Canoe Launch

I have finished the canoe so it was time to try it out. We headed over to Pop and Nanna's house for the first splash. The canoe was great, tracked straight, fast enough, nice and stable. I wanted to test how stable it would be but I wasn't sure if it would float when swamped. So we put it in the swimming pool where the canoe proved to be quite stable, even when standing I didn't end up having to swim. The canoe hull is also quite buoyant when swamped. Thank you to Miss Roxy for  the photography. 

Matisse painting her paddle

Adventurous Paddler

Even more Adventurous Paddler

Yay

Matisse and I

Matisse and I

Helping to paddle

 
Keiths turn

Reasonably stable

I didn't fall in

Floats when swamped

Late Update

These photos are from a week ago. The Dinghy needs a sand and final coat of toplac. The canoe canoe has had the rubrails / gunwhale shaped and given a coat of epoxy. I have since done some more work on the canoe. It now has its interior finished with satin varnish over epoxy. The hull has its final gloss white paint, and the rubrail has some gloss varnish. I just need to finish the varnish on the brightwork and some sika on the underside of the rubrail. (A boat is not a boat if it does not have some sika). Also I have made a couple of paddles. A dodgy one for myself and a nicer one for Matisse. 

Canoe Gunwale Scarf Joint

I have attempted to fix the scarf joint that broke yesterday. It looks like it should work as the joint is held closed with some epoxy. Will take the clamps off tomorrow night and see.

Not much progress but a day out

I didn't get much done this weekend. I sanded the dinghy to have a better go at the paint. I also glued on the rub rails for the canoe. I broke one of the scarf joints though. I think the epoxy hadn't quite cured as the temps have been a bit cold. Hopefully I can glue and clamp it back together.

Otherwise we got out on my brothers boat to go to lunch so that was worthwhile substitute for boat building. Here is Matisse in the boat. (She fell asleep while the boat was screaming along at 50-60 knots).

Canoe Breasthooks

I had wanted to get more paint on the dinghy however it has been raining and therefore extra humid. So I gave painting a rest in case humidity messed around with it.

What I did do today was install the breasthooks in the canoe. I glued some merbeau with a pine stringer a few days ago and today I cut them out sanded them down and glued them in. They also have a coat of epoxy and the look like they will come out quite nice. Much more interesting than plywood anyway.

Oooohhh Shhhinny!

It is a long weekend so good progress is being made. I flipped the dinghy hull, sanded and put another undercoat on.

Then I got to work on the canoe. I had fibreglass taped inside the seams and epoxied the inside. and then faired and radiused the outside. so after some sanding I sheathed the outside with fibreglass and a few coats of epoxy. Today I sanded down the epoxy and used up the last of the international prekote. Just enough to cover the canoe.

Back to work on the dinghy and it was time for some shiny stuff. I am using international toplac, I added some thinners and set about rolling and tipping. First time rolling and tipping and I am happy with parts of the job. There are few areas that didn't come out too well, they can be sanded and fixed on the next coat.