20ft. Freighter Canoe build in Alaska

[Tim Marchetti]

I thought folks might enjoy pictures of a freighter canoe that is being built by Royce Miller in Alaska. Royce has a been recording the build at http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...eighter canoe/. He's been moving right along so it should be a fun thread to follow. Maybe we can get him to open his garage door long enough to get a photo of the whole boat. Here's a picture of what he is building.

[David G]

Tim,

I've always liked those freighters. What design is this one?

[Oyster]

Howdy wooden boat forum,
My name is Royce miller.
This is the boat I am building in Fairbanks.
I have been reading on this forum for years.
When Tim asked me if he could post photos of my build I thought heck yeah.
So I got registered and here i am.
I love to build stuff as well as talk about it.
So if anybody has any questions or comments good or bad, pull the the trigger.
I will gladly respond.
What great forum you have.
I hope to contribute some good to it
Thank you
Royce miller

[Tim Marchetti]

This is my design 20ft.x 53" with a 43" wide tranasom. Here's one loaded up with 10 days gear for 4 guys. She carried the gear and the 4 guys across 6 miles of open lake.

[Tim Marchetti]

Welcome to the forum Royce, but don't you have a boat to build?

[Oyster]

Welcome to the forum Royce, but don't you have a boat to build?

Hah!!!
I got the second fill coat on this morning and will get the third one on in a bit.
Maybe 3 will be enough but I will probably do 4.
I am really looking forward to getting the upside right.

[SaltyD from BC]

Nice! I remember wood canvas freighters of similar proportions in northern BC in the 60s when I was a kid. One of the boats that opened up the north to be sure these were the pick up trucks of the day where there were no roads anywhere to speak of. Oyster I'm with you, looking forward to seeing her right side up

[Tim Marchetti]

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of it loaded up and floating on the Yukon

[gstanfield]

Looking good so far! What wood are you using for your strips?

[Oyster]

Looking good so far! What wood are you using for your strips?

Red cedar
Thank you
Royce

[Oyster]

would you fellas like it
if i let you know when i post a new photo like this?
one new photo
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...ghter%20canoe/

[Tim Marchetti]

Looking good. Are you going to paint or leave it bright?

[MoMan]

would you fellas like it
if i let you know when i post a new photo like this?
one new photo
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...eighter canoe/

Yes, but we'd like it even more if you'd post pictures here on the forum!

[Tim Marchetti]

[Tim Marchetti]

<A id=zoomedLink class=menuTrigger title="Click to zoom out." href="javascript:void(0);" _prototypeUID="3"><IMG id=fullImage alt="photo-35.jpg 2nd and 3rd fill coats" src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc450/oyster9/freighter canoe/photo-35.jpg" GALLERYIMG="no"></A><A href="http://javascript<stron</stron:void(0);" target=_blank></A>

[Oyster]

[QUOTE=Tim Marchetti;3265392]Looking good. Are you going to paint or leave it bright?
I thought I would leave it bright but have a few spots of cloudiness in the glass. so I am thinking red paint on the outside and a light sand color on the inside. Except for the spray rail,outwale,inwale, chair rail and the area between the chair rail and inwale. Any thoughts?

[erster]

Interesting login there Oyster,, hopefully folks will not assume that I am reincarnated and now living in the tundra or something. Pretty work !

[Paul Pless]

Interesting login there Oyster

LOL!!! ii

[Tim Marchetti]

[QUOTE=Oyster;3266042]

Looking good. Are you going to paint or leave it bright?
I thought I would leave it bright but have a few spots of cloudiness in the glass. so I am thinking red paint on the outside and a light sand color on the inside. Except for the spray rail,outwale,inwale, chair rail and the area between the chair rail and inwale. Any thoughts?

I like the look and of a painted hull. Mine is bright on the inside for now. The epoxy that I used will probably get cloudy after a while then I will paint the inside too. Dark red looks awesome.

[Oyster]

Thanks erster from oyster

[Oyster]

Wow tim,
That is beautiful and just the color I was thinking of.
The last kayak I built I used system 3 water based polyurethane and while it is a good product, it took 8 coats of yellow to cover grey primer.also it is limited in color choice without buying a gallon.
Any suggestions on a durable paint product?

[Tim Marchetti]

The canoe in the picture is one of Rollin Thurlow's beautiful wood and canvas creations. I use water based porch and deck paint on my own boats. It goes on great, dries fast, cleans up easily, it holds up and it's cheap. My local hardware store can match any of the fancy boat paints.

[Oyster]

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/...e/photo-36.jpg

scraped and sanded all the drools,snot,slobber,sweat,boogers,ready for 4th fill coat.

[Oyster]

thanks for the paint advice tim.
4th fill coat
1 new photo
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...ghter%20canoe/

[Todd Bradshaw]

Two coats of rolled and tipped Ace Hardware porch and deck paint over brown (WEST epoxy on natural red cedar). No coverage problems.

[Oyster]

very nice todd.
thanks for the advice
royce

[Duncan Gibbs]

Love those PVC pipe clamps!

Welcome to the Forum Royce!

[Oyster]

Love those PVC pipe clamps!

Welcome to the Forum Royce!

Why thank you Duncan.
I think the PVC clamps can be attributed to both Scottish heritage and good function!!!!

[Tim Marchetti]

Two coats of rolled and tipped Ace Hardware porch and deck paint over brown (WEST epoxy on natural red cedar). No coverage problems.

beautiful!

[Oyster]

well i knocked the highest highs down with some 40 grit.
looks like plenty of resin everywhere,we will see.
that is all the sanding until paint prep.
now to build a cradle for flipping and working on inside
1 new photo.
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...ghter%20canoe/

[Tim Marchetti]

think about putting your rails on before you take her off the mold she'll hold her shape better and be stiffer for the inside clean up.

