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Happy National Pickle Day! 🥒
Solo expedition build
- Thread starter Alan Gage
- Start date
Yes, good idea. I'll be checking out the local farm store first and if that comes up empty I'll drop by the vet and see what he has to say.
Alan
I can't wait to see you put your build to water ! Invite me up for the Christening !
Paddled Lizard Creek Saturday. If water levels hold, I can think of no better place to try your Expedition out on !
Was able to miss all the rocks ! Great time !
Jim
Paddled Lizard Creek Saturday. If water levels hold, I can think of no better place to try your Expedition out on !
Was able to miss all the rocks ! Great time !
Jim
I'm hoping to wrap it up this coming weekend. The thwarts, grab handles, and seat are all installed. The gunwales and thwarts got another thick coating of epoxy and then sanded back down to smooth again. Tried to cover the black tanks with pigmented epoxy but I mixed what little pigment I had left too thin with the resin and it just wasn't covering well after a few coats. So I picked up some porch paint at the hardware store and had them get the color close to correct. Figured this will turn everything opaque and a final skim coat or two of pigmented epoxy (more pigment arriving this week) will even out the coloration and add some protection.
So while I'm waiting for that to happen I went ahead and varnished the interior and gunwales. Once the tanks are done I'll varnish them separately.
And once the pigment shows up I can finally finish the exterior with one final coat of epoxy, one final sanding (thank God!) and then varnish.
I'm really glad I'm not keeping track or hours or $$$ on this build. I don't think I want to know either of them.
20150525_001 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_002 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_004 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_005 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_007 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_009 by Alan, on Flickr
20150525_010 by Alan, on Flickr
Alan
So while I'm waiting for that to happen I went ahead and varnished the interior and gunwales. Once the tanks are done I'll varnish them separately.
And once the pigment shows up I can finally finish the exterior with one final coat of epoxy, one final sanding (thank God!) and then varnish.
I'm really glad I'm not keeping track or hours or $$$ on this build. I don't think I want to know either of them.
20150525_001 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_002 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_004 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_005 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_007 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_009 by Alan, on Flickr20150525_010 by Alan, on FlickrAlan
Yes, I might actually have to put some on this one as it will be leaving my home waters.
Alan
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My Dad was an artist - he'd have had high praise for your creativity and ingenuity, as well as the sheer beauty of the product.
I just sit looking at the pictures with my chin hanging down.
One suggestion: put some kind of loop or hole somewhere so you can secure it with a cable when it isn't either in your locked garage or on top of the car you're driving. Stickers won't stop a thief, especially when there's no manufacturer's serial number, and even that wouldn't deter a canoe thief.
I just sit looking at the pictures with my chin hanging down.
One suggestion: put some kind of loop or hole somewhere so you can secure it with a cable when it isn't either in your locked garage or on top of the car you're driving. Stickers won't stop a thief, especially when there's no manufacturer's serial number, and even that wouldn't deter a canoe thief.
The fact it is one of a kind is a deterrent, much more difficult to sell after. Depending on where else you plan to paddle it, we up here have no registration numbering for canoes like you folks do in the states, so no decals or lettering to uglify a boat.
Alan
Mihun is right ! The first one won't be very valuable, so you better sell it to me !
I've never built a canoe to sell, I always build to satisfy myself. I think a lot of us builders are that way. After I'm gone, I don't care how much my wife gets for them, I just know I've had a great time building, and paddling them !
I consider myself lucky enough to maybe get the chance to paddle another of Alan's creations !
Jim
Mihun is right ! The first one won't be very valuable, so you better sell it to me !
I've never built a canoe to sell, I always build to satisfy myself. I think a lot of us builders are that way. After I'm gone, I don't care how much my wife gets for them, I just know I've had a great time building, and paddling them !
I consider myself lucky enough to maybe get the chance to paddle another of Alan's creations !
Jim
The canoe finally got to come outside for some pictures this evening:
20150605_004 by Alan, on Flickr
20150605_001 by Alan, on Flickr
20150605_003 by Alan, on Flickr
20150605_011 by Alan, on Flickr
The original plan was to take the maiden voyage tomorrow in Humboldt with Jim but the weather was so nice this evening I couldn't resist and I tossed it in the river for a nice paddle. So far, so good!
Jim will have to settle for sloppy seconds tomorrow.
