Recent content by Gamma1214

I may fill the next (I doubt that I'll pull the cloth off of this one) and my decision may come down to timing. If I can epoxy it within 72 hours: epoxy, sand and glass. If not: glue, sand & glass. As mentioned, It's not structural (which is why the visible slivers of light don't bother me at...

A good Scoutmaster makes all the difference in the world. Ours was active in the PA National Guard and we went out one weekend a month. That means that 1/2 of his free time every month was given to other people. As I've gotten older, I've come to really appreciate everything that he did for...

I like the different methods & maybe I'll try one of them next time (I've been thinking about doing a quick seal coat the night before anyway). One question, if I'm using thickened glue or epoxy: Although I've continued to sand with the longboard, I usually have a few low spots where I give...

Forgive me, I did not intend to be rude or dismissive of anyone else's passion. That is more on point with my intentions above... Why do we need new terminology for simply paddling well?

Perhaps but then I'd feel like I need to start chewing tobacco again. (not to worry, I can resist the urge... saves a ton of money)

For better or worse, I did something a little different tonight. I'm training for a new job and I'd taken the Raven out of the rafters to do a "show & tell" at driving school (relax, I'm not teaching it). As often happens, someone mentioned that you can see daylight through the hull where the...

I have yet to build anything with stems but I'll have to try and remember the alignment jigs if I ever do. Nicely done.

I think @Sweetfancymoses did that in this thread. I'd get behind the idea of "obedience training for your canoe" more quickly than I would anything labelled as "freestyle". To be sure, "functional freestyle" is probably best described as "obedience training for your canoe" but label anything...

Not on the Merlin build. The OSB forms & stripped hull were heavier than the plywood legs of the strongback (but not by much). The set-up rotated easily and I could rest the hull on a 5 gallon bucket to color the sides. Only issue was that I needed a helper to get it on the stands (we lifted...

That's a nice-looking seat arrangement.

That's all too common these days, in general. My daughter's boyfriend told me "Canada's DANGEROUS" when he heard about my trips. My first thought was: "yeah, if you came along, it probably would be"

I was going to put the strongback on the jack stand- rotisserie set-up that I used when applying the Unicorn Spit to the Merlin so I don't have to sand upside down (the uprights are high enough that the whole set-up can rotate 360 degrees). If general consensus says the glass won't bunch...

I don't put stickers on my canoes but I've had good luck with Goo Gone when working with surfaces that I was hesitant to wipe with Gasoline As for the stickers themselves, I actually bought a launch permit last year when I paddled to Allegheny Islands State Park but didn't put it on. I had it...

Has anyone ever skipped glassing the tumblehome on these hard-shouldered hulls until they're flipped over? I've got the bottom sanded pretty well, and the jack stands are tied up downstairs doing jack stand things (holding up a race car for the next couple of weeks). I could go buy more but I...

I'm certainly old enough to know better, I'm just too young to resist.