Another rainy day in North Vancouver.  Paul is home so we decide to put on a couple of strips.

Applying glue to the “cove”.

Since the last post, I put on two strips without Paul…Do not want the project to “stall”

Seating the strips.

The way we put a strip on is to apply the glue, place the strip in place, clamp one end and then use a piece of strip to “seat” the incoming strip to the strip already there.  The job is much easier with two!

Using painter’s tape to “clamp” the strips together

We then put a piece of painter’s tape on to hold the two strips together.  The glue does not need high pressure or heat to set.

“seating” the strips.

At some points, the “bead” does not fit into the “cove” perfectly, the bead or the cove being slightly off-centre.  To keep the strips aligned together we use a spring clamp to hold the two strips in alignment.

Spring clamp holding two strips in alignment.

Once you get two strips on, its gets harder to clamp them in place….

Holding the first strip in alignment.

When we are satisfied, we hot-melt glue the strips to the forms.  The hot-melt glue will hold well enough and long enough for us to get all of the strips on.

Hot-melt glue holding the strips to the form.

Where the canoe has a reverse curve in, I use a clamp to hold the strips to the form.

Clamp used at reverse curve at station #2.

The more strips we put on, the easier it is to hot-melt glue or clamp the strips to the form.  The “cove” of the previous strip helps to hold the “bead” of the next strip in place.

Home-made “J” clamps in use, holding the strips.

We use the “J” clamps to hold the strips in place while we install them.  The also help to bend the strips to the form.  We are careful not to let the “J” clamps snap back and hit our hands.

A piece of painter’s tape keeps the bottom part of the “J” clamps from falling off when the “J” clamp is adjusted or when putting a new strip on.

Station “O”.

The “J” clamp on the East side of the canoe is on a spring clamp being used to hold the bead and cove together and to help the strip conform to the curve of the form.

Close of of the “J” clamp in use.  Spring clamps keep the strips aligned, “J” clamp holds the strip to the form.

View from another angle.

We put on two strips this morning and hope to put on two more this afternoon.

Paul does not want to “staple” the strips in place, aiming for a clear finish on the canoe.  No unsightly staple holes.  It seems as if we can only get two strips on at a time because it gets too hard to clamp them in place and keep the strips in alignment.

No more room for spring clamps at the stem.  (No staple holes either…)

That is nine strips so far…It looks as if we are half-way to the start of the keel line.

Getting closer every time,

Happy paddling to you,

Mike

It is a Rainy day today, so Paul and I decide to put a few more strips on the canoe.

Where we ended last time:

Three dark strips and the accent strip on the West side of the canoe from last time.

We take off all of the clamps and the blue painter’s tape and the strips are glued to each other.  The blue tape worked!!   Time to cut off some of the excess strip(s).

Trimming the strips.

We trip the strips on both ends of the canoe.

There is a lot to think about putting on the first strip on the other side…much humming and hawing,  measuring and trying it out.  The bevel on the stemposts is not quite right and we mix some sawdust with the Tight Bond and glue on the first strip.

Glueing on the first strip onto the East side of the canoe.

After we put the first strip on, we begin to glue up the next two.

First strip hot-melt glued to the station form. Tight Bond II in the cove for the next strip.

We see that one of the station forms is a little shy of the natural bend of the strip.  We do not force the strip to the form.

Natural curve of the strip does not reach the form.

We glue up the three dark strips.

Three dark strips on, time for the oak accent strip.

We glue up the accent strip:

Do’n the glue’n.

Again, we are using blue painters tape to hold the strips together while the glue dries.

Spring clamps hold the strip to the stempost.

Strip On!

A bit of painter’s tape provides enough friction so the clamp does not slip.

Good thing that I have a lot of clamps.

End-on view.  Looking very symmetrical!

Strip on the West side of the canoe!

Looks even so far……..

Both ends of the West side of the canoe clamped.

Forth strip on the East side of the canoe.

We decide that Five strips are enough for today.  We will try to put on a couple of strips every night this week and may be done by next weekend.

Good paddling to you,  Well, I will still be rowing.

Today’s project…get a few strips on!

For Christmas I got a radiant heater from Lee Valley.

New radiant heater takes the chill out of the boathouse.  It swivels so it can heat any part of the boathouse that I am working in.  Works a lot better than the heat lamp!

First Paul finishes beveling the stemposts.

Beveling the stem.