Alan
20150605_004 by Alan, on Flickr20150605_001 by Alan, on Flickr20150605_003 by Alan, on Flickr20150605_011 by Alan, on FlickrThe original plan was to take the maiden voyage tomorrow in Humboldt with Jim but the weather was so nice this evening I couldn't resist and I tossed it in the river for a nice paddle. So far, so good!
Jim will have to settle for sloppy seconds tomorrow.
Alan
I wish I could say I finished strong and that everything is perfect but last weekend I hit the "I don't care anymore" phase of the build. I was tired of adding epoxy and sanding to try and get a perfect finish in transition areas (like where the fiberglass tape that wrapped the gunwales meets the hull) so I just called it good enough. Plenty of little things like that but I'm ready to be done working on this boat and start paddling it instead.
I've always wondered if water based Spar varnish would work on a stripper. When I varnished the inside a couple weeks ago I decided I'd give it a try. Figured the worst that could happen was that I sand it back off and redo it later. Sure went on nice and no smell. Putting on 5 coats in 24 hours was great. At the time I didn't know if I'd use it for the outside as well but I went ahead and gave it a shot. Mainly for speed and aesthetics. The color of the hull is about as far as I want it to be towards the yellow spectrum and oil based varnish isn't going to help and over time will just get worse. The water based stuff is as clear as....well.....water!
I think I put the first couple coats on a bit too thick. It didn't run but the brush strokes were pretty deep and the varnish seems to setup before they have a chance to self level. The remaining coats I put on thinner and that seemed to help.
So how did the water based Spar work on the maiden voyage? Maybe not so well....
The inside has been varnished for a couple weeks now so I'd think would be fully cured. I noticed that where water was puddled on the floor it took on a slight milky cast, like the water was being reabsorbed. I couldn't scrape any varnish off with my fingernail but I'm sure it softened a little. The final couple coats on the gunwales are only a couple days old and when I noticed a spot that had gone milky from standing water I was able to scrape a little off with my fingernail.
The outside of the hull has been setting up for about 5 days and it looked ok when I pulled it out of the water and didn't feel soft, though I'm sure it was softer than when it was dry. Don't know if I'll worry about rectifying the situation this summer or not, we'll see how ambitious I get.
But the good news is that it paddles great and Sadie gave her approval.
Oh, almost forgot! Final weight is 48.25 pounds. When I started the build I'd planned on using hardwood gunwales and figured I'd come in the low-mid 50's so I'm pretty happy with my final weight. All that's left to do now is figure out what I want to do about a foot brace and decide if I want to fit a rudder or not. That decision will come after some paddling time.
Alan
I've always wondered if water based Spar varnish would work on a stripper. When I varnished the inside a couple weeks ago I decided I'd give it a try. Figured the worst that could happen was that I sand it back off and redo it later. Sure went on nice and no smell. Putting on 5 coats in 24 hours was great. At the time I didn't know if I'd use it for the outside as well but I went ahead and gave it a shot. Mainly for speed and aesthetics. The color of the hull is about as far as I want it to be towards the yellow spectrum and oil based varnish isn't going to help and over time will just get worse. The water based stuff is as clear as....well.....water!
I think I put the first couple coats on a bit too thick. It didn't run but the brush strokes were pretty deep and the varnish seems to setup before they have a chance to self level. The remaining coats I put on thinner and that seemed to help.
So how did the water based Spar work on the maiden voyage? Maybe not so well....
The inside has been varnished for a couple weeks now so I'd think would be fully cured. I noticed that where water was puddled on the floor it took on a slight milky cast, like the water was being reabsorbed. I couldn't scrape any varnish off with my fingernail but I'm sure it softened a little. The final couple coats on the gunwales are only a couple days old and when I noticed a spot that had gone milky from standing water I was able to scrape a little off with my fingernail.
The outside of the hull has been setting up for about 5 days and it looked ok when I pulled it out of the water and didn't feel soft, though I'm sure it was softer than when it was dry. Don't know if I'll worry about rectifying the situation this summer or not, we'll see how ambitious I get.
But the good news is that it paddles great and Sadie gave her approval.
Oh, almost forgot! Final weight is 48.25 pounds. When I started the build I'd planned on using hardwood gunwales and figured I'd come in the low-mid 50's so I'm pretty happy with my final weight. All that's left to do now is figure out what I want to do about a foot brace and decide if I want to fit a rudder or not. That decision will come after some paddling time.
