really a shame to have to put a sticker on that beautiful hull.

[bthomas]

Thanks Vern I am getting close...looking for May launch, maybe/possibly. (And i think you started after me!!). I am going to ask the Michigan DMV folks if there is an alternative to the 3" registration numbers like the tag you can get in Ohio. A few weeks ago inspired by your example I knocked out some oars from (2) more pretty clear 2 x 4's...curious to see if they prove strong enough. Bill

[Vernon]

I don't think we've peeked into the other side of my shop. Both the canoe and trailer will live over there now. I'll rig up a pulley system to hoist the canoe overhead for the winters. A standard utlity trailer is what I'll use to haul the canoe. It'll need to be easy to load and unload so the trailer is free for other uses

[Vernon]

Here's what I rigged up. The carpeted bunks let me just drag it off the sawhorses onto the trailer.
They also let me use the ratchet straps to tighten it down just enough to compress the carpet. That way I'm sure to stop without damaging the canoe.

[Vernon]

This is Beaver Creek Reservoir, it's stocked for fishing apparently, 110 acres in size, something like 35 feet at the deepest if i remember correctly, and it's only about 5 miles from me.



It's built mostly above ground, I'll guess 20' high, and has a rocky shoreline. It'd be a tough place to drag a canoe, exept it has a ramp I didn't know about. The breeze seems to be always blowing up on top, might be a great spot for someone who wanted to learn to sail a small sailboat..... hmmmm. I might just need a sailboat.

[Vernon]

The seats are temporaily placed and not bedded. I went ahead and launched the canoe for a quick spin. Winds were about 20-25mph, not ideal at all but....




She didn't want to turn into that wind, it took a bit of digging. Once I got into the wind though, the canoe just glided along and tracks very true without much effort. Big smiles at that point.




She's designed as a 2 seater of course, so the bow rides a bit high with just me. I think it's fine though, I would have a bit of gear and likely a cooler if I were out here fishing by myself. The seat may be an inch low, but that could be my poor technique of paddling - never used a double paddle before. that will be easily corrected if need be, but I'll use it for awhile as is before I change anything. I have to get the wife in the front seat while in the water too, to check the adjustment there. It was too windy today for us to fiddle around too much but I just had to get it wet.




Was only about a 30 minute ride for the first outing, really nothing to work on just yet.

This guys happy.

[PaulT]

Vernon: It finished out just great! Looks great in the water..Regards:PaulT

[MoMan]

Beautiful Vernon! Congratulations and here's to an adventure-filled summer ahead [clink toast].

[Ed Armstrong]

Looks great on (and off) the water!!

[Tim Marchetti]

way to go Vernon

[timo4352]

Congrats. Beautiful job. I really enjoyed your build thread.
You might want to check into drip rings for your paddles - they'll help keep you pants dry.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Tim

[bthomas]

Really nice Vern, appreciate the time you spent letting us tag along thru the build and maiden voyage...enjoyed it all

[JayInOz]

Congratulations Vernon. A great build thread and an outstanding end result. What do you reckon the final weight is? Regarding your concerns about the ratchet tiedowns putting too much stress on the hull- would it be too much of a pain to make a couple of padded rests to fit inside the boat on the trailer, modelled from two of your station molds? I've been thinking about this for my own use- my current canoe is glass and really rigid- the next one won't be. Well done mate. JayInOz

[Vernon]

Thanks for the kind words Gentlemen.

Tim, you're right - the need for some type of drip stop was apparent within about 30 seconds. I searched Amazon for some but I don''t like the looks of any of them. I'll knot up some rope next time I'm out and see if that helps. If it works, I'll have to dig around the forum for some boaty looking knots to add.

Jay, I still haven't weighed it - guessing about 70 lbs. The best I can do for now is balance it on a bathroom type scale.



I have my wife and son home Thursday, we'll all be going out to the Reservoir for the afternoon so I can get tested out with 2 and get some pictures while I'm at it so I can see how it trims and set the seats. I'll have 1 more set of pictures coming up and then 2 weekends worth of enjoying and no work - looking forward to that, I can't remember the last time I actually took a few days off.

After that, works going to take more of my time. We have a new launch at the plant and I'm adding hours and shifting schedules again to span our 3 maintenance shifts. 1pm to midnight - ugh. Hopefully this will only go 4-6 weeks. My wife is schedule for some surgery at the end of the month too - nothing to serious, in and out in 3 days, but she won't be doing any canoeing for a month or more and I'll be helping out at the landscape and laundry shop.

So, good timing on getting this done. I hope the weather is kind to us cuz I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks.

Cheers,
Vern

[Vernon]

We did make it out today but my son could't make it, so no double pictures. The canoe is really stable and rides nice with 2. I read some on paddling technique, the seats don't need adjusted, we need to get used to using double paddles correctly. So, no adjustments needed, the seats just get unscrewed and bedded where they're at.

