hi im planning on building a canoe. Specifically, I would like to
build the 16 foot 'prospector' from moore's 'canoecraft' book, but the
design is in the form of a lofting table.

I know there are many books out there on lofting, but i have found
them to be more convoluted and complex than i need for a simple little
symmetrical canoe. The full size plans are available for purchase,
but I would I like learn how to loft. Can anynoe provide a brief
tutorial on how to loft canoe plans or maybe provide links to any
known web pages which *clearly* and as simply as possible methodically
describe how to loft -ideally canoes and specifically from the tables
in canoecraft- or other small simple boats?

you don't need to loft that boat. you cut out the station moulds and set
them up on a strongback. you lay a strip on at different points to check
for "fairness". when the moulds are fair you start construction. there are
photos of stripper construction on various Internet websites. try a search
for the websites at www.google.com.

sebastian ) writes:
hi im planning on building a canoe. Specifically, I would like to
build the 16 foot 'prospector' from moore's 'canoecraft' book, but the
design is in the form of a lofting table.

I know there are many books out there on lofting, but i have found
them to be more convoluted and complex than i need for a simple little
symmetrical canoe. The full size plans are available for purchase,
but I would I like learn how to loft. Can anynoe provide a brief
tutorial on how to loft canoe plans or maybe provide links to any
known web pages which *clearly* and as simply as possible methodically
describe how to loft -ideally canoes and specifically from the tables
in canoecraft- or other small simple boats?


--
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William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
you don't need to loft that boat. you cut out the station moulds and set
them up on a strongback. you lay a strip on at different points to check

I realize OP and your comment relate to lofting (or not lofting) with
regards to a canoe. I assume this would be from a table of offsets as
developed from line drawings.

This may work for a small craft where correction to the molds can be fairly
simple.

However, I would strongly encourage a prospective builder of a larger boat
to do a full lofting operation. The reason being that the lines and offset
provided in a set of plans are to the outside of the hull and it is not
feasible, using manual methods, to simply deduct the planking thickness due
to the complex curves or angles of the lines. (If the design were done on a
computer, the designer can now perform this operation and provide this for
mold building.)

It is true that the table of offsets might be use in the molds are external
molds and the planking laid inside. I've heard of this method but have never
used it since the fitting of the strip planks would be more difficult, IMHO.


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

In my older edition of Canoecraft, what's provided is most of a conventional
table of offsets.
You do need to loft and fair the 'body plan', the sections through the boat
at seven or eight stations. You'll need a 2' x 2' sheet of plywood. Paint
it flat white. I didn't find whether the given offsets are to the outside or
the inside of the planking. I'd ask the author. If to the outside, you'll
need to deduct plank thickness when taking patterns for mold stations.
I wouldn't try to loft/fair the waterlines or buttocks. When fairing the
body plan, be aware of the relation between successive ststions. Rather. i'd
get out and erect the station molds, then using a planking strip or batten,
look for bumps and hollows in the 'setup'. These need to be trimmed or
shimmed.
Any book on lofting will cover this basic stuff. Chapelle's 'Boatbuilding'
is probably easiest to find.

sebastian wrote:

hi im planning on building a canoe. Specifically, I would like to
build the 16 foot 'prospector' from moore's 'canoecraft' book, but the
design is in the form of a lofting table.

I know there are many books out there on lofting, but i have found
them to be more convoluted and complex than i need for a simple little
symmetrical canoe. The full size plans are available for purchase,
but I would I like learn how to loft. Can anynoe provide a brief
tutorial on how to loft canoe plans or maybe provide links to any
known web pages which *clearly* and as simply as possible methodically
describe how to loft -ideally canoes and specifically from the tables
in canoecraft- or other small simple boats?

Jim Conlin ) writes:
In my older edition of Canoecraft, what's provided is most of a conventional
table of offsets.
You do need to loft and fair the 'body plan', the sections through the boat
at seven or eight stations.

for stripper construction, the strips are so thin and flexibe, that you
need moulds no more than 1 ft apart. on a 16 ft canoe that means about 14
stations plus the stem moulds. since the hull is the same shape at both
ends you only have to draw half the moulds and them make duplicates for
the other end of the boat. you can draw all the half moulds on on sheet of
cardboard and check them against the diagram in the book for accuracy and
fairness before dissecting the cardboard to make plywood moulds. some
peopel have used cardboard moulds. when setting up the moulds on the
strongback the'll have to be checked again for fairness before planking. I
don't think that's called lofting. Lofting means checking all the lines in
the drawings against each other on a lifesize diagram of the boat. you'd
need a 16 ft roll of drawing of paper. they actually used to do that and
pin the drawing up on the wall or draw it on the floor. Its a good way of
cross checking for mistakes.

with so many moulds fairing is more accurate in stripper construction.
setting up is described in chapter 7 (I have the 1983 edition). Moores
does say to make sure the moulds are good and don't just borrow somone's
and use them without checking they're fair (ie will produce a
smooth-flowing hull without any bumps or sags in it).

there is a photo showing the moulds I made of the prospector in the book
on my website. look under Boats, Boat Designs, and 12 Foot Camping
Sailboat (I think that's what I called it). The one photos shows a
progression of moulds I did to model this boat and compare it with the
prospector from Moore's book.

