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DIY Canoe Outfitting
It's been a long time since I've been on rbp. Good to see some of the
old names still about. Some. T'any rate I've been playing with canoe outfitting customized for my own pecularities. Like so (re-posted from a moderated board): Deck Plate Painter Keepers: Having painter lines secured but ready to grab can be advantageous. Bungee cord strung in a sideways Z pattern, running over, under and over larger deck plates will provide painter storage above or below decks. Secure the painter between the two bungees topside (retrieve the same way) and it won’t accidentally end up pulling out under a stretched bungee, or secure it under the deck plates where it can’t be grabbed by branches on narrow, woody trips.. Tools & Materials: Quality bungee cord, drill & bits, clamp. The Big Book of Knots for Dummies. Installation: Knot the far end of a length of bungee and begin the lacing from underneath one of the two far reach stem holes. Pull the bungee through to the knot, run it back topside and down into the wide- end deck plate hole, up diagonally underneath, back out the remaining stem hole, topside again and finally through the remaining hole. Stretch the bitter end slightly taut, clamp it under the deck plate and tie off another stopper. That accessible-end knot can be shortened as the bungee stretches with age. Photo – bungee run without line http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KWxCxs Photo – topside bungee position http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283phDBsW Photo – underdeck bungee position http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283DcZgJq +++ Thwart Bungees: A bungee-strung thwart makes a handy repository for paddler miscellanea – sunglasses, hat, compass, map or etc. Tools and Materials: Same as above. Add varnish and string a drilled dowel or wood ball for easier bungee grabbing with wet, cold or gloved hands. The flatter dowel shape is better for holding gear; the round ball is easier to stuff a paddle blade under. Installation: Measure and mark the bungee hole positions on the thwart in situ. For near thwarts I like an over, under, over pattern for multiple bungee catches top and bottom side. A single topside run of bow thwart bungee makes a good spare paddle blade holder. Offsetting the end bungee holes from the machine screw hole along the grain will help preserve the strength of the thwart. Remove the thwart and drill the marked holes. Use a burr to bevel them out both top and bottom in the direction the bungee will be stretched to prevent wear. Seal any raw wood with varnish (a pipe cleaner is useful for varnishing inside the holes). And, what the heck, might as well reseal the butt ends while the varnish and brush are out. Tie a stopper knot, run the desired bungee pattern through the holes (don’t forget to add the dowel or knob spacers), tension, clamp, knot the bungee again underneath and replace the thwart. Photo: Stringing the bungee http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283SnHUVA Photo – Tandem with thwart and yoke bungees http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283GwTYIP Photo – Thwart bungee as gear keeper. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JDvKeI Photo – Single bungee run as paddle keep (reflective bungee) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283llgXtz +++ Utility Thwarts: While the thwart is out, is that sturdy crosspiece all that it can be? Think multi-functional: foot brace, kneeling thwart, sail mount. Lazy river ottoman or padded poling brace if that’s your style. A wider thwart, slightly suspended and double-hung with two machine screws per side can provide strength and adaptability. Tools and Materials: Dimensional lumber, saw, drill & bits, resized machine screws for suspending thwart. Add minicell, sail mount, GPS holder, bungee cord - whatever floats your boat. Installation: Design and cut the wood to the desired utility thwart size and shape. Don’t forget to shape the thwart ends to accommodate the curvature of the gunwale line and angle of the tumblehome or flare. Mark and drill the holes for appropriately sized machine screws. Install the unfinished thwart for a test fit, sand or shape any minor corrections needed and then stain, oil or varnish as preferred, including pipe cleaner varnishing the newly drilled holes. Photo – Sail mount utility thwart http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283aItRyt Photo – Kneeling thwart/foot brace/sail mount combo http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BxGsZu Photo - Sail Mount utility thwart with ball spacers http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283XVaUVb +++ Minicell Exercise flooring: 60 x 1 cm square sheets of minicell exercise flooring available at big-box stores are the best bargain going for thin padding needs. The flat finished side allows a good contact cement bond, and the crosshatched side provides traction and added durability. Tools and Materials: Minicell flooring, razor knife, contact cement, chip brush. Installation: Cut the minicell to the desired shape, trace the location on the hull and clean the area inside the trace. Coat the minicell with contact cement, wait, coat the minicell again, wait, coat inside the trace on the hull and coat the amazingly thirsty minicell yet again. When both surfaces are just barely tacky press together. Careful with the alignment; you only get one shot before all is stuck. Photo – 60 x 1cm sheets of minicell exercise flooring http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JnkhJz Photo – exercise flooring minicell knee and poling pads http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PvcnuC ++++ Minicell knee bumpers: Custom cut and carved minicell knee bumpers glued below the gunwale add comfort and contact for boat control when paddling seated, especially when paired with a foot brace. Tools