Magic Drill...

[Black_Fly]

Lining holes turned out great! The float tank is full of foam, so the hull doesn't oil can like the prism. I left off the bolster patches for a clean look. Plenty of G-flex inside as well as the bushings. A 21.5mm hole saw is perfect for these fittings.

 

[Black_Fly]

Better pictures of final product. Thanks Glenn, Mike.

PS: if you use these electrical fittings, don't install too close to the stem. I had to pull one, clean epoxy off, and saw 1/10" off so they'd both fit. So unless you plan to cut them down stay well back.

i positioned holes about halfway up hull, F&B.

 

[LanceR]

Nice job. What kind of hoe saw high speed steel (HSS), bi-metal or carbide?


Best regards to all,


Lance

 

[Guest]

Much cleaner looking than the ones with the kevlar felt bolsters.

Good point about setting the lining holes far enough back that the necks of the box adaptors don’t run into each other, or cutting down the length of the box adaptor neck. Maybe dry test-fit first.

 

[Black_Fly]

Nice job. What kind of hoe saw high speed steel (HSS), bi-metal or carbide?


Best regards to all,


Lance

Here you go. This will make it all clear.

 

[Black_Fly]

Be nice if the box adapters were available in beige.

 

[Guest]

Super nice job! I have followed your previous threads on this issue with much interest. I put several tug eyes in royalex boats, which were great. I have been reluctant to put the equivalent in composite boats with float chambers for the reasons previously discussed.

This has me rethinking it. Box adapters and reinforced vinyl tubing seems like the way to go. I see that you gflexed one end of the tubing to one box adapter, presumably before gflexing it to the hull. How did you gflex the second box adapter to the tubing? Is it loose enough to use gflex as lube? Which box adapter was gflexed into the hull first?

As you might have guessed from the Flashfire thread, I am fairly new to some aspects of composite canoes and can't seem to help but have some reluctance for fear of permanently messing up a beautiful (expensive) canoe. You've provided a lot of detail, but any further thoughts of advice would be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

Be nice if the box adapters were available in beige.

As mentioned in one of the previous lining hole threads, in the spirit of the staircase I realized too late that I should have drilled four holes in a 2x4 scrap with a spade bit, dropped the box adaptors in flush and spray painted the part that shows outside the hull. Basic black would be fine by me.

I did not think to buy a 21.5mm hole saw, or even search for one. Using what was shop available I (carefully and incrementally) sanded down the neck of the box adaptors on a 1” tabletop sander. Sand a bit all the way around, test fit, sand a bit, test fit until the box adaptor fit snuggly in the hole. The sanded surface could only have helped the epoxied adhesion.

I just put a caliper to one of the leftover box adaptors (I made extra of course) – I can’t remember why I used this diameter - but 13/16”.

Just remembered why; it wasn’t to plug snug into an already drilled hole. Neither boat had float tanks, so I could sleeve the inside-hull tubing on the outside of the box adaptor necks. That slight reduction was necessary to snuggly fit the tubing I had at hand on the exterior of the adaptor neck.

P5260016 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Coincidentally I used that 1” tabletop sander yesterday for much the same purpose. I needed to insert and glue a piece of PVC pipe inside another larger piece of PVC pipe; couldn’t use an external coupling and the scraps of PVC I had available in the shop were not sleeve-able in that fashion.

30 seconds – 10 seconds, test fit, sand a little more off, test, bit more – on the 1” sander and the inner pipe fit snug as a bug, with zero trips to the hardware store. I have a dozen power sanders of various kinds in the shop, and use that 1” tabletop belt sander more frequently than any of them, at least a couple times a week.

P3170024 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Er, one of those 1” belt sanders; I bought a second one just so I could keep different grit belts on each sander.

 

[Black_Fly]

Super nice job! I have followed your previous threads on this issue with much interest. I put several tug eyes in royalex boats, which were great. I have been reluctant to put the equivalent in composite boats with float chambers for the reasons previously discussed.

This has me rethinking it. Box adapters and reinforced vinyl tubing seems like the way to go. I see that you gflexed one end of the tubing to one box adapter, presumably before gflexing it to the hull. How did you gflex the second box adapter to the tubing? Is it loose enough to use gflex as lube? Which box adapter was gflexed into the hull first?

As you might have guessed from the Flashfire thread, I am fairly new to some aspects of composite canoes and can't seem to help but have some reluctance for fear of permanently messing up a beautiful (expensive) canoe. You've provided a lot of detail, but any further thoughts of advice would be appreciated.

Dave, You are correct that I fastened one end first, let it cure (natural curl of the tubing toward stems). The extended tubing on the other side becomes a good device to help get the bushing seated. You can put a pencil in it or whatever. Then, when installing the 2nd bushing, I applied G-flex on the inside of the hole working around the tube with a split tongue depressor. Then I got the bushing just about in place, liberal epoxy on the tube and on the outside of the bushing, then just slide into place and clamp. I used blue tape to keep the clamp in place. After cure, trim the 2nd end of the tubing flush. I also hit the outside with an orbital sander to remove the lettering from the fitting and flush up the final tube. Since the photos were taken, I used my dremel to chamfer the holes a bit. Hope this helps.

​​​​​​Thinking back, I'd probably cut/sand the stem of the box adapters like Mike said he does. No reason they should be so long. I'd still stay 2-1/2" from stem so the tubing will flex properly into position without kinking.

 

[Guest]

Helps a lot, thanks. I plan to tackle this after I complete installation of a footbrace.

 

[Guest]

I also hit the outside with an orbital sander to remove the lettering from the fitting and flush up the final tube. Since the photos were taken, I used my dremel to chamfer the holes a bit. Hope this helps.

​​​​​​Thinking back, I'd probably cut/sand the stem of the box adapters like Mike said he does. No reason they should be so long. I'd still stay 2-1/2" from stem so the tubing will flex properly into position without kinking.

If sleeving/gluing tubing over the box adaptors neck inside a canoe without float tanks the length may be helpful

Thinking forwards there are a few things I would do next time before installing the box adaptors:

Sand off the “Carlon ½” E996D PVC” lettering from the face of the adaptors.
Chamfer the outer edge flange of the adaptors so it slopes towards the hull.
Spray paint the adaptors black, or to a hull matching color.

All easier done with the adaptors uninstalled.

 

[Black_Fly]

Shoot. Now I need another canoe to apply all my new found wisedom.

 

[Guest]

Shoot. Now I need another canoe to apply all my new found wisedom.

Me too, but I have no use for WW anymore.

I’d only put cutwater painter flanges and tubing in canoe I thought likely to be lined. Or in canoe that came with no through-hull painter line holes, and, in that case, with a non-WW canoe, somewhere above the cutwater.

Maybe it’s just me, but something about attaching painters to bow and stern carry handles just seems wrong.

 

[Black_Fly]

Heck, I needed to line some narrows last week, cost me a 100 rod triple portage not having any holes.