Osprey Build

[memaquay]

That last strip….I'm always hopeful there will be something good on the radio, it diverts my attention and things seem to fit easier when I'm not really paying attention. I just want to have mine finished before the ten day trip with the kids in June, in case I have to go solo. However, I suspect it will be done by ice out, which will be ….welll, probably close to June this year. I can't see the ice being gone before the third week of May this year unless a comet hits G Town or something.

I'm probably going to have to get my resin and glass from Noah's boat works in Toronto, they seem to be the only real player in this country, although I am going to search around the net today. I've always really liked system three products. System three clear coat has to be one of the best wet-out resins out there. Last couple of canoes I have used System three silver tip, and I really like that. It fills very quickly with not many runs. I've used west and MAS as well, but will probably try to get silver tip again.

Anyway, I got to stop procrastinating and get outside with the snowblower!

 

[memaquay]

Well, no holes left in the canoe....cut out and glued on the external stems today. They look rough at the moment, but will be shaped into the lines of the canoe. Hope to get all the staples out tomorrow.

 

[stripperguy]

mem,
What the heck is the big mallet used for?
I have used West (too sensitive to humidity for me), MAS (expensive compared to others), System3 (hardener can be dark) and RAKA.
RAKA is by far the most economical of the bunch, and definitely the clearest of all. There is no coloring at all.
I don't know how any of these resins travel across the border, taxes, shipping and import fees can surely skew the economics.

 

[memaquay]

Yes, system three general purpose has a dark hardener, but silvertip is crystal clear, I think it is the clearest resin combination I have used. The mallet is for persuasion with that last piece, I'm not much of a carpenter, I like to scare things into their proper place.

 

[Rippy]

Let's try to have more pictures in our posts please. A picture of you beating on it with a mallet would have been good. Just say'n.

 

[memaquay]

OK, just for you Rippy, here's a shot of me squinting with effort as I begin to plane down the stems.



This is the rough result of the bow stem, it will be sanded in a day or two when I do the whole canoe.


This is a top view


This is the stern in the rough.


And here it is roughly finished, still need to sand some more flow into it.


And here's something to warm up your toes on a cold day.

 

[Rippy]

Thanks Mem. Sorry I'm such a nagy, whiny B***h. Now tomorrow morning at about 7 central time I'll be back with some coffee. If you canceled your Friday night social life you could get allot done on the canoe between now and then. Maybe an all nighter. I'll check back on line and keep you company. You'll thank me when it's done on time for a early scouting trip.

By the way, the stem looks good roughed in.

 

[Rippy]

Just noticed that you and I must have ordered our beards off the same color chart.

 

[latremorej]

That's a nice canoe in the water mem, where's HER paddle?

My wife doesn't do a whole lot of paddling either hahaha. When other canoes pass us by she will pick it up and hold it. For looks!

 

[memaquay]

Ha ha, well, that's actually a friend of mine who was the staff nurse on many of our two week trips with the high school trips. She was a pretty good paddler too. My wife is just learning the fine art of paddling, what she hasn't mastered in skill yet, she makes up for with enthusiasm and strength.

Now, back to the Osprey….hit the doldrums right now, waiting going to order fiberglass tonight i hope.

 

[memaquay]

Gee whiz, i don't like to whine on line, but i just calculated my order for fiberglass. 1 gallon of silver tip resin, half gallon of slow hardener and 12 yards of 6 ounce cloth. 335 bucks. Then they add on the shipping. 100 bucks! Then the shipping is taxable, so the whole shebang comes out to 474 bucks. I'm no mathematician, but I think that comes out to close to a 30 percent up charge from the already inflated price. There are a lot of nice things about living in the middle of no where, but when it comes to shopping, we might as well be living on the inside ring of Uranus! Oh well, guess I'll just shut up and order.

 

[Rippy]

Are you going to leave the wood natural or paint it or pigment it?

 

[memaquay]

Au naturel, Don't even think I'll paint the inside this time.

 

[stripperguy]

Eww, who would ever paint a cedar strip canoe??!!

I have my invoice from RAKA in front of me...I bought 17 yards of 4 oz x 50" wide cloth, a 3 gallon resin/hardener kit, and a half dozen foam rollers. $314.69 including shipping.
Is it really that much more to ship to the middle of nowhere?

 

[latremorej]

Three's silvertip is the inflation there... that stuff is pricey! When I did a pygmy kayak build(assembly) about 7 years ago, pygmy sends three as part of the kit. To upgrade to silvertip was at least an extra $100

Edit:: just checked the site... additional $133 for silvertip, just for reference anyways.

Jason

 

[red langford]

$100 bucks isn't too bad for shipping. I am going to guess the size of your package (not that one) is about 2 paper boxes. Weight is likely gloss to 40 pounds and it is middle of winter so that resin stuff is going to need heat and there is a surcharge for dangerous goods and I am sure the hardener is class 3 flammable goods. And, keep in mind the vast amount of manufacturing going on in G-Town will result in every truck that goes there coming back empty. That's just my take anyways.

I sure do enjoy watching and hearing about the builds though.

 

[memaquay]

Strangely, of the epoxies available, Silvertip was not the most expensive. East systems was cheaper, but I think it had a 5:1 mixing ratio, which meant I had to buy more, so it came out around the same. West was similar, it came out to more than the silver tip because of the ratio. And MAS was just more right off the hop. I've looked at the prices in the States, and I often wonder what the heck is going on up here. A gallon of silver tip resin was 30 bucks cheaper at a boat building shop in the States.

Anyway, shipping still makes me get feisty. Total weight is only around 20 or 25 pounds. They froze all of my resin the last time, System Three said they had never heard of that happening before. The general purpose resin was frozen rock solid. Had to leave it in a bucket of hot water for a day or two to get it liquid again. The cost for shipping shouldn't be more than 50 bucks, but they tag on the dangerous goods sticker for the hardener, and presto, a hundred bucks. Funny thing is, it is still shipped in the same van in the same packages as the rest of the stuff.

Last week, I sold a small rifle to a guy and sent it to him through Canada post. Gun was worth about 125. Shipping was 29.99! For fourth class parcel post! In the same province! Argh!

Anyway, enough of my rant. Only reason it disturbs me is because I'm trying to save up for a snow trekker tent right now, want to get it before moose season, so every little bit irks me. Guess I'll just have to give up beer for a while

 

[latremorej]

guess i'll just have to give up beer for a while

nnooooooooo!!!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

Guess I'll just have to give up beer for a while

Memequay my friend, you gave up beer when you switched to Bud Light. Ha!
As far as shipping goes, yeah I agree the Post Office has us over the barrel. I used to send parcels to a brother down south. The rate became too painful, even for a book, a couple CD's, and a bag of candies. I don't know a way around that. For some reason, I saw a difference according to what I declared was in the parcel. I started to send "just candy and magazines." When the postal clerk finally asked me how old the little guy was, and I replied "60", it just got too weird to keep sending "candy and magazines". However painful the total cost for that Osprey stripper will be, it'll be worth it. It's already looking mighty fine.

 

[Rippy]

Hopefully you can recoup some money when you sell your old stripper next spring. Maybe put that toward your tent. Remember you only go around once and guys like you and me are at least half way around already, and picking up speed to boot. Just do it Mem, it will be great.