Carbon Fiber Nokomis

[Jim Dodd]

First inside coat on Vader. One more, and then Watco on the gunnels.
The Valspar is a little slow to dry. I hope there is no Amine blush in RAKA.s UV-inhibited resin, that might slow the dry time, or bonding !

I'm out, of Valspar, so I'll open a can of Helmsman for the final coat, on the inside.
A couple pics.

Jim

 

[Sven]

Looks awesome, I really like the cedar core!
You are nearing the finish line, I bet you are getting antsy to get out and paddle it.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Looks awesome, I really like the cedar core!
You are nearing the finish line, I bet you are getting antsy to get out and paddle it.

I'm nearly Giddy ! Well not really. It will be fun to compare the two, Stripper vs Carbon Kevlar.

One thing about this method. It would be very hard to to call this a Production method. I feel it's a great to make a canoe that will preform every bit as well, as canoes costing over twice as much, if you are willing to venture forth.

To anyone wanting to build a composite, gather all the information you can !
Learn from others that have been there. This site is collecting a lot of experienced builders. None of us build the same way. It will be up to you to develop Your own method. I know I have a lot more to learn, and am excited about the "next one !"

Jim

 

[Mrindy]

Wow, that looks awesome! Say what you want about imperfections but that smooth finish looks factory.

 

[deerfly]

excellent thread and results, plus the knowledge gained and shared is incredible. A few imperfections here and there, meh bfd, you have a lot to be proud of there.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Vader is finally hitting the water this weekend !
I'll have a few pics by Monday for sure !
Thanks for following Deerfly ! It's been my goal to help others getting into canoe building !
Building these canoes has been a passion for me.

Thanks again !

Jim

 

[latremorej]

Awesome! I can't wait for the pics

Jason

 

[Alan Gage]

Jim and I got out for a paddle today:

20170409_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20170409_001 by Alan, on Flickr

I had a chance to try it as well. It paddles as nice as it looks.

Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

Today was the day that Vader meets Water.
Alan and Sadie , along with Barrens brightened the day !
Here's pics

I was really please at how Vader handled ! Especially from the truck to the water. Both the Vader, and it's conterpart, Nokomis, are trimmed identically. Vader is 18# lighter , for a total of 42#. At 16' 4". I'm content, but a lighter boat can be made !

I'd say anybody interested in building a lighter canoe, there is some great information , posted on this side.
I'll be building another composite, one of these days, but for now I'll be paddling as much as I can !

Later !

Jim

 

[latremorej]

WOW! Very nice canoe Mr Dodd! Again, thanks for sharing. From here, that canoe looks fresh off the showroom floor! (I say from here because everyone who has ever built something always plays it down saying that there are plenty of flaws) I hope it sees a lot of water this summer!

Jason

 

[Jim Dodd]

Thanks Jason !

Oh it will get paddled !
My canoe storage is Full Up, so I'll HAVE to move something to build more Ha !
I sent one canoe home with Alan, so I can store Vader !

Thanks again ! Hope this thread inspires more building !

Jim

 

[wingnut]

That boat looks good on the water. How did it handle?

 

[Jim Dodd]

That boat looks good on the water. How did it handle?

We were on a swollen river. But Vader handles just like Nokomis.
On smaller streams, which I paddle often, the length hinders turning, especially in fast current. Not enough rocker.

For rivers and I'm hoping the BWCA, it will be fine. Vader feels very stable ! high priority for me, and big enough to handle a lot of gear. Tracking is great. the hull stays inline long enough, that I can take pics, with having to correct with a paddle.

Jim

 

[Jim Dodd]

I liked how Stripperguy compared his Kite with its Carbon Copy.
So I thought I'd pull Nokomis, and Vader out for a few shots.

Which one would you want to go to the river with ?
Remember Vader is 18# lighter.

Jim

 

[stripperguy]

Jim,
Are they supposed to be identical hull shapes? I see your air chambers are different sizes, are they located differently? Or is the Vader wider near the stems? Edit: I see why they look different...
And I still loke those droop center seats, very classy.

Also, that siding on the garage looks to be the same as on my house!
BTW, I took many more photos than I posted, you can look here to see most of them.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Jim,
Are they supposed to be identical hull shapes? I see your air chambers are different sizes, are they located differently? Or is the Vader wider near the stems? Edit: I see why they look different...
And I still loke those droop center seats, very classy.

Also, that siding on the garage looks to be the same as on my house!
BTW, I took many more photos than I posted, you can look here to see most of them.

Because of the difference in buoyancy from cedar to glass, I made the flotation tanks bigger on Vader.

Nokomis being the mold, both hulls are near identical.

I'm soo used to those seats. I had trouble getting in to Alan's buckets, but it wasn't long before the comfort of Alan's bucket seat took over. They are nice as well, even for my much large bottom end !

Great string of photos ! Stripper guy !
Looking at your test seat. It appears to be too high in the Carbon Copy, for sit and switch paddling.

Thanks !

Jim

 

[Jim Dodd]

Because of the difference in buoyancy from cedar to glass, I made the flotation tanks bigger on Vader.

Nokomis being the mold, both hulls are near identical.

I'm soo used to those seats. I had trouble getting in to Alan's buckets, but it wasn't long before the comfort of Alan's bucket seat took over. They are nice as well, even for my much large bottom end !

Great string of photos ! Stripper guy !
Looking at your test seat. It appears to be too high in the Carbon Copy, for sit and switch paddling.

Thanks !

Jim

 

[Jim Dodd]

I wanted to revisit this thread and add a few thoughts.
Vader has been a great learning experience for me.
First the cons. My gunnel trim, was a little light, and I have a simple beefing up to do. A 3/8" outwhale was too light for a hull this size 16' 6".
Wish I had added more side wall support. I later started adding extra cloth layers, to my Black Pearl composite, at strategic places.
My cedar insert was great, except it was too thick.

For the Pros, and these were determined after spending time in the BWCA with Vader.
Vader is an excellent fishing platform, very stable and for the length maneuvered very well, with one hand paddling.
Plenty of room for gear on an extended trip. I Don't pack very light. the #4 CCS Duluth packed nicely behind the seat. The Duffle bag carrying food and cook kit, in 5 gallon buckets. ( No doubt the heaviest ) Wish we had had more wind to test Vader's seaworthiness, loaded ! That will have to wait for another day !

A few pics.

 

[Traveler]

Just a great looking boat Jim. I am finishing up a much smaller 14 foot pack canoe now, strip build with a focus on light weight. Just curious - what were the indicators that you may have made your gunnels too light? I cut mine very light (3 pounds total, cherry one-piece), and would be helpful to know if there are small signs to watch for short of having the thing collapse on me mid-stream. Thanks

Tony

 

[Jim Dodd]

Hi Tony, and thanks.
If you look closely at the photos, you can see a widening of the shear, about 2 ft, behind the seat. I'm going to add some reinforcement, to the scuppers. that should help. I'm not sure what caused it, but I experienced a lot of cross winds, and semi traffic really rocked the truck and canoe. On my trip North.