what is Swift cooking up?

[Odyssey]

I love colour. But sometimes I don't celebrate it nearly so much as suppress it. While I blend into the masses wearing ordinary dull coloured rubber boots others sport weirdly vibrant colours and graphics on their puddle jumping feet. To each his/her own. Same with canoes. These colourful canoes are really cool looking to me, but I feel "too old" to jump ponds and puddles with this gear. Really nice to look at though.
I'm waiting to see someday the graphics explode into full frontal art imagery. Say a repro of a Tom Thompson. I wouldn't know whether to be offended or impressed.

 

[Nodrama43]

No Title

What is everyone's consensus about doing a two tone finish with white (champagne) on the bottom? I believe it will hide scratches. Is there going to be any downside to this option? I am not a fan of the yellow, green, or blue bottomed boats but I like the idea of white on the bottom.

 

[Alan Gage]

Aesthetically I don't care for the 2-toned water line in any color. But I also don't mind seeing scratches; kind of like to see them actually.

Alan

 

[yellowcanoe]

Some of my boats have a soft grey or champagne or ivory bottom.. Neutral colored scuff patches to match scratch color have been around for eons but from small custom builders. I had my first scuff patch boat in 1996. It works if you match the fill color under the gel coat. Colden has been working on precise matches for a while. Loon Works too ( but out of business when the builder died)

Downside.. Yes.. You have to be precise in laying the outline of the scuff patch and do not emphasize it with auto tape ( as Dave Curtis once did). The boat must be utterly level to achieve this. Do not eyeball the line. My Peregrine had a scuff patch that was undulating and quite nauseous to look at.
The other advantage to the waterline scuff patch is you have an instant gauge for proper trim.

 

[Odyssey]

Our family car was a '57 Chevy wagon, two tone paint job. I sat waaaay in the back...with the groceries. That was in the early 60s, so it had been around the block a few times, and on many grocery runs. I loved everything about that car, including the paint job accenting those rear fins. That's what I see when I admire these two toned canoes. Cool. Where do I sit?
I'd like to add a whitish scuff patch to my canoe; it would hide a lot, except it wouldn't hide everything. I'll have to be more careful where I pick up my future scratches and scrapes, and be sure to keep them below the water-line.

 

[Canotrouge]

Aesthetically I don't care for the 2-toned water line in any color. But I also don't mind seeing scratches; kind of like to see them actually.

Alan

I'm the same way. Scratch are ok! I like red for a canoe... I know I know! But my next tripping canoe will most likely be a Chestnut grey( light green/sage) but that is a different story!

 

[Nodrama43]

good points by all. I am on the fence.....so many choices....

 

[yellowcanoe]

two toned boats have a long history.. In Mane many of the wood canvas boats bear a shellacked bottom .

http://www.islandfallscanoe.com/inventory/category/1842

 

[Guest]

I don't like the looks of scuff patch bottoms. I specked my kee 14 with none, just all beautiful emerald green. They said not having it saves weight. Besides, a green boat with a white bottom is hard to hide in the green vegetation at a launch or takeout while shuttling.
Turtle

 

[Nodrama43]

I don't like the looks of scuff patch bottoms. I specked my kee 14 with none, just all beautiful emerald green. They said not having it saves weight. Besides, a green boat with a white bottom is hard to hide in the green vegetation at a launch or takeout while shuttling.
Turtle

another valid point. They are telling me a gain of one pound. Plus one pound with the Innegra interior. Then the new carbon footbrace with the carbon tech package will add a little more. Closing in fast on 34 pounds....but still not bad for a 16+ footer.

Turtle did you add the Innegra interior?

 

[sweeper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZglBF_qVU4

 

[Nodrama43]

I drove a black and white car for 28 years until I retired....Maybe I should just take the easy way out and buy a black and white canoe.....

 

[Nodrama43]

No Title

I was digging the sapphire until I got a good look in that video.....maybe sapphire with a piece of carbon "scrim" would be better?

 

[Guest]

No, my Kee is just Kev Fusion and set up with a high seat. It's 2 +years old and I don't remember them offering that option for the interior. App 28#. Sweet boat.
Turtle

 

[Nodrama43]

I think they just started with the Innegra in 2015 sometime but no 100% positive. The Innegra interior does take away a little of the transparent look in the bright sunlight.

 

[Guest]

sure is some interesting stuff. sorry I watched it. I have put swift solo seats in all my boats, the cherry ones, the carbon ones must be half their weight.. I wonder what the weights of the new exp Kevlar boats are? My indestructible exp kev osprey weighs 47#! and gets heavier each year.
Turtle

 

[sweeper]

My 15 Kee, Innegra outside, Kevlar inside, expedition layup is 30lbs

 

[Nodrama43]

Sweeper will you post up a picture of your boat so I can see the contrast? I was initially thinking Innegra inside but not sure I want to add the extra pound. Crap I have not even studied the expedition layup yet. The scuff patch adds another pound....I am waffling on that now as well. My intent was to build the lightest yet strongest canoe and it not be black like the Polaris. It may end up being black after all. Turtle Swift tells me there is a weight saving with all carbon in place of cherry but it is minimal.

 

[Guest]

I don’t have enough to go on to opt in or out on a two tone hull. I don’t mind the look, actually kinda like it, and it seems to have some advantages.

I have a several gel coated boats. Two are red, and those bottoms vibrantly show every scratch. I have a couple of white gel coat boats and, while equally scuffed, those still pass the 30 foot test.

I also have a couple of clear-coat over kevlar or glass & nylon lay ups. Those do not show battle scars near as badly as colored gel coat.

Gel-coat is largely sacrificial in any case. Which would I rather repair, gel coat or epoxy (Vinylester, whatever)?

Clear coat over something dark like carbon? No idea how that shows scratches.

Does that aesthetic matter? Also no idea. The bottom of the Monarch looks like I dragged it down 100 miles of dirt road, but most of it is superficial, and the need-of-attention stuff was more readily evident.

 

[sweeper]

I talk briefly talked with Charlie Wilson about the two tone, never cared for it much even on cars, and as I remember it did add weight. Not sure if this is the same thing. Basically I told Charlie what I wanted to do with the canoe and let him design it. Here's the build order. I opted for the Cherry Carry Thwart to save about $150.



This is the best one I have of the inside.



Full set of pics
http://s56.photobucket.com/user/sweeper54/library/Swift Canoe