Paul uses my 5″ random orbital sander to put the bevel onto the stempost.  Using 80 grit paper, it only takes twenty minutes to do.  He uses a strip to check the bevel as he goes.

Stempost bevel at the keel.

Checking the bevel.

While Paul bevels the stemposts, I cut up some aluminum “L” extrusions into 1″ wide “J” hooks:

1″ “J” hooks.

I drill a hole in the “J” hook to attach elastic or string to hold the strips in place where needed.

Making the “J” hooks.

Finished “J” hooks:

“J” hooks.

“J” hook in use:

“J” hook in use.

After beveling the stemposts, we check the strong back and mould stations for square and insure that they are “Level”.  Then we line the stations with tuck-tape so that the strips/epoxy will not permanently stick to them.

Tuck-taping and squaring-up the mould stations.

Getting there….

Tuck-taping the mould stations.

Almost done…

We run out of red tuck-tape and have to use ordinary packing tape for the last two station moulds.

The ordinary packing tape does not work as well as the tuck-tape.  It does not stick to the mould stations as well as the tuck-tape.   Oh well…..

We put a bundle of numbered strips on each side of the strong-back…trying to keep both sides the same.

Next step is to put on the first strip.  This strip will be at the gunwale height at the centre station.  This will require much eye-balling and leveling…..

Determining where the first strip will go.

We temporarily clamp the strip at the stemposts.

Checking out the first strip.

We will have the first few strips dark, then the light oak accent strip, another dark strip and then go from dark strips to lighter in colour ones.  Again, trying to keep the same colour of strips on both sides of the canoe.

We have put the strips on cove side up, to put the glue in.  We are using Tight Bond II.  Since all the glue has to do is to hold the strips (hull) together during the sanding of the outside of the “hull on the mould” phase, we are not using a lot of glue.  We are more generous glueing the strips to the stemposts.

First and second strip on.

Paul hot-melt glues the strips to the tuck-tape on the mould stations.

Hot melt glue used to temporarily secure strips to mould station.

Notice that the ordinary packing tape is pulling away from the mould station.

Painters tape provides enough clamping pressure!

I have made three 4″ pieces of cedar strip to help glue the strips to each other…Using the short piece of a strip, I can apply enough pressure to press the two strips together,

Some squeezed-out glue.

squeezing out some glue without crushing the cove on the strip.  As I apply clamping pressure, Paul tapes the two strips together to hold them until the glue sets.

Third strip on with glue in “cove” ready for the accent strip.

As Paul and I put the oak accent strip, we wonder if the 1/16″ proud part will work…If not, we will just sand it flush with the other strips.

Oak accent strip on.

Well, that is it for today…Four strips on and two things learned…If we put the strips on almost even with the bow on the Port  side and almost even with the stern on the Starboard side, we can put strips on both sides of the canoe, one after another.  The part of the strip past the stempost will not interfere with the strip on the other side of the canoe.

The way we did the first four, we could only put strips on one side of the canoe as a time…

We need to buy a bag of big elastic bands for the “J” hooks.

Happy Paddling….

Well, it is after Christmas and Paul and I have gone to Windsor Plywood to buy an accent strip for the canoe.  They happen to have some 2¼ by 5/16” by 16′ long oak casing.  Paul finds a piece with a pleasing grain pattern.  Done deal.  When we get home we will rip the piece in half, ending up with two 1 1/16″ strips which when  routed will end up 1″ wide by 5/16″ thick by 16′ long.  The problem with using casing is that the top two edges are rounded over.  By ripping the strip in half, we get one square edge.  We will rout the “bead” into the half-rounded over edge and the cove into the “square” one.

We set up the Bead and Coving jig.

Putting the “Bead” onto the accent strip of oak.

It only takes a few minutes to run both strips through the router.

Because the accent strips are 1/16″ thicker than the other cedar strips, we mill the accent strips to stand 1/16″ proud on the outside of the canoe:

the “Bead”.

Putting the cove onto the strips.

We set the strips aside.  Paul wants to stain them darker to make them stand out against the lighter coloured cedar.

The two accent strips:

The two oak pieces with the rest of the strips.

A close-up of the “Bead and Cove” edge:

“Bead and Cove” close-up showing the 1/16″ proud.

If the “Proud” strip does not look right, we will sand the strip even with the rest of the strips.

That’s all for today…

Have a great paddling 2018!

The Urban Oarsman goes on the December 16th, 2017 Hot Mulled Row to Sandy Cove with the Hollyburn Sailing Club and SKABC.

