Raven, part 2

[memaquay]

Brought it home and started on the trim on Saturday. Got the inwales installed, but the bugs finally came out around 10:30 that night, and they have only got worse since then, in fact, they are brutal right now, and I have forgotten how to deal with them, other than drinking an swearing and slapping. The Deep Woods Off sweats of in about 5 minutes, we are in the middle of a heat wave. Hoping to finish the trim this week, as well as installing the seat, then maybe on the weekend doing some quick and dirty varnishing and getting it on the water.

One thing I regret...I usually always sand the hull after fiberglassing while it is still on the forms. Didn't do it this time, so I still have that to look forward too. It usually doesn't take long, but it's a lot easier to do when it is still on the forms.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Nice ! Now Glue those Gunnels on !

 

[memaquay]

Lol, Jim, I was going to glue them on just for you, but the bugs got so bad, and I couldn't find my other 150 clamps, so I compromised, and glued them and screwed them, so those suckers ain't coming off ever.

 

[Thestripper]

I have used gorilla glue on a strip boat and didn’t experience any pushing apart. I would use it again because of the easy clean up and sanding. I have had failures with the glue on other projects but since it gets coated in epoxy and glass it’s not an issue.
Jim

Gorilla - Wood Glue, is what I used on my Kite build. I did some testing with different types and the Gorilla Wood Glue was by far the best. The viscosity is suitable, not too thick and not to runny. It has a pretty fast "tack", cleans up well and will not gum up the paper after it has fully dried. Even the tube with the pull out nib is great.

The expression "Gorilla glue" is oftentimes used as a proprietary name for PU-glue, just like the word "Sharpie" is used for any black marker.

Polyurethan glue (the foamy stuff) is just one type of glue that the brand Gorilla makes. That stuff is Called "Gorilla - PU".
The white glue/wood glue/elmers glue is simply called "Gorilla - Wood Glue" and this is the type best suited for strip building in my opinion.

One thing I noticed about the Gorilla Wood Glue is that it turned a dark brown after a few months. This s not visible on my boat, but where drops of glue has landed on the strongback it is very evident. I didn't understand what it was at first because it was so dark.

The Raven is looking great Mem! Can't wait to see it on the water.
I've flipped my boat many times on the strongback. I just cut out three U-shaped pieces of plywood using station 3, 8 and 12 as templates (offsetted to allow for the hull thickness plus and a piece of pipe insulation. This held the hull very firmly in place while scraping and sanding the inside. The downside is that you can't tilt the hull much, like you could in a cradle.
When all glassing was done and time came for sanding and painting the outside I just put forms 3 and 12 back in the hull, flipped it again, bottom side up, and screwed the forms back onto the strongback. You could just use two trestles instead of a strongback, But you are probably done sanding by now anyway.

 

[memaquay]

Finished the Raven last night, probably should have let the last coat of varnish set up more, but that Helmans stuff dries quick. Took it out for a five k paddle first thing this morning, it is as I remember it. Cruised along without trying to hard between 6 and 7 k an hour. Haven't weighed it, but I', guessing around the 50 pound mark, plus or minus a couple of pounds. Carried very nicely anyway.

For comparison, I was putting both the raven and the Osprey into the garage, so I took a few shots of the pair.

In that last pic, you can really see the difference in freeboard between the two.
I was hoping to do an overnighter next week, but temperatures are going to be around 32 C, and I don't do so good in the heat anymore, so I'll wait till it cools down. Plus, and I'm not whining, the bugs are very very very bad this year.

 

[Thestripper]

I was hoping to do an overnighter next week, but temperatures are going to be around 32 C, and I don't do so good in the heat anymore, so I'll wait till it cools down. Plus, and I'm not whining, the bugs are very very very bad this year.

It looks really sweet, both do! I love the brass stem band. It might not be ultralight but it sure gives the whole boat a touch of classic elegance and beauty. It should also be stronger than any skid plate. Congratulations!

 

[Cheeseandbeans]

Really nice. You do beautiful work.

Bob

 

[dogbrain]

Thanks for posting the 2 side by side. I wondered how much more canoe the Raven is from the Kite. It probably keeps some of the good characteristics of the Kite/Osprey when it's full of gear. My Kite gets a bit sluggish at the beginning of a long trip. I can't find specs for the raven anywhere?

Mark

 

[memaquay]

These are some very old specs from swift.

Not sure how accurte they are, as my osprey is 14-6. I have heard that the royalex Raven is a different canoe altogether, but I have never paddled one, so wouldn't know.

 

[Thestripper]

These are some very old specs from swift.

Not sure how accurte they are, as my osprey is 14-6. I have heard that the royalex Raven is a different canoe altogether, but I have never paddled one, so wouldn't know.

This is a bit confusing.
The strip version of the Kite is overall 15' in length according to the plans (my Kite meassures 14.9934" to be exact, without gunwales).
It is stated as 14'10" in length on Green Valley Boatworks. Same for the Osprey but I don't have the plans for that so I don't know what they say.

In the plans it is stated as 30-1/4" max beam, while at Green Valley it's 30" max beam.

Bow heigth is stated as 17" or 19"
That's a pretty big difference!

The strip version of the Osprey and the strip version of the Kite is supposed to be the exact same shape "with the only difference being the tumblehome section". I suspect that the they might differ a little in the bow profile as well.

Swifts versions of the Osprey looks like they have a slightly different bow/stern profile than the strip versions. Swift is not as steep. Again, I am nitpicking, but still. The plans have probably gone through some iterations and although they are quite similar, the Osprey and The Kite are probably not exactly the same. This is probably even more true for the stripped Osprey and the Osprey made by Swift.

 

[dogbrain]

Interesting. I didn’t expect the raven to be that much wider and deeper. My kite is 15’3” because I have no external stems. I stripped out past the internal stems and as a result don’t have the blunt entry of the osprey/kite.

Mark

 

[Jim Dodd]

They both look great Mem !

Seems as we build more, we evolve our styles. Adding a contoured seat is one of the first changes I made and have stuck with.

How do you like yours ?

Jim

 

[Odyssey]

You now have a great choice of canoes Mem. Nice work. And speaking of which, I also admire your choice of excellent pop bottle openers.

 

[memaquay]

Lol Brad, you and I both know that's not for pop.

Jim, my first impression of the contoured seat is good, but I haven't got enough seat time yet to make a full pronouncement.

 

[Woodpuppy]

Barley pop!