Here a picture of the Boss to show we were there.
Those are the painters pants - that white paint on there did not all come from the canoe.
Another windy day, but it was nice and warm.

[Vernon]

I had my inspection today.

I think it was Bill who asked about needed reciepts. The officer did in fact ask me for some evidence - plans, receipts, or something to prove it wasn't stolen. Nice guy, he didn't really believe that, just doing the job. I didn't bring anything and I just had to sign an affadavit that it was all on the up and up.

Still no registration - the inspection appointment had to be after 5pm and the ladies who do the registrations are not there, so I have to make another trip back to Sandusky to register the next time I have a weekday off. Oh well, I drove by a few spots to toss the canoe into the Bay that I have to check out, I'll make a trip out of it.

Jay, I thought more about using the moulds to make a better carrier, but I stopped at another canoe hole today and backed the trailer right to the waters edge on the ramp there. It's way easy to just slide the canoe off and into the water without even picking it up when that's the case, and I'd hate to lose that.

I stopped in the town of Castalia this evening on the way back from ODNR - Rest Haven Wildlife Area, Pond #8.
Well worth the stop, another fine canoe and fishing spot. It's a pretty big little pond with lots of places to poke about.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/wild...4/Default.aspx


Oh and the first pick shows my awesome knot experiment - does some good, I'll have to come up with something.

[maraíocht]

Hey Vernon!

Beautiful boat; nicely done! A good drip-stopping knot is the turk's head. Pretty easy to do and it looks good, too!

http://www.animatedknots.com/turkshe...matedknots.com

Hope you get lots of time out on the water--

lyle

[Vernon]

Hey, Thanks for that link lyle, that's what I'll do
Vern

[P.L.Lenihan]

Cheeses Vern! I missed your launching!! God she looks beautiful out on the water and with summer just around the corner...........all I can say is I is one envious feller!!


Congrats again on your successful launching and thanks for the great detail of your thread!!



Cheers!



Peter

[Vernon]

Thank you Peter, looks like I've neglected my own thread by missing you're reply.
Busy paddling I suppose.



Well, I've started another boat build so I thought I should report on the canoe and start another thread. Estimating using Google Earth, I have more than 150 miles on the canoe. I've been down the Sandusky River, up and down the Huron River, on Beaver Creek Reservoir, the Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie, and poking about at Rest Haven Wildlife Preserve pond 8. These places are all within 25 miles of where I live.

The canoe handles beautifully, and folks comment on it everywhere I go. I just love paddling around in something I built for myself.

I decided to build another glued lapstrake sail and oar boat next. I had planned a traditional build of a Mantinicus peapod, but wanted to go as big as practical for my small boat shop, and am sold on the merits of glued lap for a trailer boat. The canoe is strong, easy to clean and maintain, and dry as a bone. I thought I might try a different designer and go with a plan intended for a glued lap desgn. Plans are purchased, and I'm currently to the stage of making the building frame for a 20' Sooty Tern by Ian Oughtred. I'll try to get around to sorting out the pics and starting a thread soon, maybe tommorow on that.

First, a few last pics (for this thread anyways) of the canoe.

The first 2 pics illustrate how bad I beat her up in a short time. I only had 1 finish coat on so far. The epoxy primer coat seemed to do its job nicely. Only paint was scraped off and when I put 2 more coats of paint on, I just sanded a bit with no need to fill. I'm glad I used cheap porch paint, looks like she'll need a fresh coat every year.





Here's the big ugly sticker I have to display, I put it on top of the breasthook as the least offensive spot. I'm making copper hull ID tags to put on the shear strake so I can get rid of the ugly tag ODNR gave me.



Finally got around to adding the name, I don't think I mentioned that she'll be called Genesis - as in beginning. Two more coats of white porch paint and 2 more coats of varnish on the rest.



Yes it's a vinyl sticker, needs to be easy to refinish and I failed miserably at painting letters by hand.



All in all, it was and continues to be a great experience, I would recommend the plans and literature by Walt Simmons to anyone. I didn't do furniture grade since this one will be used a bit roughly, but the design is worthy and I'd still like to do the 15' single version in cedar plank for myself.

Thanks for following along,
Vern

[bthomas]

Good News is you are using your boat . I have been doing the same but admit I have not done any touch ups...my varnish is scratched in many spot but especially along one side where I raise and lower a mushroom anchor as i fish. better news is that you are starting the next build...i hope we get a ringide seat, i will be watching.Bill

[Rich Jones]

A very successful project! As for the scraped paint, I always put a strip of half-oval brass on the keels of my glued-lap canoes. Plus, they never touch the ground. They're placed in the water and stepped into while in at least a foot of water.

I'm looking forward to this next build.