10am, Saturday, December 16th, 2017.  Winds are calm.  Cloudy and grey but no rain.  A good day to row.

Tides for the day:

Not much of a change…Departure time is 10:00 and the next high at 3:19 is only 2.6ft higher.

Gwragedd Annwn on the beach and ready to go on the Hot Mulled Wine Row to Sandy Cove.

I have told our organizer, HSC’s new Kayak Captain, Maciej, that I will take the equipment necessary to make the hot mulled wine in Gwragedd Annwn.

Maciej’s bag at the stern of Gwragedd Annwn.  A little too big for his kayak.

With Gwragedd Annwn, there is always room for one more.

One SKABC kayak (black) and two HSC kayaks are on the beach and ramp and ready to go:

Our Kayak Captain.

A well-equipped Co-op Captain.

I row over and take some photos of the rest of the kayaks being brought down the beach:

SKABC kayak fleet for the paddle.

Because the kayaks are faster, I get a head start to Sandy Cove.  The oars are 18″ deep on the power stroke.  Almost a 30° 60° 90° triangle to the water. Somehow, I always seem to raise my right hand a little higher, probably from using oars a little too long .

After I have left, the Kayak fleet assembles.

It is pretty flat and there is almost no wind.

Friendly seal.

A seal follows me out from the pier.  I often wonder if the fisher-folk ever catch anything that is not stolen by the seals.

14th Street Fishing pier.

The seal gives up on me and returns to the pier for easier pickings.

The Ken Shin.

A freighter enters the inner harbour.  Port Metro Vancouver established new boundaries for Marine Restricted Area 1 (MRA1) the area around First Narrows.

This is the Club’s new Sailing and Paddling limits map and policy:

The portion of English Bay South of the Club is part of the Port of Vancouver and is an active shipping channel.

All HSC members must observe the following limits:

Do not sail or paddle south of a line (1) from the North Tower of the Lions Gate Bridge and the Capilano Light, or East of a line (2) True North of Ferguson Point.

Do not sail East of a line from the (3) Welcoming Figure Groyne due South.  Paddlers may go to the Capilano River (4).

Do not sail or paddle North of a line drawn West along the Prospect Point shore (5).

No non-motorized craft are allowed to cross under the Lions Gate Bridge.

Do not sail East of the storm sewer outfall into the area marked by the “keep out” buoys during the swimming season.

Stay well clear of the Ambleside Pier during light winds, strong tidal current and active fishing.

When crossing to the south of English Bay, allow ample sea room and cross West of John Lawson Pier.  Cross the shipping lane at right angles with extreme caution.  A freighter coming into the harbour takes twenty minutes or less to get to the bridge from off of Point Grey.  Be on the look-out for vessels leaving the inner harbor – You have no right of way over commercial shipping vessels.

Vancouver Harbour radio is VHS channel 12.

This row is a good time to try-out the new 15° offset oarlocks.  The idea is that during the “power stroke”, the oar is 90° to the oarlock horn.  This is supposed to keep the oar from creeping inwards on each stroke and keep the oarlock socket/oarlock from “creaking” or “thunking” during the stroke.

15°offset oarlocks.

Another view:

15°offset oarlocks, side view.

What I am finding is that the oarlocks still “creak” in the sockets and the oars bind in the oarlock during the recovery stroke.  The horns “pinch” the leather collars and the oars are hard to raise out of the water, level with the gunwales.  I have them well lubed with “Snowseal”, but, they are still binding.  Maybe the 15°offset oarlocks are not a viable idea for Gwragedd Annwn.  I still have the old sockets in place.

Kayaks on the horizon.

There are nine kayaks with me on this row (paddle for them).

The Kayaks pass outside of me.

The kayak fleet heads for Sandy Cove.

A couple of close-ups as they pass:

SKABC kayaker.

SKABC kayakers.

Two SKABC kayakers and a HSC kayaker with a freighter at anchorage 18 in the background.

And one of Gwragedd Annwn as they pass…

Gwragedd Annwn and the Urban Oarsman.

Chatting with a kayaker.

Chatting about the thin-blade paddle.

The fleet lands.

All ashore for the Hot Mulled Wine!

Maciej makes the mulled wine for the crew.

Pouring a cup for everyone who wants one…

Lone Oarsman among the paddlers.

The Mulled wine is quite a treat!

Interesting tree.