Alan
- Joined
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Look really good. From here anyway. Nothing is will ever be perfect. There is always place for improvement!! I would love to try that boat, or at least see it in person... And meet with the builder!!
Great work Alan, let see it on the water, maybe a short video to see it in action...
Cheers
Great work Alan, let see it on the water, maybe a short video to see it in action...
Cheers
Alan,
It looks great!! I especially like that thin rim of bright wood at the stem, nice touch.
Everything blends very nicely from the wood strip interior to the creamy exterior and the carbon fiber trim.
Now we wait, to hear how it paddles in class II and flat water. You built it to be bomb proof, how will you verify that?
BTW, I think all of us that build reach a point of diminishing emotional investment. Speaking strictly for myself, I know I can get very anxious to get a boat wet and skip those final aesthetic embellishments.
And I'll say it again, every artist is most critical of his own work...
You sir, are an artist!
It looks great!! I especially like that thin rim of bright wood at the stem, nice touch.
Everything blends very nicely from the wood strip interior to the creamy exterior and the carbon fiber trim.
Now we wait, to hear how it paddles in class II and flat water. You built it to be bomb proof, how will you verify that?
BTW, I think all of us that build reach a point of diminishing emotional investment. Speaking strictly for myself, I know I can get very anxious to get a boat wet and skip those final aesthetic embellishments.
And I'll say it again, every artist is most critical of his own work...
You sir, are an artist!
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G
Guest
Guest
Alan, those are the kinds of imperfections that only the builder, who put in the hours up close and personal with the hull, would likely notice.
I know I see every oops on the hulls I work on, and when I get to the “don’t care anymore” stage I tell myself that I’m practicing the Japanese art of Wabi-Sabi, leaving a flaw to acknowledge that nothing is perfect or fully completed. That sounds better than “I got tired of sanding”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi
Interesting about the water based varnish. I have some I have used on furniture and other stuff inside the house, but I’ve never used it on a boat.
Good to see a boat out and ready to enjoy itself. 
I'm interested in what brand of water-based varnish you used, as I'm considering trying System Three's WR-LPU on my current build. It's supposed to be a really hard finish when you use the included cross-linker. I also like the idea of less yellow cast. Cedar goes enough in that direction on its own.
Luke
I'm interested in what brand of water-based varnish you used, as I'm considering trying System Three's WR-LPU on my current build. It's supposed to be a really hard finish when you use the included cross-linker. I also like the idea of less yellow cast. Cedar goes enough in that direction on its own.
Luke
Where's the pics on the water? Geeze, get us all excited and stuff! I used water based varnish four or five years ago. After one trip I sanded it all off and went back to oil. I had similar results to you Alan, it went milky coloured and in some places, soft. Another thing I noticed about it was that in areas of impact on the external hull, it tended to flake off in pieces. Oil based has never done that on me.
Sailsman63, I've always been a big system three fan, if you use that WR stuff, I hope you give a full report. At school, there is a person with an allergy to oil based products, so I have to bring the school fleet home whenever I need to re-varnish. It's a real pain. If there was a good water based system I'd be all over it.
Alan, did your dog give it a woof-woof rating, or a simple woof?
Sailsman63, I've always been a big system three fan, if you use that WR stuff, I hope you give a full report. At school, there is a person with an allergy to oil based products, so I have to bring the school fleet home whenever I need to re-varnish. It's a real pain. If there was a good water based system I'd be all over it.
Alan, did your dog give it a woof-woof rating, or a simple woof?
One of the reasons I keep building is to SEEK perfection. I'm no where close, so I guess I'll keep building !
Wabi-Sabi ? A new word I'll have to incorporate into my limited vocabulary !
Alan
The thwart placement and shapes look ideal ! Barrel packs look like they will fit nicely, as well as two more big packs.
Can't wait to test her ! As I study your pics, I get more and more excited to paddle her !
Below the waterline is the real key, and it looks great !
Jim
Wabi-Sabi ? A new word I'll have to incorporate into my limited vocabulary !
Alan
The thwart placement and shapes look ideal ! Barrel packs look like they will fit nicely, as well as two more big packs.
Can't wait to test her ! As I study your pics, I get more and more excited to paddle her !
Below the waterline is the real key, and it looks great !
Jim
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