and Materials: Chunk of minicell, saw, contact cement, chip brush. Dragonskin for custom shaping (drywall sanding screen will work in a pinch). Installation: Cut to size and approximate shape, leaving one corner as a right angle ┐ for contact cement application under the gunwale. Put the canoe on the ground (or on a pad on the workshop floor), assume your customary paddling position, tape the knee bumpers in place and trace the outline. Contact cement same as above (two or three coats on the minicell, one or two on the hull. After the bumpers are set in place the final shaping works best if done incrementally; sand a little off, have a seat, mark another shaping increment and take a little more off. Bring a marker on the first couple trips for the final shaping notations. Photo – Minicell knee bumpers, cut to shape for gluing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283axQDxY Photo – Glued in place http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283nlXkgG Photo – Holy knee comfort Batman http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VGphyn Shank End Webbing Loops: Homemade webbing loops added to the shank end of thwart and yoke hardware provide a stout tie down point. Adding a half twist to the webbing will keep the loop open, vertical and easier to use than a flat loop. Tools & Material: 1” webbing, scissors, tape, propane torch, nail and vice grips. Installation: Cut 1” wide webbing to length (13 to 15cm works well), add a half twist, fold over and secure the free ends with a piece of tape. A 20-penny common nail heated with a propane torch will melt perfect 5mm holes for most canoe hardware. Remove the nut or nylock, slip the machine screw shank through the melted webbing hole and install a flat washer before replacing the nut. A 5mm pop rivet will secure these same webbing loops under a vinyl gunwale. Photo – Cut the webbing to length http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KwWRlP Photo – Flame seal the cut ends http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283RFvIcF Fold over a half twist and tape the ends together http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VfwQys Photo – Ready to melt perfect 3/16” holes http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283gwbjRI Photo – Melting the hole http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283wTlnrH Photo – Half twist webbing loops on thwart end. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283tMlntC Photo – Half twist webbing loops pop riveted under the gunwale http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283sPOXIv +++ Seat pad: If you spend hours in a canoe it should be the best seat in the house. For daylong comfort nothing beats a little cush for the tush. Choices range from closed cell foam to gel pads to inflatable pads. My favorite for inflation adjustability while paddling is a simple Therma-rest Trail seat, used mostly deflated for maximus gluteus contact and wrapped over the front seat edge for kneeling comfort. Plus it’s handy out-of-boat around camp or on shore during daytrip respites. Keeping it in place needs only the addition of two slightly loose webbing pieces wrapped around the seat frame. Tools & Materials: Webbing, scissors, stainless steel staples or brads. Installation: Remove the seat, wrap two slightly loose pieces of webbing around the frame front to back and staple or tack the webbing ends under the seat. Reinstall the seat (refinish the butt ends with varnish, eh). To use just slip a partially deflated pad under the straps. Even a mostly deflated pad provides sufficient comfort and seat contact, and can still be incrementally deflated a few times to change pressure points over the course of a day. Photo – Webbing, stainless steel staples, seat and pad http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283ELTAHW Photo – Seat cushion (and back band) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BRhazt Photo – Seat cushion in place (with back band and spray cover) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BuCZqF ++++ Through-hull lining holes: A well placed through-hull connection is no- contest better than the alternatives of tying off painters or lining ropes from a carry thwart or deck plate handle. Making a through-hull connection sturdy and waterproof on Royalex canoes needs only a couple of plastic electrical box grommets, a piece of tubing, some epoxy and the courage to drill a big hole. Tools and materials: Marker, tape measure, drill, spade bit, box grommets, tubing, epoxy. Installation: Mark the through-hull hole locations evenly on either side of each stem and drill the holes (keep the spade bit flush with the hull, not the keel line). Test fit the diameter of the box grommet shank to make sure it fits snuggly inside the hull hole, and that the tubing fits over the shank end of the box grommet inside the hull. Sand the grommet shank or file the drilled hole as necessary for a snug fit. The ends of the tubing should be cut to match the angle of the interior hull dimensions. Test fit all of the pieces before gluing. Epoxy the outside of the grommet shank & flange and the inside of the tubing, situate the tubing inside the hull and press the box grommets through the hull holes and into the tubing. Bend a long bolt to match the angle of the canoe’s stem, run it through the hole with a fender washer on either side and tighten the nut for a snug epoxy-drying fit. Once the epoxy has set remove the bent-bolt tightening jig, run the painter line through the waterproof hull hole and find that knot book again before attaching the painters. Photo - Drill the hole for the box grommets http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283yGtlhz Photo – sanding the box grommet shank to fit the tubing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BeHoUm Photo – Box grommet-tubing test fit http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283MPvmYc Photo – Ready to glue it up http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283niQnZg Photo – Box grommets, tubing, angled machine screws http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283EmuXrq Photo – Angled machine screws holding glued grommets and tubing tight to hull http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vGmfgA Photo – Tubing inside the hull http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283oVtPNl Photo – Through hull line connection http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FXAXeK +++ Stem line carry candles: Carry thwarts or deck plate handles are convenient for pulling over beaver damns, hauling above the tide line or double carrying a ready-to-launch canoe to the water at busy put ins, but those usually accessible grab holds can disappear when using a spray cover. Those through-hull lining holes, located well below any spray cover interference, can be augmented with a short piece of flexible tubing for a handhold more comfortable than tugging on naked rope. Tools and materials: Tubing for handle, torch, vice grips, short piece of thin metal pipe for melting a rope-size hole in the tubing. Installation: Cut the tubing to handhold length, heat the pipe and burn a rope size hole in the center of the tubing (shove a dowel inside the tubing for something to press the hot pipe end against). Place the painter line through the box grommeted hull hole and run the short end of the line through the tubing from one side and out the other side (leave enough slack line protruding to tie a knot). Run the long end of the line halfway through the tubing from the other direction and pull it all the way out through the melted hole. Knot the short end around the loop (where did you put the Big Book of Knots for Dummies?) and pull the knot back until it is centered inside the tubing. Photo – Flexible tubing, torch, narrow “melter” pipe, dowel http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vIpFJS Photo – Centered hole in tubing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283wkNfRr Photo – Line through tubing. Leave enough slack to tie a knot and it slide back inside the tube. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PCGLxt Photo – Tubing handhold at the ready http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283UVFZtK http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PWJadH +++ No-waste one-cut seat drops: Altering the seat position or depth may be the first step in customizing a canoe for individual paddler preference. A full truss or half truss seat drop will add rigidity to the frame. Home outfitters can save wood and time by making a mirror image truss curve, so that each cut begins the shape of the next piece in line without any wasted wood (or wasted cuts). Mirror image curves work equally well for seat drops or kneeling thwart drops Tools and materials: Dimensional lumber, band saw or jig saw, sandpaper, drill, varnish. Installation: Rough cut the drops and check the angle at the wide end of the drop where it will be installed under the gunwale to make certain it sits flush and hangs straight from the inwale. Mark and drill the holes and test fit the drops for any minor corrections before varnishing. Remember the pipe cleaners. Photo – Kneeling thwart drops, full trusses, long half trusses, short half trusses http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283sfTWVi Photo – Half trusses replacing dowel drops. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vktLgi +++ Other Odd DIY Stuff Gogetch: All of the friend’s boats that come through my home workshop get owner- customized stem designs, and my personal boats all sport the shop logo; a stylized combination of various Passamaquoddy builder “gogetch” stem decorations http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283IufKgG The crescent moon and star are borrowed from the mark of Joe Ellis and the pipe from the mark of old Peter Plochies (see pages 85 and 85 of “The Bark and Skin Boats of North America) My artistic talents ceased developing at the crude stick figure level, so I make a carbon paper trace from a copy of the Shop Gogetch http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VwxdAl tape it on the canoe and scribe the outline with a pencil http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283IQXSNo and fill in the blank http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283MNLgoW Each shop Gogetch turns out a little different http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283xWDwCE And each friend’s boat through the shop gets something that speaks to their history http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283rQHiJM http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283qlEMqG http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283aOSTkP http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283UTXnDd +++ DIY Padded/Insulated Dry Bag: A 5 to 10 liter dry bag stovepiped with a cylinder of ensolite foam makes a multifunctional padded dry bag for small cameras, optics, weather radios or other electronics. Tools and Materials: Small dry bag, ensolite pad, razor blade, contact cement, chip brush. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KUVBeF Installation: Measure loosely around the circumference of the dry bag; any excess length of ensolite stovepipe will be overlapped and glued. Cut the ensolite strip to size, leaving enough headspace to roll the bag down and clasp securely. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FJsDRT Slip it unglued into the dry bag and mark the overlap in situ. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283NCKidw Remove the stovepipe from the bag, contact cement the facing edges of the overlap and press together. Add a couple of circles of foam for bottom paddling and slip the glued stovepipe into the bag. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283gdBMJP http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283iIspfs Because the dry bag is well sealed and insulated these also make amazingly effective food and drink coolers for day trips. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283tGAkCY +++ (84) Frugal Paddle Bags: Using a paddle bag or sock protects your preferred propulsion from shuttle abuse; a $5 gun sock provides a frugal solution. Tools and Materials: Gun sock, cord lock, trip to big box store sporting goods isle. Installation: Add a cord lock if the gun sock doesn’t have one, slide the paddle in blade first and presto – inexpensive paddle bag. Photo – Gun sock and cord lock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283ZZfNqB Photo - Gunsock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PLZTvN Photo – Paddle and gunsock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283htYqtd Photo – Paddle in gunsock. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FdUDZI +++ EZ boat storage rack: A movable storage rack, with space for multiple boats, can be made by fashioning oversized sawhorses with an additional low crossbar. Tools and materials: Nine 2x4x8 pressure treated boards, four sawhorse brackets, screws, drill, saw. Construction: Begin by cutting four of the boards in half to make eight sawhorse legs, each 4 feet tall. Place the legs in the sawhorse bracket sockets and screw into place. Position the hinged top of the sawhorse brackets about 20cm in from the ends of the top 2x4 crossbar, angle the bottom of the legs out slightly and screw in the top crossbar. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283xZxaoi Cut a couple of spacers to fit between the legs, one up high for strength, one low to seat the bottom crossbar http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JkDSuu Screw those spacers in place, add the bottom crossbar and one canoe storage horse is done. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PUXhSn Make the second canoehorse and rack your boats. A few eye bolts and rope will keep the top boats in place on windy days. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283TsdpBj Easily movable and plenty sturdy http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283OrCNHj |
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#2
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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DIY Canoe Outfitting
Very nice write-up. I'm thinking this will show up in Paddler or C&K
sometime soon? Steve Mike McCrea wrote: It's been a long time since I've been on rbp. Good to see some of the old names still about. Some. T'any rate I've been playing with canoe outfitting customized for my own pecularities. Like so (re-posted from a moderated board): |
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#3
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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DIY Canoe Outfitting
Good to see yer name, you ol' McCrea you!
-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty -- Richard Hopley, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll |
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#4
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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DIY Canoe Outfitting
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:53:37 -0700 (PDT), Mike McCrea
wrote: It's been a long time since I've been on rbp. Good to see some of the old names still about. Some. T'any rate I've been playing with canoe outfitting customized for my own pecularities. Like so (re-posted from a moderated board): Deck Plate Painter Keepers: Having painter lines secured but ready to grab can be advantageous. Bungee cord strung in a sideways Z pattern, running over, under and over larger deck plates will provide painter storage above or below decks. Secure the painter between the two bungees topside (retrieve the same way) and it wont accidentally end up pulling out under a stretched bungee, or secure it under the deck plates where it cant be grabbed by branches on narrow, woody trips. Tools & Materials: Quality bungee cord, drill & bits, clamp. The Big Book of Knots for Dummies. Installation: Knot the far end of a length of bungee and begin the lacing from underneath one of the two far reach stem holes. Pull the bungee through to the knot, run it back topside and down into the wide- end deck plate hole, up diagonally underneath, back out the remaining stem hole, topside again and finally through the remaining hole. Stretch the bitter end slightly taut, clamp it under the deck plate and tie off another stopper. That accessible-end knot can be shortened as the bungee stretches with age. Photo bungee run without line http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KWxCxs Photo topside bungee position http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283phDBsW Photo underdeck bungee position http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283DcZgJq +++ Thwart Bungees: A bungee-strung thwart makes a handy repository for paddler miscellanea sunglasses, hat, compass, map or etc. Tools and Materials: Same as above. Add varnish and string a drilled dowel or wood ball for easier bungee grabbing with wet, cold or gloved hands. The flatter dowel shape is better for holding gear; the round ball is easier to stuff a paddle blade under. Installation: Measure and mark the bungee hole positions on the thwart in situ. For near thwarts I like an over, under, over pattern for multiple bungee catches top and bottom side. A single topside run of bow thwart bungee makes a good spare paddle blade holder. Offsetting the end bungee holes from the machine screw hole along the grain will help preserve the strength of the thwart. Remove the thwart and drill the marked holes. Use a burr to bevel them out both top and bottom in the direction the bungee will be stretched to prevent wear. Seal any raw wood with varnish (a pipe cleaner is useful for varnishing inside the holes). And, what the heck, might as well reseal the butt ends while the varnish and brush are out. Tie a stopper knot, run the desired bungee pattern through the holes (dont forget to add the dowel or knob spacers), tension, clamp, knot the bungee again underneath and replace the thwart. Photo: Stringing the bungee http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283SnHUVA Photo Tandem with thwart and yoke bungees http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283GwTYIP Photo Thwart bungee as gear keeper. