Sassafras 12 by ccoyle - Chesapeake Light Craft - FINISHED - 1:1 scale canoe - you read that right

[Jim Lad]

Looks good, Chris. Soon be ready for shipping out to Sydney! 

 

John

[ccoyle]

15 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

Soon be ready for shipping out to Sydney!

 

Fat chance!

 

I've been thinking ahead to mooring options. When I finally get around to car-topping this thing, I will need anchoring points at both the bow and stern. Perhaps horn cleats ...

 

 

... or maybe pad eyes.

 

 

 

These would also serve as points for attaching a painter or anchor line. Also thinking about where to attach them. Decisions, decisions.

[ccoyle]

First coat of exterior primer.

 

 

This coat of primer revealed quite a few wire holes that didn't fill in well with epoxy. One even appeared to have leaked white primer from the interior to the exterior -- which obviously is not good! I'll have to fill these in properly before the next coat.

[Keith Black]

Chris, very nice. Are you using a brush, if so it looks great. All that prep work has payed off. 

[ccoyle]

18 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

Are you using a brush

 

Short-nap roller.

[druxey]

Just catching up, Chris. Lovely!

[Jim Lad]

Now she's looking like she's ready to go!

 

john

[Ian_Grant]

It will look great Chris!  Interlux is nice paint.  I used it too, on my dinghy sailboat.

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

 

Short-nap roller.

I tried one of those once   - took me a month to paint our living room  and the snoring did my head in   - seriously though that's a nice finish.

 

OC.

[ccoyle]

Whilst browsing around today, I came across a YouTuber who just happens to be at the same point of constructing a Sassafras 12 as I am. He's documenting his build in a series of videos. I found his video on priming very helpful. I'm reluctant to watch any of the earlier videos, for fear I might discover some fault in my methods that I probably don't want to know about at this point. 😬

[Kevin]

lovely work

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

I'm reluctant to watch any of the earlier videos, for fear I might discover some fault in my methods that I probably don't want to know about at this point. 😬

 

Too late! 😭

[HardeeHarHar]

Ignorance WAS bliss!

Damn that internet.

[mtaylor]

Curiosity not only kills cats but also causes us to pound our heads on our work areas.

[ccoyle]

Remember that lovely first coat of primer? Hope y'all weren't too attached to it.

 

 

You can get attached to the final coat of finish color -- whenever that happens.

[SigEp Ziggy]

Ccoyle, ever since you re-named my build, it only shows as a search, not as a build log for subjects 1901 to present.  Can it be restored or do I have to repost?

[Old Collingwood]

You sanded the bugger  - you could have warned us with dicky hearts.😁

 

OC.

[Bedford]

Ah yes the old boat build three step. One step forward and two steps backwards!

 

Never mind Chris, you'll get there and more importantly you'll be happy with it.

 

I had an old town plastic canoe which I had to sell to make way for my dinghy build but it had a hand hold in the breast hook / deck at each end so I just made an eye splice in three strand rope around the hand grip and left the line long enough to almost reach the forward roof rack and attached a dog clip by way of another eye splice. I then had a short webbed strap with an eye in each end that went around the roof rack for the dog clip to attach to. This had the effect of creating a fixed length lanyard with which to set the longitudinal position of the canoe on the car while providing the required mechanical restriction against it sliding forward in an accident. I used a ratchet strap to do the same thing aft, this allowed me to pull the canoe against the forward strap. Then just two straps over the hull.

 

Why have I told you this? Well if you went this way you wouldn't need cleats but I'd recommend two screw pad eyes such as the last one pictured in your previous post and I'd probably through bolt them.

[Old Collingwood]

2 minutes ago, Bedford said:

Ah yes the old boat build three step. One step forward and two steps backwards!

 

Never mind Chris, you'll get there and more importantly you'll be happy with it.

 

I had an old town plastic canoe which I had to sell to make way for my dinghy build but it had a hand hold in the breast hook / deck at each end so I just made an eye splice in three strand rope around the hand grip and left the line long enough to almost reach the forward roof rack and attached a dog clip by way of another eye splice. I then had a short webbed strap with an eye in each end that went around the roof rack for the dog clip to attach to. This had the effect of creating a fixed length lanyard with which to set the longitudinal position of the canoe on the car while providing the required mechanical restriction against it sliding forward in an accident. I used a ratchet strap to do the same thing aft, this allowed me to pull the canoe against the forward strap. Then just two straps over the hull.

 

Why have I told you this? Well if you went this way you wouldn't need cleats but I'd recommend two screw pad eyes such as the last one pictured in your previous post and I'd probably through bolt them.

Nah  I know Chris  - he  will have his sanding block with him even on the lake.

 

OC.

[ccoyle]

8 hours ago, Bedford said:

Ah yes the old boat build three step. One step forward and two steps backwards!

 

I'm trying to keep in mind the old adage about the perfect being the enemy of the good. Mostly I just want a functional craft that will not result in my untimely death.😝  But, I do want it to look half-way decent, and I tell myself that a smoother hull will reduce drag and likely give me another 0.001 m/s of speed. 😋  Still, I don't really want to fork out more $$$ for primer, so it will be three coats max, if I can make it last that long.

[bruce d]

30 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

But, I do want it to look half-way decent,

... is that an invitation for suggestions? 🤩

How about ...

 

 

... or my vote goes to ...

 

 

Maybe this is why I never built a 1-1 scale boat.

[Bedford]

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

I'm trying to keep in mind the old adage about the perfect being the enemy of the good. 

I'm reminded of making the spars for my boat and the realisation that I could have three near round spars or three perfectly round tooth picks.

[FriedClams]

Hello Chris - very nice progress on Sassafras.  Looks like first launch is not far off.

