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Carbon/Kevlar build

I've been wondering, that when you pull the blue peel ply off the hull, did it soak up any of the resin ? And by chance would it be reusable ?
Jim

It will have soaked up some of the resin and won't be reusable. It's just little scraps though.

Alan
 
Hit the epoxied stems with the orbital sander to finish smoothing them out and give them the proper profile. Then wrapped them with a layer of carbon and peel ply. Not the prettiest peel ply job but there will be a couple layers of fiberglass yet to go and the whole hull will be sanded one more time.

20151217_001 by Alan, on Flickr

20151217_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20151217_003 by Alan, on Flickr

Alan
 
Good news is the stems came out quite nicely:

20151219_001 by Alan, on Flickr

Bad news is the composite hull stuck to the mold!

I was really surprised. After taping the stems I didn't think it would be an issue but I suppose there is no flex or give at the stems so it didn't want to break loose, even though there was very little holding them together. Even after removing the bow and stem forms and tapping (later beating) with a rubber mallet it still wouldn't come free. It wanted to lift both canoes off the forms together. I needed a way to hold the woodstrip form in place and I was able to slip some of that springy flat metal strapping, like lumber is secured with, between the two hulls and push it all the way through to the other side. Then I clamped it to the strongback, which held the mold in place. What a relief to finally feel them separate and have two boats again. Really made me glad I got talked into leaving the stems open for the original layup.

Maybe tomorrow I'll add what will hopefully be the last layer of Kevlar to the inside; then it will probably have to sit a while as I get the wood strip version finished.

Alan
 
Wow ! I wouldn't have expected the hulls to stick either.
Glad Muskrat spoke up earlier !
Could you tell where they bonded together ? Or was it just wedged together ?

Jim
 
Wow ! I wouldn't have expected the hulls to stick either.
Glad Muskrat spoke up earlier !
Could you tell where they bonded together ? Or was it just wedged together ?

Jim

Right at the stem tips but it's a tough place to break the bond, even though it was very light. Since the stems are now wrapped there's really no flex at all in that area so you can't pull the hull away at all. I've always heard that if you put a 50 cent piece directly in front of a train wheel while it's sitting still that the train can't drive over it without backing up a little ways first. That's how I envision the stuck stems I had. Just a little obstruction but no way to get a run at it.

Alan
 
Right at the stem tips but it's a tough place to break the bond, even though it was very light. Since the stems are now wrapped there's really no flex at all in that area so you can't pull the hull away at all. I've always heard that if you put a 50 cent piece directly in front of a train wheel while it's sitting still that the train can't drive over it without backing up a little ways first. That's how I envision the stuck stems I had. Just a little obstruction but no way to get a run at it.

Alan[/QUOTE]

That's what I thought. Not really glued on, just wedged. Not much stretch in the hull. Good ! I would have had a little panic attack for awhile, until I sat down and figured it out.

I like that carbon look !

Jim
 
Over the weekend I added 3-4 more layers of internal kevlar at the stems (this area was skimped during the original layup to keep the kevlar away from the stems) and then one more full length layer below the waterline to add some more stiffness to the bottom of the hull. Feels good so far. The real test will be when it hits the water.

Had another weigh-in and it's sitting at 35lbs now, 1lb. heavier than the woodstrip version.

Alan
 
Would carbon fiber given you more stiffness than the Kevlar ?

I'm sure it would have but Kevlar is the stronger of the two fibers in tension so it generally goes on the inside. Thought about adding the carbon to the inside anyway but I really didn't want a black (hot) interior. Adding more carbon to the outside would have made for a lot more sanding and another layer of fiberglass as well to cover it.

I think once the gunwales are on it will be plenty stiff and very tough.

Alan
 
Finally getting back to work on this canoe. Once I started on my Bloodvein 2.0 build this got put on the back burner and neglected. Gunwales (carbon over cedar) went on last winter and I think I added dynel skid plates to it but for the life of me I don't remember for sure and I'm not traipsing back out to the shop to double check right now. But I do know for sure that I installed the float tanks yesterday and that I've cut out the trim and added a few coats of Watco, which is in the process of drying.

I ran the inwales all the way to the stems so I put the float tanks in just below them. This left a gap that I filled with thickened epoxy to make a nice transition and then I'll 'glass over the top.

20161202_001 by Alan, on Flickr

20161202_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20161202_003 by Alan, on Flickr

20161202_004 by Alan, on Flickr

Alan
 
Iam learning alot- thanks, I know its your design, looking like SRT 15', bow 21, c 14, s 18,
width 28.5, rail 26
what are your specs
 
She tickled my fancy from the get go on page 1. By page 2 I fell in love. Then came page 3 and I fell hard, real hard in love with that carb/kev canoe of yours.
And then I forgot all about her. Absence might make the heart grow fonder, but this forgetful old fool is fickle. Out of sight out of mind and all that.
And now she's back, looking exotic and...Alan, you sure like messin with canoe builds and messin with my heart. Keep up the good work. Now I need a cold shower.
 
Iam learning alot- thanks, I know its your design, looking like SRT 15', bow 21, c 14, s 18,
width 28.5, rail 26
what are your specs

This will be a tandem. It's 16.5'x35" Sheer heights, if I remember correctly, are 19/13/16

Jim asked:
What are you going to use for seats ?


I'm not sure yet. Wood hung from gunwales? Carbon and aluminum hung from gunwales? Floor mounted pedestals? Sliding or fixed? Too many choices. I'll get it figured out one of these days.

Brad creeped us all out with: She tickled my fancy from the get go on page 1. By page 2 I fell in love. Then came page 3 and I fell hard, real hard in love with that carb/kev canoe of yours.
And then I forgot all about her. Absence might make the heart grow fonder, but this forgetful old fool is fickle. Out of sight out of mind and all that.
And now she's back, looking exotic and...Alan, you sure like messin with canoe builds and messin with my heart. Keep up the good work. Now I need a cold shower.

Why do I feel dirty all of a sudden? Maybe I should edit the thread title to include NC-17.

Alan
 
Back to work again. The outside of this hull was not real pretty due to the way I laid up the cloth with partials on the outside rather than inside. Lots of seams and overlaps made for a lumpy-bumpy exterior. I used some thickened epoxy to fair them a little bit and called it good enough. It would have taken way to much work to make it perfect, or even close to perfect, and I decided it just wasn't that important. After a final coat of epoxy it was a final sanding and then paint.

20170121_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20170305_002 by Alan, on Flickr

20170305_003 by Alan, on Flickr

I thought the solid paint color would really accentuate the hull imperfections but they blend in surprisingly well. The inside of the hull is already painted so next weekend I'll flip it over and paint the gunwales. Trim is already cut and fitted except for the thwart. Just need to figure out what I'm doing for seats and she's about ready to hit the water.

Alan
 
Alan,
Both of those builds are looking pretty spiffy. I like the muted color, very earthy.
I'm nearly ready to buy some paint for my carbon copy "Patches"...in the past I've used Interlux Brightside and been pleased with everything but the cost.
What did you use?
 
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