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Permalink Reply by Lawrence E. Long on May 18, 2012 at 4:56am

Randy:That is a spectacular job of restoration/resurection.  This is what is called a plank on frame build.  Each plank(strip) has to be individually fit to the next one- not an easy task.   How many block plane blades did you run through?  I have a hard time fitting 6" wide planks - let alone narrow ones.  Since the planking is cedar  and rot resistant  I suggest you oil the interior and varnish the exterior  with at least 4 coats of varnish  to protect the epoxy from UV rays- otherwize it will go "milky".  With that beautiful wood I would not cover it up with paint.  10 years from now if you get tired of varnishing you can paint it.

Great Job

 

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Permalink Reply by Randy Eyre on May 27, 2012 at 10:27pm

Thanks, yes I still am having nightmares about planing and sanding, I am oiling all of the interior that does not have expoxy and fiberglass, what a treat compared to epoxy and varnish, tried Brad Dimocks LTV formula, very nice, easy to apply and gives the wood a nice pop.  Made a little more progress and  finished roughing in the decking (semi water resistant).  It is a compromise between a sleeping-napping platform while leaving some open space for stumbling around while fighting fish.  I am hoping to have it on the water within 2 weeks for the spring chinook run on the Salmon River near Riggins, which is shaping up to be a good one.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Martin on May 18, 2012 at 7:01am

WOW!! Randy, please take your wife out to the best restaurant your money can by. If she is responsible for you building this, SHE ROCKS!! You have built a beautiful build! Congrats!!

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Permalink Reply by Randy Eyre on June 22, 2012 at 7:20am

Thanks, Cedar strip boat is pretty much done!  Two or three coats of varnish and/or oil so far, love those fumes, will be on the water this weekend, updated pictures are posted

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on June 24, 2012 at 9:00pm

Randy,

You have done a beautiful job of building your boat, it looks awsome!  I am in the process of building a drift boat also and will be using cedar strips for the sides.  I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.  Are the sides only glassed on the outside (assuming you added the strips directly to the framing one-at-a-time)?  How did you attach the strips to the framing?  Or, were the sides made (stripped) off the boat, glassed both sides and then assembled to the boat framing like plywood?   Looking at your pictures it seems to me there are butt joints centered on the framing, telling me you did them one-at-a-time.  Any information on your construction you could give me would be a big help.  Do you have any pictures of the work in-process?

Great Job and hope you have many long hours using your boat.  It's a Gem!

phil w.

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Permalink Reply by Randy Eyre on June 24, 2012 at 10:54pm

Thanks, it has been a fun and head scratching project, pretty much seat of the pants learned as I went, The sides have 6 oz cloth on both sides, placed and epoxied  after assembly, one solid piece on the outsides and cut and fitted between frames on the inside.  The inside may not have been necessary but I wanted to seal and bond the strips as much as possible.  The strips were placed one at a time, attached at the stem and stern with screws (may not have been necessary but it worked), glued and clamped to the frames, an occasional screw on a frame for a stubborn fit and later taken out and epoxied.  The strips were scarfed from 6 foot pieces and staggered, so no they are not butted at the frames.  My biggest regret is that I did not take more construction picures, everything about the build was unorthadox, not planned in advance and mostly figured out by staring at the boat, working with the materials at hand, and then oh! lets try this, not recommended but it worked.  As mentioned above, I basically started with a boat I had built from  a Tatman frame 10 years ago, frames, chines, stem and stern were all in pristine condition, I pulled off the bottom and one side, leaving attached frames, chine, stem, stern  and one side, that basically gave me the form to attach the strips to the removed side, when that side was stripped, the other side was removed and the process was repeated, everything else morphed as I went, much of it bits and pieces put together from ideas from this great site.  I don't think I could replicate it if I tried.  Hope this helps and makes sense, Your build looks like it is going great, I did not know much about working with cedar but it was nice to work with.

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on June 25, 2012 at 6:45am

Randy,

Thanks for the info.  I have built a cedar strip canoe a couple of years ago and know what you went through.  It was a first for me and a learning experience too.  I hadn't thought of glassing the inside as you have and will have to take a look at that method.  What did you use for glue on the strips?  Titebond II or III? 

I hope, this week, to cut the strips from the cedar lumber.  I have a couple of 1" x 8"  x 16' boards that are "D-Select" grade and hope to have them ready to start applying to the boat in a week or so.  After spending a 6 months building the framing I am getting excited!

thanks for the assistance

phil w.

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Permalink Reply by Randy Eyre on June 25, 2012 at 10:37pm

Phil, I used III, You are at one of the rewarding parts, watching the hull take shape.  16 ' boards very nice, scarfing the 6' footers was tedious.  Will you strip from the top or bottom, that was one decision I mulled over for quite a while, I ended up going  evenly from the top and bottom and met in the middle.  What thickness are you going to cut the strips? I went with 5/16 ths.  After cloth and epoxy they are  around 3/8.  I really am curious as to what the final weight is, seems to be slightly lighter than the original, but that may be wishfull thinking.  

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on June 26, 2012 at 7:36am

Randy,

I have planned to start the stripping from the shear (top) and work toward the chines (bottom).  The first strips may not bend completly to the bow end of the stem.  I'll just fill that end in with short strips, like I did on the canoe. 

I made a set-up where I can cut two srips at a time on the table saw.  I made a spacer to add a second blade.  I set the fence at 9/32 (.28") and the spacer is made to make the same cut.  With the dado insert it works slick.  I also used two 7 1/4 inch diameter blades in my 10" saw.  Two reasons;, one they have 24 teeth (better for ripping) and have the thinnest kerf (~.065) and waste less wood.  This set-up works slick too for ripping Oak, Ash, and any other hardwoods.  The blades are cheap and easily found.  My 10" blades are 40 & 60 teeth and the kerf about .100" thick, not the best for ripping wood.

The 9/32 strips give me a little more wood to make sure the boat is fair after sanding without the risk of getting the sides too thin.  I am shooting for  1/4" minimum thickness for the sides.

The only problem I have is it takes two people to handle 16' boards and feed them throught he saw.  The board thickness is 7/8" and that's the resultant width of the strips.  It works for me!  After bead and cove they'll be about 3/4 wide.  That's what I am using to calculate the number of strips I'll need.

I am mulling over wether to use Titebond II or III.  On the canoe I used II and as long as the epoxy and glass encapsulate the wood all is good.  The drift boat will see a rougher useage and III may be the better choice.  Still time to decide, eh.

Keep your stick on the ice,

phil w

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