Socializing at the beach:

Socializing on the beach…

Loading up Gwragedd Annwn for the row home.

I know that it is hard to see, but I have turned on Gwragedd Annwn’s Christmas Lights for the upcoming Dundarave Forest of Miracles Bonfire row.

We leave just ahead of the Kayaks.

As usual, the Kayak fleet catches up to Gwragedd Annwn and passes us.

Passed by kayaks.

Passed by Kayaks again.

Passed by Kayaks Again Again!!!

Kayaker Mike posted a video set to music of the paddle Click the picture to see!

The Kayakers make the birds take flight…

Coots scoot.

A friend joins the row:

Nothing like a Commodore’s Mug of Mulled Wine with a friend.

For the rest of the row, I stay close to shore.  There is a North-East wind, and I stay in the wind-shadow of the shore as best I can.  I end up putting on my windbreaker.  The pogies keep my hands warm.

A great day spent with great paddlers.

Good rowing to you,

Mike

Every year the Hollyburn Sailing Club has an evening row to the Dundarave Festival of Lights where the Forest of Miracles Christmas Trees are and the Bonfire.  The Sailing Club sponsors a tree, decorating it in the Club’s colours.  This year the tree had a blue/white light colour scheme…I am lobbying for a red (Port) green (Starboard) colour scheme for next year.

Forest of Miracles Hollyburn Sailing Club tree, 2017.

The row usually takes about two hours, leaving the club after dusk (4:30pm.ish) and returning by 7pm.

The trip is followed by a pot-luck supper and a visit to the club by Santa Claus for the more junior members.

I arrive early and have to dust off the snow from Gwragedd Annwn’s cover.

Readying Gwragedd Annwn for the 2017 Hollyburn Sailing Club Christmas Paddle to Dundarave Forest of Miracles and bonfire.  The snow is frozen into sheets and come off in big pieces.

Our fellow member, Don, will be coming with me on this trip.

Don and Gwragedd Annwn with her Christmas lights on.

It is a beautiful sunset….

Sunset at Hollyburn Sailing Club.

A calm evening…Perfect!!

No wind tonight.

We launch Gwragedd Annwn.  There will be two Kayaks, the Safety boat and Gwragedd Annwn on this trip.

Two Kayaks.

Our Safety boat.

HSC Safety boat for the evening.

Don and Rueben will crew the safety boat.  Whenever the Club sponsors a function, they provide a safety boat…just in case.  We all take a turn over the year’s events.

Kayakers prepare to launch.

The moon is out…

The moon leads the way.

Paddlers launch.

The Safety boat is next.

Safety boat launch.

Up in the Club, preparations are underway for the post-paddle pot luck and Christmas party.

Roy lit up.

Roy has his white light at his back.

As is usual, the Kayakers take the lead

Don rowing with the Kayakers in the lead.

This is the first time that Don has been in Gwragedd Annwn.  He feels that she rows well.

The Oarsman’s view, Lions Gate Bridge to the East.

The safety boat follows along, outside of the paddlers.

The Hollyburn Sailing Club safety boat.

The West Vancouver Shoreline is brightly lit.

The West Vancouver Shoreline shimmers in the clear, crisp & cold air.

We see the bonfire.

Bonfire ahead.

We (the Kayaks, Safety Boat and Gwragedd Annwn) are the only boats on the water.

To keep Don’s feet dry, I drop him off at the Dundarave Pier dock and row around the pier to the beach.

Gwragedd Annwn with her Christmas lights on the beach at Dundarave.

The Kayaks have landed as well.

Rowers (and Paddlers) on the beach.

The Hollyburn Sailing Club Safety boat is tied to the Dundarave Pier float.  The bonfire is big, bright and surprisingly warm.

Dundarave Festival of Lights 2017 bonfire.

We meet club members who walked down because of the cold

Friends already there.

We all go to the main tent and get hot chocolate and cookies (by donation).  We take a group photo by the Hollyburn Sailing Club tree.  Getting a little cold, we decide to get the blood pumping by going back to the Club.

The row home.

On the way back to HSC, we stay closer to shore to avoid the North-East drift.  The air is a little stiller closer in.

Heading back.

Don takes the oars and we are heading back.  Gwragedd Annwn’s Christmas lights reflect off of the oars.  There is also a “glow” in the water around Gwragedd Annwn.

The Safety Boat.

Almost at the Club, just off of the 14th Street Pier, the Safety Boat heads in.  AS usual when rowing with Kayaks, the little white rowboat always comes last.