 

I want to chime in on the tie down issue.  I don't proclaim to be an expert on canoes and kayaks, but I have owned and transported quite a few of them.  I don't believe any of the hardware shown in post #182 is adequate as roof top tie-down points.  A heavy gust of wind or the first time a tractor trailer rig blows past at 70 MPH and I would expect them to be torn off or broken off.  Wrapping web straps around thwarts up close to the breast hooks at both ends is a better option.  As @Bedford has stated, the craft needs to be kept from sliding forward during emergency braking.  And you also want to keep it on the roof during strong winds.  I always strap completely over the craft with ratchet straps in addition to the positioning attachments.  I think of my canoe as a narrow parachute whenever I lash it to a vehicle.

 

Typically you will not find any hooks or cleats on canoes/kayaks, especially above the gunwales. Unlike small open boats, canoes are expected to be flipped and metal protrusions are a liability and just something to get hooked on or clothes/line to get tangled in.  Especially important if you end up on a stream or river.  Not trying to lecture here Chris – just my two-cents worth.

 

She looking sweet.  Have fun.

 

Gary

[ccoyle]

Thanks, Gary. I have actually been pondering most of the points you bring up. I have purchased a set of soft, roof-top pads, designed for cars without roof racks. The pads fasten through the passenger compartment and have the built-in straps that go over the canoe. Because of the canoe's length, it will need tie-downs at both bow and stern (also provided in the kit). Being a pack canoe, i.e. the paddler sits on the floor, the only thwart is the one to which the seat back attaches. I have seen many pictures of antique canoes that have hardware attached ("canoe jewelry"), and I am also well aware of the limited options for attachment -- I do not wish to ding my car top or elbows or knees on any poorly-placed hardware that sticks out where it shouldn't. But I have time to meditate on all this. Oh, and I have seen it recommended that soft carriers not be used at speeds above 55 mph (88 kph), which I don't see as an issue for the foreseeable future -- plenty of water to check out locally without needing to hop on the interstate. Thanks for checking in!

[ccoyle]

Third coat of primer.

 

 

My paddle and car-top soft racks arrived today. I had quite the time settling on a paddle, but ultimately narrowed the decision to an angler's paddle from either Bending Branches or Best Marine. They were essentially the same paddle -- same design, same length, both two part paddles, both companies have great customer service. I finally opted for the Best Marine paddle, because it has a carbon fiber shaft rather than an aluminum shaft, so it is about 4 oz lighter. Most carbon fiber paddles cost at least $50 more, so I was a bit worried about that, but the company's reviews everywhere were good, so I took the gamble.

 

 

BTW, did you know that high-end paddles can sell for over $500? Yikes! Now to wait for paint to dry -- again.

[HardeeHarHar]

I'm still curious why you sanded off the "first" coat of primer.....It looked just like the third coat does 😉

 

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, HardeeHarHar said:

I'm still curious why you sanded off the "first" coat of primer.....It looked just like the third coat does

 

The idea is that the primer fills in low spots; sanding knocks off the high spots, thus (hopefully) creating a more level surface, i.e. smoother.

 

I still have a few dimples in the seams that I'm not completely happy with. These are spots where the epoxy oozed through to the inside, creating tiny puckers on the outside. They're still water-tight, and they won't be immediately apparent when the boat is upright, but they still bug me.

 

I only have a small amount of the gray primer left, but I'm thinking I'd like to do a fourth coat. I have some foam rollers, so I may give the 4th coat a go with one of them -- it should produce greater coverage. I have been sanding with 120 grit between coats until now, but I will go down to 220 between these last coats. But before that I plan on flipping the boat over and working on the inside. Now that I've seen just how much "filling" the primer will do, I know there's no hope of getting a perfectly smooth finish on the interior (cuz of my amateurish epoxy and fiberglass work), so I won't fret too much about it and will just focus on gittin' her done.

 

P.S. I casually mentioned to The Admiral the other day that now that I had the basic boat-building skills down pat, I needed to add another boat to my fleet, one that could take a small outboard motor. She gave me a long-winded reply that translates as "no." I wasn't too perturbed, because I know we don't have the room for a second boat anyway. 😉

[ccoyle]

I did the second coat of interior primer last night and rolled on the third during lunchtime today (working from home for a couple of days). It is evident to me that a certain amount of unevenness will remain on the finished product, but I think that choosing a light interior color was a good decision. At least with the primer, the warts are not extremely obvious at normal viewing distances. I will begin applying the interior top color tomorrow.

 

Today's photo shows the second coat of interior primer prior to today's work.

 

 

[Ian_Grant]

She is looking great Chris!

 

Reading here about roof straps etc I thought people might be interested in my personal history of roof topping canoes:

 

1978 Tercel

Roof had rain gutters. Bought four foam pads shaped to fit round gunwales and two tie-down straps which hooked on gutters at Canadian Tire; total cost about $26.

 

1989 Accord Wagon

By then car roofs had no gutters. Had to buy a set of Thule bars and four mounting "blocks" custom for the vehicle which clamped on above windows; total cost about $400.

 

2004 Sienna Van

Bought in 2003. The base "CE" model came without roof rails and we were told that they could not be added as "the CE is structurally different from the LE" 🙄. Had to buy an "LE" just to be able to mount a canoe on top. Total extra cost about $4000. Just to rub salt in the wound, the very next year the CE had roof rails too. They must have lost some sales but too late for us. 😒

 

I can hardly wait for our next vehicle buy.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Ian_Grant

[HardeeHarHar]

Looking great Chris!  You are gonna slice through the water so fast you wont even need to paddle.  Just shove off, wait a while, and you will be where you were going in no time at all!