First time builder Ashes Solo Trip

[Jim Dodd]

Good to be at this point, this time of year ! It gives all Winter to finish, and be ready to paddle in the Spring !
Looks great !
Talking about Wood choices.
At the wood shop, the other day, we compared slivers of end grain , of a few woods. One was Red Oak. It's amazing how porous it is, and still so heavy.

I've always used Green Ash, one because it's locally available, and two , it wears good.
When I slide the canoe on to my truck racks, there is no damage. I also treat with Watco teak.

As far as weight ? Ash is not the Best choice ! I believe in durability first ! I hate spending time fixing things, when I could be paddling.

Jim

 

[Gamma1214]

I believe quite a few have used Poplar with good results and, personally, I'm a huge fan of trying different woods. I've got some spalted Poplar for a future build but that would likely be used for stripping the hull.

Finished Tulip Poplar looks a lot like Maple... Should look & work great!

 

[Bentpushrod]

Roughing in the inwales, and Cherry decks.

 

[Bentpushrod]

Inner gunwales have been glued on. Feeling like this boat may actually get finished.

 

[deerfly]

looks great, you're almost there!

 

[Bentpushrod]

Outer gunwales are on.

 

[Bentpushrod]

Decks and gunwales are on. A bit of hand sanding and fiddling in the morning, and the gunwales will get sealed with epoxy.

 

[Cruiser]

And the anticipation builds ... this my favourite part of the build

 

[Jim Dodd]

Nice !
Now for the seats, and Thwart.
Will he make his own ? Or Buy ?

Oh ! Did he make a Weep hole, for the water to drain, when the canoe is tipped upside down ?

 

[Bentpushrod]

Nice !
Now for the seats, and Thwart.
Will he make his own ? Or Buy ?

Oh ! Did he make a Weep hole, for the water to drain, when the canoe is tipped upside down ?

Thanks Jim! I’ve built the thwart. I’ve started on the seat. And thanks for the weep hole reminder. I need to do that! Need to finish the seat, make cleats for it to mount to. I need to sand both the interior and hull, then varnish. For fun tonight I weighed the canoe, with thwart, and the seat parts. She came in at 37 lbs.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Great weight for a stripper !

You will enjoy it on the water, this Spring !

 

[Bentpushrod]

Great weight for a stripper !

You will enjoy it on the water, this Spring !

So excited for spring! I’ve never tripped in a canoe. Planning on a trip in May. Group of 10 going to paddle 110 miles of the Little Missouri River in North Dakota. Very remote area, will be paddling through all three units of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I have a Bell Yellowstone tandem, a couple guys will be paddling. I’ll be taking this boat I’m building. Been gathering gear, poring over maps etc..

 

[Bentpushrod]

Quick question for the builders out there. How much varnish and thinner do you guys usually use. I’m about to order some Epifanes, just not sure how much to get.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Great you are planning a trip ! Sounds like a good one !!!
Paddling solo, in my opinion is far better than tandem !

I try to get by with a quart. But I'm on the minimalist side, when it comes to finish.
I usually get three coats on the outside, and two on the inside, before I run out.

 

[stripperguy]

Epifanes is my favorite...
I apply 3 coats on the outside, thinned per their recommendations.
Max 2 coats inside, but insides of my builds are always just a wet out.

It's looking really nice, you gotta be pleased with it.
Congrats on the weight, great for a first effort.
Now comes the hard part, waiting to get out for that first paddle.
Maybe you need something to occupy your time while you wait...seems like a good time to build a paddle!

 

[Cruiser]

Epiphanes here as well, 3 coats outside, 3 coats inside, then an additional coat of flat on the inside to kill most of the shine. It goes a long way, you may get away with just a quart, but I suspect you will go slightly over that.

Just make sure you do the extra step to wash the hull well with water BEFORE you do the sanding .... just to make sure there is no amine blush on the hull. It just isn't worth taking the chance (IMO), sticky varnish is no fun to clean up.

 

[scratchypants]

I've used both Epifanes and Pettit, stretching a quart. They both performed well but the Pettit has the advantage of smelling like blueberry pie. Probably not great for the brain cells, though.

 

[Bentpushrod]

Epifanes is my favorite...
I apply 3 coats on the outside, thinned per their recommendations.
Max 2 coats inside, but insides of my builds are always just a wet out.

It's looking really nice, you gotta be pleased with it.
Congrats on the weight, great for a first effort.
Now comes the hard part, waiting to get out for that first paddle.
Maybe you need something to occupy your time while you wait...seems like a good time to build a paddle!

Thx! I do have some nice Cherry, thinking of carving a solid paddle.

 

[Bentpushrod]

Construction phase is done. I was going to use cleats to fit the seat, but after hours of frustration,gave up and decided to hang the seat. Built the seat a bit thicker than others, went with 1 1/8 x 7/8 for the frame, as I’m pretty heavy at 260, hope it holds me. I used snow shoe lacing on the seat, as I really liked what Jim Dodd does with his seats. Waiting on varnish to finish the seat. Lots of sanding in my future.

 

[Jim Dodd]

If you varnish the nylon cord on the seat? ( I recommend !) really saturate the cord.
It will take a lot of time to cure, but it will last for ever.

You will likely want to lower that seat.
I set the front edge about 3" below the gunnels, and the back spacer at about 2.25".
This will greatly improve stability.

Your canoe looks great !