The Hollyburn Sailing Club Clubhouse.

We get closer,

Back at the club where the warmth awaits.

I take the oars and drop Don off at the 14th Street Pier floating dock.

A little later, The Safety Boat, the Kayaks and Gwragedd Annwn are put away and we all go upstairs in the Club for a Christmas pot-luck.

Merry Christmas to all.

Mike

I have finished Gwragedd Annwn’s 2017 Refit and Refurbishment.  Time to take her out for a test row…  She has new adjustable thwarts, air tight foredeck, stern and side buoyancy tanks, new foot braces and a new foredeck storage box for her anchor and lines.

Here is a topo map section showing the Mamquam Blind Channel:

One of the things that you have to look out for in Squamish are the inflow and outflow winds.  In the summer, they usually outflow until 11am, they then shift and become inflow and are usually very strong.  The weather prediction for today is for light to variable winds.

I unpack Gwragedd Annwn, stow her traveling cover and stow my gear.

Arriving at the free boat launch, next to the Squamish Yacht Club.

The boat launch is basic and very usable.  It is best at a mid to high tide.

2017-10-13   Tides for Squamish      (Friday)

Time        Height

PDT       (m)     (ft)

06:19    1.3     4.3

14:01    4.5     14.8

20:00  3.1     10.2

Gwragedd Annwn at the boat launch.

There are actually two lanes, one paved (Port) and one gravel (Starboard) where Gwragedd Annwn is beached.

Truck & trailer parked, Gwragedd Annwn ready to go.

In this photo you can see her new foredeck storage box.  I reused the blue seat cushions.

Leaving the boat launch behind.

I row out into the Mamquam Blind Channel.

Mid Channel.

I row across the channel and head North-East, up the East side.

Mossy, rocky shore.

The East shore is undeveloped across from the boat launch.

More rocky shore.

I row around a little cove, exploring the shore.  I continue up channel.

Squamish side of the channel.

They are pile-driving on the West shore for some waterside housing/multi-use development.

Blue Heron Marina on the West Shore.

I keep rowing up channel on the East side.

FAXE Beer can.

A can of FAXE beer hung as a “Scare-beer”???

There is a camp under the Highway 99 overpass.

Camp under the overpass. South end.

I continue rowing up channel.

Squamish Adventure Inn & Hostel.

The Inn/Hostel has a foot path between it and the shore.

Mamquam Blind Channel Row, Squamish, BC.

I row past the Inn/Hostel and the channel becomes more “wild”.

Mossy rock on the East shore.

I am getting up to the top of the channel.

Pedestrian bridge, NE corner, head of the channel.

It is really neat, made from an old railway flatdeck car.

Pathway bridge over small creek.

I could not find out what the creek was named.

The drainage pipes lead to a channel that goes to the West and can be seen from the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

Gwragedd Annwn cannot go any further upstream.  I eat my lunch and begin my return.

Following the West bank.

I am heading back into a bit of an up-channel breeze.

By sticking near the bank, I stay out of most of the wind.

You can see the RedBull can I picked up out of the Channel.

Canoeing anyone?

A canoe ready for an adventure.?.

Sea-to-Sky (Highway 99) overpass.

I had planned to row back along the West bank, but, with the wind, the rowing is easier along the Eastern shore.

Crawling along the Eastern bank back to the boat launch.

I also picked up a Starbucks coffee drink bottle off of the Squamish Inn/Hostel.

I row back to the Boat Launch, passing an awash barge near the launch.

Steel barge awash next to the boat launch.

I beach Gwragedd Annwn on the gravel lane of the boat launch.

Gwragedd Annwn waiting for me to get her trailer.

The paved side of the boat launch is being used so I put the trailer in on the gravel side.

Gwragedd Annwn on her trailer, ready to be “packed-up” for the ride home.

I pull off of the ramp and park over on the side to get Gwragedd Annwn ready for the trip home.

Scum-line from the Channel row.

Even though the Channel seemed quite clean, there is a scum-line on Gwragedd Annwn from the row.

Mud on the hull.

The mud on the hull is from the drive to the boat launch.  Gwragedd Annwn will need a bath when we get home.

Ready to go!

All packed-up and ready to go home.

See you on the next row!

