Having first sat in a kayak at the age of 10, next year will see my
60th year of paddling something or other but mainly kayaks. With many more adventures planned before the onset of old age!! I have decided to build a canoe.
This is my lock down project, a traditional canoe ( I refuse to refer to them as 'Canadians', Canadians are people not canoes)
This will be the third such canoe/kayak I have built, the first ( Granta Ranger by the late Ken Littledyke) had to go, as there was no room to keep it, sadly I put it on Ebay and have regreted it ever since. This current build is a Fyne boats jobbie.
Basically a box of bits I will need to pace myself on this as, historically, I am in too much of a hurry!
Jigsaw joint
Panels now joined to be glued tomorrow.
A 
All planks now glued (hopefully) weighted and clamped, not an easy part of the build. Having missed my daily dose of stupid tablets, I discovered I had fixed two panels in opposing directions!! fortunately I spotted this before the glue had set!! The garage is quite cold, so I am leaving the clamps in place for another 24 hours! Patience required.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.💤
Tomorrow brought me a mess, some of the epoxy was still tacky ( probably I didn't mix it long enough ) I used polythene bags as dividers on some of the planks, only to be left with a pattern in the resin and also some print came off as well...bollox. After much sanding the problem has been solved and lessons learnt for the rest of the build.
Note to self..increase stupid pill dosage.
Tomorrow I will be first fixing planks for the hull. I have made three formers which, should, make the job easier..I hope.
Another set back, separated the planks and re jointed they are currently waiting to set.
This is my hot box over the joint with a thermostatic controlled heater to maintain the temperature will the epoxy cures.
Tomorrow?? no predictions, no promises.
We got off to a reasonable start, the inwales and outwales are now glued and clamped and quietly drying over the next 36 to 48 hours. Fingers crossed for success with this one.
All my projects are measured by NOC days
It's been a three cut day to day, i.e. I've finished the day with three cuts. Not bad by my standards.
It was all going reasonably well, fiddly but we're getting there (where I know not ) . Having provisionally fixed the first four planks and reasonably happy with the outcome. S.B.B. one corner of the jigsaw joint has popped...again as I said S.B.B.
No prizes for guessing the first and only job tomorrow will be!
Here I am again with another update, which is quite comical really, as I don't believe I have any followers, or anyone is reading it apart from me!!
This is todays' progress, or day seven, here there are six planks fixed with wire. The central bulkhead is purely temporary, without it all the planks will fold up, quite comically, especially as a random piece of wood was ejected when this happened!
The plan for tomorrow is to wire the remaining two planks, tighten the wires, reduce the gaps and finally straighten the whole boat ready for tacking. At this point in the build I adopt my stating the bleeding obvious, read, read and re read the construction manual, it is very comprehensive. Having built to boats using this method I had preconceived ideas. The instructions are written by experts for idiots to read!!
Depending on my progress tomorrow it will hopefully be cheers not tears. Oh if anyone is reading,or following this it would be great to know 😁😀
I am pleased to say it is cheers not tears to day. This is a view from the stern albeit somewhat on the cant, it has straightened up nicely.. more pics tomorrow....bet you can't wait!!
Another shot showing the forward bulkhead and the planks neatly lined up ready for tacking tomorrow.
Two weeks down the line the box of bits is looking a bit like a canoe. All the planks are now stuck together, and filleted along the outside seams.
A view from the stern which might become the bow as it is the same from both ends. Frustratingly as I have gone on the fillets on this side are a lot tidier than the other. Plenty of sanding to be done tomorrow! If I'd been more careful etc, etc..yes Dad!
Inside the tank which isn't the tidiest but no one will see it and it is a practice for the main event.
Another view of the same thing, tomorrow? more of the same at the other end. Looking forward to the autumn International England v Wales.
Work has now stopped, it is just too cold for the epoxy to work. I will continue sanding and fettling where I can.
As it's been raining from before dawn till well after dusk, today.....I think I should have made a feckin' ark instead!! Problem is I cannot source four hundred cubits of gopher wood! Happy days.
Oh BTW today is number 254 since lock down began..If I'd started it then, it might have been finished now.
I'm sorry if any of you have had sleepless nights due to the lack of updates on this blog 😀😉
If anyone is wondering about storing the C19 vaccine I'm sure our garage is cold enough. Please pass this on I need the money. 🙇
A bit of an update if there are any readers or followers...which I doubt but hey who cares. Just about a
month ago this project started, I have sanded quite a few of the mistakes I made out of the outside of the hull ready for a thin sealing coat of resin.
No it's not looking very pretty, I'm hoping the resin coat will take care of some of this .
Day 265 since the first lock down in March and we have progress after a week of inactivity due to the cold temperatures.
Today the weather has warmed up, the heaters are on and the first coat of resin to the outside of the hull.
My problem is I set the bar far higher than my skill levels.
A little disappointed as the resin has highlighted the blemishes and imperfections of my work so far.
The first thing the boss said when she came in 'what's happened there?' followed by 'the wood isn't very thick is it?'
Hopefully by the time the cloth and a few coats of varnish, it won't look too bad. More patience required while it dries.
What a ball ache today has been. Cloth laid over hull ready for wetting out, I spent an hour
straightening and brushing it out.
Seven and a half feckin' hours later, the job is done but not very well, methinks. Fingers crossed it will look better in daylight (if we ever have any again)
25/02/21
I'm sure all of you have been more than a little concerned about my lack of updates, truth be told, as you all know it has been chuffin cold, so here I am bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to get back to it.
It is now day 336 since the first lockdown began on March 22nd last year, the weather has warmed up sufficiently to resurrect this project. Off I trot to start work, overalls and mask on, pump the resin, nothing, it has set hard with the consistency of a breeze block.....SBB. Another sixty quids worth of resin, not a very happy chappie.
This is what £60 of solidified resin looks like, with the consistency of a breeze block.
I'm pretty sure many of my readers (Haha) will have been having sleepless nights due to the lack of progress and communication. Truth be told until this week there has been virtually no progress. Any road up, (as my late grandfather would say) the weather is milder and into the garage.
It is now 16/03/21 ( reminder to self, wifes birthday tomorrow, don't forget)
Progress to date the outside of the hull has received an additional coat of resin filling the cloth and the inside joints are now filleted and taped.
As the say in France..Beaucoup de pinces
As we say in my garage...lots of clamps 32 to be precise. This, you understand, does not mean there are lots of us, there's not, this is more the royal we, as in me. This has been a challenging and somewhat sticky job, I would certainly recommend two people to
assist in the initial locating of the rubbing strips during the clamping process.
For the record the resin has now started affecting my eyes, working with goggles of my glasses makes for a mistyfying (sic) experience!! Hey ho.
Patience is now required to allow the glue to harden 36 /48 hours I think.
Here we are March 20th, the weather gods are being kind and we have progress.
The only part I'm really happy with.
22/3/21
Still loads of clamps, or as they say in Wales
llawer o glampiau!
Currently clamping the blocks in place to create the broken
gunwales. Completed last night and will not be touched till tomorrow as in 24/03/21....promise.
27/3/21 Sorry to all my readers (haha) if you've been missing the progress reports!
it certainly enhances the canoe.
Next job is to finish the buoyancy tanks, which will have to wait till Monday. Not to self Monday is my wedding anniversary, oddly enough it coincides with my wifes!!
FFS don't forget it, time to root out last years card methinks!