You'll need a 2' x 2' sheet of plywood. Paint
it flat white. I didn't find whether the given offsets are to the outside or
the inside of the planking. I'd ask the author. If to the outside, you'll
need to deduct plank thickness when taking patterns for mold stations.
I wouldn't try to loft/fair the waterlines or buttocks. When fairing the
body plan, be aware of the relation between successive ststions. Rather. i'd
get out and erect the station molds, then using a planking strip or batten,
look for bumps and hollows in the 'setup'. These need to be trimmed or
shimmed.
Any book on lofting will cover this basic stuff. Chapelle's 'Boatbuilding'
is probably easiest to find.

sebastian wrote:

hi im planning on building a canoe. Specifically, I would like to
build the 16 foot 'prospector' from moore's 'canoecraft' book, but the
design is in the form of a lofting table.

naw, a lofting talbe is something you draw a full size 16 ft diagram of the
boat on. what you have in the book is a table of offsets which you use to
draw life size diagrams of the moulds.


I know there are many books out there on lofting, but i have found
them to be more convoluted and complex than i need for a simple little
symmetrical canoe.

right

The full size plans are available for purchase,
but I would I like learn how to loft. Can anynoe provide a brief
tutorial on how to loft canoe plans or maybe provide links to any
known web pages which *clearly* and as simply as possible methodically
describe how to loft -ideally canoes and specifically from the tables
in canoecraft- or other small simple boats?


just plot the points from the table of offsets. try a scaled down model
first. one inch instead of one foot will give you a 16 inch model. I put
the tables of offsets into a spreadsheet program and played around with
the scaling when I was looking at the canoe shape.

again, there are websites and other books on stripper construction you can
consult. we have a couple other authours besides Moores on stripper
construction in the Ottawa public library.

good luck.
--
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William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
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When I built my prospector full size plans weren't available. I found
the instructions in the book to be pretty clear. Basically you just
plot the points from the lofting table on a large sheet of graph paper
then join the dots using a flexible batten to make a fair curve. Do
that for each station. There's a site and forum witch might interest
you

http://www.bearmountainboats.com/

hi im planning on building a canoe. Specifically, I would like to
build the 16 foot 'prospector' from moore's 'canoecraft' book, but the
design is in the form of a lofting table.

I know there are many books out there on lofting, but i have found
them to be more convoluted and complex than i need for a simple little
symmetrical canoe. The full size plans are available for purchase,
but I would I like learn how to loft. Can anynoe provide a brief
tutorial on how to loft canoe plans or maybe provide links to any
known web pages which *clearly* and as simply as possible methodically
describe how to loft -ideally canoes and specifically from the tables
in canoecraft- or other small simple boats?

Hi

"Drew Dalgleish" skrev i en meddelelse
...
When I built my prospector full size plans weren't available. I found
the instructions in the book to be pretty clear. Basically you just
plot the points from the lofting table on a large sheet of graph paper
then join the dots using a flexible batten to make a fair curve. Do
that for each station.

Isn't that what is already prepared, with full-scale plans ?

P.C.

"P.C." wrote in message
. ..

Isn't that what is already prepared, with full-scale plans ?

Fairing lines to a scale on a drafting board or a sheet of plywood, it
"lofting the lines".

Full scale is the only way to do a full loft. Sometimes in a very large
vessel the loft will be to half scale so it will fit on the loft floor. The
main objective is to get the mold station to produce fair lines on the
finished hull. Adjusting the molds, after the fact is not the correct place
to find the errors.

I know that the OP was about a 16ft canoe. However the reason I jump in
about using a full loft is because so often a first time builder will look
for any reason or recommendation to skip the full loft and get started
turning wood into a boat. Unless the designer has taken the results of a
full loft (or the computer equivalent) and done the correction to the table
of offsets, then the offset table should only be trusted for the full loft.


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Hi

"Steve" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Unless the designer has taken the results of a
full loft (or the computer equivalent) and done the correction to the
table
of offsets, then the offset table should only be trusted for the full
loft.


Year , -- but meanwhile the measures must be transfered onto the material,
as the cut materials make up the actural hull. I mean you make the plans to
be able to show the lines not on paper, but on the materials so they can be
shaped into an assembly , ------- then with a heavy frame that must support
a panel , there will be a gab , unless the frames are marked with changing
angle both sides.
--------- Realy the spline for me ,alway's was the spline you place ontop
the rough timbers, before making them follow the planking some 90 pct. Realy
isn't this a bit old fasion, when you can shape the whole framework from
sheet material. Ever tried placing an oak frame in a Baltic trader ? --- if
so you will know there are a need for better technology , did you ever use a
vaccum cleaner to remove a rotten frame ? -------
Anyway first upscaling , then transfering must be less accurate, than
acturly producing the actural frame ,cut directly from the computer
drawings. This also allow for accurancy that make things possible ,that is
more difficult or somtimes impossible with tradisional means. Like forming
whatever assembly framework for whatever shape hull, in only sheet
materials.
P.C.

On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 21:28:17 +0200, "P.C."
wrote:

Hi

"Drew Dalgleish" skrev i en meddelelse
...
When I built my prospector full size plans weren't available. I found
the instructions in the book to be pretty clear. Basically you just
plot the points from the lofting table on a large sheet of graph paper
then join the dots using a flexible batten to make a fair curve. Do
that for each station.

Isn't that what is already prepared, with full-scale plans ?

P.C.


Yes but the OP is trying to save $75? by doing it himself. I'd
probably do the same thing and if he wants to come to southern ontario
he's welcome to take tracings from my stations.