Mike

It has been Five years since I launched Gwragedd Annwn and she is starting to look a little “experienced”.  After five years and hundreds of rowing trips, I have found that there are a few things that she could do better…Her seating does not work really well.  With one Oarsman, her balance is a little off.  Her foot braces could work better.  The oar storage is awkward. Her motor well is not well designed and I never use the British Seagull with her and the well is a source of concern.  I am not convinced that her oarlock are at the best angle.  The foredeck collects water.  Her camping deck does not really work that well.  She needs a sailing rig.  The under foredeck storage is not used and the hatch is not air or water tight, making it useless as a buoyancy tank.  Her side tanks are not air tight either, again, making them useless as buoyancy tanks.  With what I have learned over the last five years I can make Gwragedd Annwn better.

 

First, I bring her home to my garage/boathouse from Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Gwragedd Annwn 2017 Refit, on her trailer, ready to go home.

Gwragedd Annwn sports a bright red flag so she does not meet anyone by accident!

When I get her into the shop, she gets a complete assessment.

I note all the things I really like..where the foot rest is, where the hammock storage is, and where the tie-downs are.

Main rowing seat and axe, storage hammock, GPS mount and oarlock storage.

The floor with the foot brace were designed to be flipped over and rest on the blocks on the seat sides to form a sleeping platform.  It did not work very well.

Foredeck areas with forward rowing seat. Storage was under the foredeck. The seal was not air or water tight.

I wanted the four buoyancy tanks (bow tank, side tanks and stern tank) to be air and water tight.

All the hardware removed.

With all the hardware removed, I plan her new seating and buoyancy tanks.

The motor well.

The first step is to seal-up her motor well.

Motor well for the outside.

I grind the edges of the motor well and the cover.  Using a mixture of epoxy and wood dust, I make a “peanut butter” paste and glue the motor well cover in place. (I should never have cut it out in the first place).

Glued-up motor well, inside view.

Next step is to plan the new cockpit and seating:

Ready for new cockpit design.

I used tape to lay out the new design.  A lot more “square” than the old one.

Tape marking the new cockpit design.

After a lot of humming and hawing, I begin to cut the new cockpit out:

Cutting the old cockpit out.

I use my jigsaw to cut the seating along the tape lines.  The brass hammer will make removing the seat fronts from the hull bilge easier.

Removing the old seating.

I work my way around the tape, removing the old seating as I go.

Working around the cockpit.

After a lot of cutting and a little persuading with the brass mallet, I have removed the old cockpit seating.

Old cockpit removed.

I will cut back to the old British Seagull outboard transom mount bulkhead.

Fitting the new forward bulkhead.

I fit the new forward bulkhead.  It will be part of the new foredeck buoyancy tank and support the mast for the new sailing rig.

Forward bulkhead.

I epoxy the bulkhead in and then fit the foredeck hatch to be epoxied in.

‘lots o’ poxying to be done!

Foredeck hatch to be epoxied in.

I epoxy in the motor well hatch as well.

Motor well hatch epoxied in.

I have to epoxy in the seat supports.

Seat side supports.

Epoxying in the seat supports, foredeck bulkhead and the mast support.

A board helps keep the side seats level.

You can never have too many clamps.

When the epoxy has set, I install the seat sides.

The seat sides, a cut-and-fit exercise.

Seat side ready to be epoxied in.

I used temporary screws to hold the seat sides in place until the epoxy set.

Seat sides in.

Sides in, epoxy set, time to sand.  The string represents the centreline of Gwragedd Annwn.

After sanding, I seal the seats with epoxy.

Epoxy sealed.

The next step is to put in the bouyancy tank access and the forward rowing seat with the mast step in it.

Foredeck buoyancy tank access and forward rowing thwart installed.

Next, the lower mast step.

Working out where the mast step should be.

Epoxying in the mast step.

Mast step and side braces epoxied in.

The side rails for the new adjustable seating are installed.

Seat side rails installed. The screws are temporary, removed when the epoxy sets.

I now make up the thwarts, enough so that I can make a sleeping platform.

I make up enough thwarts so I can have a sleeping platform in Gwragedd Annwn.

Time to paint.  She will get a cream interior, with varnished seats and foredeck,

Getting ready to paint the interior.

the same as before.  I usually keep putting on coats until I use up all the paint or varnish…better on the boat than drying up in the can.  I will repeat her exterior hull white/green colour scheme.  A few changes, pin striping and her transom creatures are different.  I also pinstripe around her sculling notch.

New transom paint scheme.

I decided to try out using a different oarlock angle for rowing.