[Todd Bradshaw]

There is no better, more stable or more potentially error-free place to sand the outside of a stripper than while it's still on the forms. Why on earth would you want to stop half-way through that process and then try to pick it up later in a less stable position?

[Oyster]

Tim and Todd,
I never paid any mind to chasing a boat around the shop trying to sand it.
Now that you put it that way Todd ,I will sand on the form. Now about the gunwales. I would like to scupper both the inwales and chair rails for multiple reasons. Here are the reasons,cargo tie downs, removable seats and thwarts, spray cover rib sockets, probable sail rigging. I was thinking I would make the scupper spaces 4" where there was oar lock outriggers and 2" for the spray cover ribs and the rest. I do not have good feel for the oarlock layout and thought I could wait until the inside was glassed to get in the boat and do a mock up. Any thoughts on rowing station locations, while picturing this, 2 fat boys, a moose, a caribou, and 2 week camp and the engine puked with a 3 day drift back to the landing? I was raised on flathead lake in western Montana and pleasure sailed as well as raced on the weekends. I have not sailed since I was a child 35 years ago and need to fix that. The boats I have in the livery right now that could be rigged for sailing are a 19'x39" wherry, a Pygmy borealis xl kayak, a 25' umiak, or this canoe, I am leaning towards rigging the canoe. Any thoughts on the suitability of this vessel for sailing? Back to the gunwales,I think I should install the inwales and chair rails before the outwales and spray rails so I can temporarily screw them on from the outside of the hull. Any thoughts? Thanks for your patience and imput.
Royce

[Tim Marchetti]

You can put the rails on after. Make some spreaders and mark their location before you take her of the mold. I would do a rowing station forward and center. Todd might chime in with the perfect sail rig.

[Ankle Deep]

Hi Royce:

I live in Fairbanks. I built a 24 foot freighter strip canoe and launched in in 2004. It's been on the Yukon and Tanana Rivers and many of the big lakes on the road system in the Yukon Territory. If I can find a photo (most are on a removable hard drive somewhere) I will post a couple. Don't know if I can provide any advice but I'm happy to share mistakes.

Paul

[Ankle Deep]

I posted a photo on another boat building site a while back. Here it is:

http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=25696

....scroll down to find the canoe photos

[Oyster]

There is no better, more stable or more potentially error-free place to sand the outside of a stripper than while it's still on the forms. Why on earth would you want to stop half-way through that process and then try to pick it up later in a less stable position?

sanded to 120 grit,a few glossy spots i think i will scotchbright,and only got into the weave in a few spots.
overall i think i got a decent glass job.
thanks todd

[Oyster]

You can put the rails on after. Make some spreaders and mark their location before you take her of the mold. I would do a rowing station forward and center. Todd might chime in with the perfect sail rig.

thanks tim,
the outriggers i would like to copy i saw on this site and i think you commented on the thread.

.IMG_1393.jpg

[gstanfield]

I would imagine that the freighter is wide enough to not need those rowing "wings".

I've been wrong before though

Ankle, good to see you around guy. When I saw the thread about a freighter in Alaska your boat popped into my mind!

[Oyster]

I posted a photo on another boat building site a while back. Here it is:

http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=25696

....scroll down to find the canoe photos

hello paul,
wonderful boats you built. i would like to get together and talk boats,let me know if that something we can do.
thank you.
royce

[Oyster]

I would imagine that the freighter is wide enough to not need those rowing "wings".

I've been wrong before though

Ankle, good to see you around guy. When I saw the thread about a freighter in Alaska your boat popped into my mind!

hello george,
my thoughts are to use some 10 foot whitewater oars i have.
i think i need to get the oarlocks wider for the leverage i will need.
i use these same oars on my 18 foot jet sled for drifting and they work well.
thank you.
royce

[Tim Marchetti]

Looks good. I know it's 100 below, but You have to open the door and give us a look at the whole boat.

[Oyster]

Looks good. I know it's 100 below, but You have to open the door and give us a look at the whole boat.

actually it is a balmy 39 below.
here you go.
3 new photos
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...ghter%20canoe/

[Ian Marchuk]

Great thread and well done boats , thanks for the time you've taken to post them here.
I've long been interested in big freighter canoes (20-26 feet), but have had very little success in finding designs available for sale.
Tell me more about design sources.
Thanks in advance.
Ian

[Oyster]

Great thread and well done boats , thanks for the time you've taken to post them here.
I've long been interested in big freighter canoes (20-26 feet), but have had very little success in finding designs available for sale.
Tell me more about design sources.
Thanks in advance.
Ian

howdy ian,
this your lucky day,it just so happens that the designer of this craft is tim marchetti who is posting on this same thread.
i bought plans from tim early in november and have had very good service and support from him. he fields dopey questions with out letting me know how bad i am ate up with the dumbass!!!!!!! hah!!!!

[Ankle Deep]

Ankle, good to see you around guy. When I saw the thread about a freighter in Alaska your boat popped into my mind!

Yep, I occasionally lurk here and the Bateau forum. I'm enjoying your puddle duck build.....

[Ankle Deep]

hello paul,
wonderful boats you built. i would like to get together and talk boats,let me know if that something we can do.
thank you.
royce

feel free to give me a call to chat, I'm in the phone book, last name is Allan

[Oyster]

feel free to give me a call to chat, I'm in the phone book, last name is Allan

will do
thanks
royce

[Tim Marchetti]

actually it is a balmy 39 below.
here you go.
3 new photos
http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...eighter canoe/

Nice! You're doing a much cleaner job of it then I did. She's going to look great with her red dress on

[Oyster]

Thanks Tim,
Can any body tell me what the approximate minimum steam bend radius for 3/4" thick yellow cedar would be?