My first stripper in progress

[dogbrain]

Mac - I would throw in another vote for a single layer of dynel along the stem. I think you could get away with a really narrow strip that just covers the stem ahead and behind the wear area, and not much up either side. I think you'll hardly notice it. You get a little of the fishnet look to it, but it's all below the waterline so won't be very noticeable. I abused my strip canoe this summer, probably a total of 50 or more days, most of it in Ontario and northern Minnesota. After a while I stopped worrying about running the bow up on the granite and I was surprised how there is absolutely no wear into the dynel fabric. After another year or two I'll probably put a layer of epoxy on top and re varnish.

Mark

 

[Jim Dodd]

I have to agree with Dogbrain, and others ! Try the Dynel . RAKA has it. If you are minimal with it, it shouldn't detrack from the beauty of your canoe !
And That is a beautiful canoe !

​Jim

 

[bernjo]

Hi Mac,

I built a SUP for my wife this summer from plans that I purchased from CLC (Chesapeake Light Craft). I also purchased the precut internal formers from them, which saved a lot of cutting time. I found the plans to be very good and the detailed instructions made my first stitch and glue project very enjoyable. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[MacCamper]

Thank you all for your help. As soon as winter arrives I will be heading into the shop to improve the wear resistance on the canoe and begin a board or two. Dynel it will be, and I look forward to running the bow onto reefs and bars next summer with minimal wear! Mike and Pete's tutorial make the project look simple too. Also, I procured several dandy pieces of Basswood about 9 feet long 18 inches wide by 3 inches thick and I am looking forward to making a couple of paddles. Bernjo, nice looking watercraft. I bet it cuts a fine line. I have been on a couple of board boards. It is my greatest wish that the SUP group will be as supportive and encouraging as this group was during my canoe build. I'm sure they will as it is a favorable common thread, woodworking and water craft.

 

[dogbrain]

Good choice Mac. Although I have no desire to build an SUP myself, I'd like to see how it's done. By the way, any chance that the second picture on your 11/9/2016 post is the portage/channel between Trail Lake and Little Pine in the Quetico? It looks familiar to me.

Mark

 

[MacCamper]

Good eye and right on Mark, my good friend Clark and I called it "the slog" and had great fun busting through early last September on our first trip to the Quetico. We had such a fine time leap-frogging our canoes back and forth over the marsh finding footing. I had mocked him often and loud at the beginning of the trip for not having a pair of Hippies to keep his upper legs dry and then I proceeded to misstep in "the slog" and belly flopped with a howl into a seemingly bottomless deep section. Needless to say my Hippies were of no use at that time. The harder we worked, the more laughs we had and both of us are looking forward to another tandem solo event late next summer entering Nym and meandering toward Chatterton Falls area and back through Pickerel.

 

[dogbrain]

Mac - Your photo makes it look drier than I remember. There are lots of pitcher plants along that route. I took about a hundred photos of them before my wife made us move on. The horse flies were killing us through there. I've made the trip to Russell and beyond a couple of times now. The route from Nym to Russell vis Duex Riviers is quite busy and I would suggest a more round about way to get there if possible. This years solo trip started at Stanton Bay, going south through the Bisk, Beg, Bud chain. I didn't see many people until I got to the east arm of Sturgeon. From there into Russell, not all that far, I saw the most boats of the entire trip. After wandering around south of there for about a week I came back through Shelley, portaged to Alice (where there's a slightly shorter version of "the slog") and then did the long Bonehomme, and Sauvage portages back towards Pickerel and on to Nym. Those 2 big portages are in really good shape, and get you into the heart of the Quetico quickly. I'll be travelling that way again. Mark

 

[MacCamper]

Dry or wet, as it was my first time in the area I can only say that after the last beaver dang we were hauling our boats through a narrow channel and criss crossing from relative stable footing to relative stable footing. No pitcher plants or, thankfully, horse flies the first week of September. We hope to have 14 days on the water in 2017 so actually heading toward McAlpine, check out the pictos we missed on Quetico, Jean to Lonely and on to who knows where dependent on weather, timing and attitude of our dogs. Solitude is key, but are there any bad destinations in that area? A well seasoned BWCA guy, I was taken by the "better" everything. A great surprise was the fine condition of the portages we traveled. I had expected a few challenges but encountered none. Not even the Badwater port was anything to complain about. Do the Bonehomme and Sauvage portages go through Gillnet? I can't seem to find them on paddleplanner. Thanks Mark,
Mac

 

[dogbrain]

The Bonehomme (3/4 mile) and Sauvage (1 mile) portages go from Alice Lake to Fern Lake. Look east and a little north of the Chatterton Falls area. Yes, the portages I came through in the Quetico this year were in noticeably better condition all of a sudden this year. I don't know what happened, but I think they've been getting a lot more money to fund maintenance from us folks south of the border. I agree with your assessment of "better everything". I spent a couple weeks in the BWCA before my 2 week Quetico trip this year and the fishing certainly didn't compare.

 

[MacCamper]

Ah yes, there they are...probably best to hit them near the end when the packs are lighter. Although some current, I am assuming that most current has no impact on travel in the Q? Maybe I am making a wrong assumption? About portaging, they don't bother me. And our moderate pace has been such that even a series of tough ones only serve to break up the day paddling and give us something to talk about. The three best things for me about the BWCA are location, location, location...and no need to buy an extra fishing license. Typically I am a shoulder month BW guy and miss most of the crowds on my solo adventures. Your insights are appreciated.

 

[MacCamper]

No Title

I wanted to give a shout out to Mike McCrea for his tutorial on the Dynel/Peelply skid plate application. Your step by step process allowed me to do a pretty good job last weekend with little anxiety. It was a piece of cake. Although a couple of minor flaws appeared after I left the shop for the day, I should have been patient and stuck around to tug on the peel/ply along the curve. A wrinkle or two on each end. Nothing that cannot be fixed. In a few days I'll be back on the water.

Thank you Mike for your help.​

 

[MacCamper]

No Title

I wanted to give a shout out to Mike McCrea for his tutorial on the Dynel/Peelply skid plate application. Your step by step process allowed me to do a pretty good job last weekend with little anxiety. It was a piece of cake. Although a couple of minor flaws appeared after I left the shop for the day, I should have been patient and stuck around to tug on the peel/ply along the curve. A wrinkle or two on each end. Nothing that cannot be fixed. In a few days I'll be back on the water.

Thank you Mike for your help.​

 

[Alan Gage]

Nice work.

I think it's impossible to keep the peel ply from puckering at the curve of the stem. With a scissors I cut on the creases (imagine a crease if you made a sharp fold where it buckles) until it lays flat. The two cut edges will overlap each other and leave just a small ridge that easily sands out.

How did the paddle board come out?

Alan