Angle of oar at power stroke.

Should the oarlock be at right angles to the oar during the power stroke?  I will put another set of oarlock sockets in Gwragedd Annwn and find out.  With her adjustable thwarts, this should be an easy experiment.

New socket epoxied in at about 15°.

The oarlock in the new socket:

Oarlock and socket.

Another View:

Oarlock and socket.

I have left the old sockets in place.  Time will tell if the new sockets are better.

I have also decided that her oars are a little too heavy in the blade.  I take off the centre rib.

Centre rib removed next to centre rib still there.

I used a sanding disk attached to my grinder to take out the rib, giving me more of a spoon shape.

Grinder with disk.

The grinder in action.

Sanding out the centre rib.

Eight coats of Varnish and four coats for the depth-sounder strips later, they are ready to row!

 

Gwragedd Annwn at the beach at Hollyburn Sailing Club.

Refreshed and read to go!

I built a small box for her foredeck to hold her anchor and line in.

Adjustable thwarts, here set for 8½” back from the Oarlock.

Her new thwarts are adjustable and have the potential to be made into sliding seats.

The thwarts are numbered so I can always get them to fit.

Numbered Thwarts.

Thwart storage under main rowing position.

I have made a bracket to hold the thwarts while I am rowing and not using them for a sleeping platform.

Port thwart storage bracket with Diving knife in background.

Thwarts stowed.

When the thwarts are stored, they form the foot brace for the forward rowing position.

I usually take the thwarts out when moving Gwragedd Annwn around on her dolly…The extra thwarts, at about 8 pounds each, they add another 60+ pounds of weight when moving her around. The storage box, with anchor, is about 30 pounds more.  When she is afloat, the extra weight actually makes rowing her easier, she has more momentum and is less effected by the wind.

Two views of her new foot braces, here set at the after-most position.

New  main rowing position foot brace set in after-most position.

I had some left-over brass half-round that I put on the top edge for a wear-strip.

Main rowing position foot brace.

 

Her foot braces have four adjustments.

Gwragedd Annwn’s foredeck was a water trap.  I epoxied in two scuppers, Port & Starboard.

Foredeck scupper in action.

Port Scupper, inside view.

There are the new 15° offset sockets.

Original and offset oarlocks one.

Original and offset oarlocks two.

Oar in offset oarlock.

The brass half-round in the foreground of the picture is a wear strip for the strap used to secure Gwragedd Annwn to her trailer.

She has new forward-view mirrors.

I am still trying out the improvements.

I will let you know how they work out.

Good rowing to you,

 

 

Mike

 

Weekend four of the Canoe Build:

Paul comes up to put the cove on the bead and cove strips.  I have set up the router jig and after a few test strips, we are ready to go.

Paul puts the strips in order.

I have a shop vac and a cyclone lid for my dust collection system:

The dust collection system.   The white barrel with the cyclone lid is my primary filter.  The white barrel has a twenty foot hose on it.  Long enough to reach every corner of the shop.  The black rubber strap keeps the cyclone lid on the barrel even when the shop vac is not turned on.  If I am going to use the shop vac as a shop vac, I will put the filter back in and use it as normal.

I have taken the filter out of the shop vac and piped the exhaust out of the garage using a dryer vent.  This way I will get no dust in the shop from the vacuum system.

We turn on the shop vac and the router and begin to feed the strips in.

Coving the strips 1.

I need a better intake for the dust system with the router jig.  Some still escapes.

Coving the strips 2.

Coving the strips 3.

Coving the strips 4.

As Paul puts the strips through, I pull on the strip when it passes the extension table.  This way, Paul does not have to get his hands/fingers near the router bit.

Each strip takes 30 seconds or less to go from the stack, through the router jig and back to the pile.  We have two bundles of 30 strips and are done is less than an hour.

Bundle of finished strips.

Each bundle is sorted as to colour and is for one side of the canoe.  We hope to have the two sides evenly coloured/patterned.

To help keep the shop dust free, I have turned our old box fan into a dust remover:

Box fan dust remover front.

The fan sucks the air through the filter.  To the left is a heat lamp to help keep the damp out of the garage.

Box fan dust remover back.  I use a 20 by 20 furnace filter held in place by four shop made brackets.

Paul is still debating making two “accent” strips to embellish the canoe.  I think that he should.  After Christmas we will go down to Windsor and see if they have anything that will be suitable.

Merry paddling,

Mike