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JDvKeI Photo Single bungee run as paddle keep (reflective bungee) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283llgXtz +++ Utility Thwarts: While the thwart is out, is that sturdy crosspiece all that it can be? Think multi-functional: foot brace, kneeling thwart, sail mount. Lazy river ottoman or padded poling brace if thats your style. A wider thwart, slightly suspended and double-hung with two machine screws per side can provide strength and adaptability. Tools and Materials: Dimensional lumber, saw, drill & bits, resized machine screws for suspending thwart. Add minicell, sail mount, GPS holder, bungee cord - whatever floats your boat. Installation: Design and cut the wood to the desired utility thwart size and shape. Dont forget to shape the thwart ends to accommodate the curvature of the gunwale line and angle of the tumblehome or flare. Mark and drill the holes for appropriately sized machine screws. Install the unfinished thwart for a test fit, sand or shape any minor corrections needed and then stain, oil or varnish as preferred, including pipe cleaner varnishing the newly drilled holes. Photo Sail mount utility thwart http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283aItRyt Photo Kneeling thwart/foot brace/sail mount combo http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BxGsZu Photo - Sail Mount utility thwart with ball spacers http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283XVaUVb +++ Minicell Exercise flooring: 60 x 1 cm square sheets of minicell exercise flooring available at big-box stores are the best bargain going for thin padding needs. The flat finished side allows a good contact cement bond, and the crosshatched side provides traction and added durability. Tools and Materials: Minicell flooring, razor knife, contact cement, chip brush. Installation: Cut the minicell to the desired shape, trace the location on the hull and clean the area inside the trace. Coat the minicell with contact cement, wait, coat the minicell again, wait, coat inside the trace on the hull and coat the amazingly thirsty minicell yet again. When both surfaces are just barely tacky press together. Careful with the alignment; you only get one shot before all is stuck. Photo 60 x 1cm sheets of minicell exercise flooring http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JnkhJz Photo exercise flooring minicell knee and poling pads http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PvcnuC ++++ Minicell knee bumpers: Custom cut and carved minicell knee bumpers glued below the gunwale add comfort and contact for boat control when paddling seated, especially when paired with a foot brace. Tools and Materials: Chunk of minicell, saw, contact cement, chip brush. Dragonskin for custom shaping (drywall sanding screen will work in a pinch). Installation: Cut to size and approximate shape, leaving one corner as a right angle ? for contact cement application under the gunwale. Put the canoe on the ground (or on a pad on the workshop floor), assume your customary paddling position, tape the knee bumpers in place and trace the outline. Contact cement same as above (two or three coats on the minicell, one or two on the hull. After the bumpers are set in place the final shaping works best if done incrementally; sand a little off, have a seat, mark another shaping increment and take a little more off. Bring a marker on the first couple trips for the final shaping notations. Photo Minicell knee bumpers, cut to shape for gluing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283axQDxY Photo Glued in place http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283nlXkgG Photo Holy knee comfort Batman http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VGphyn Shank End Webbing Loops: Homemade webbing loops added to the shank end of thwart and yoke hardware provide a stout tie down point. Adding a half twist to the webbing will keep the loop open, vertical and easier to use than a flat loop. Tools & Material: 1 webbing, scissors, tape, propane torch, nail and vice grips. Installation: Cut 1 wide webbing to length (13 to 15cm works well), add a half twist, fold over and secure the free ends with a piece of tape. A 20-penny common nail heated with a propane torch will melt perfect 5mm holes for most canoe hardware. Remove the nut or nylock, slip the machine screw shank through the melted webbing hole and install a flat washer before replacing the nut. A 5mm pop rivet will secure these same webbing loops under a vinyl gunwale. Photo Cut the webbing to length http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KwWRlP Photo Flame seal the cut ends http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283RFvIcF Fold over a half twist and tape the ends together http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VfwQys Photo Ready to melt perfect 3/16 holes http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283gwbjRI Photo Melting the hole http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283wTlnrH Photo Half twist webbing loops on thwart end. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283tMlntC Photo Half twist webbing loops pop riveted under the gunwale http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283sPOXIv +++ Seat pad: If you spend hours in a canoe it should be the best seat in the house. For daylong comfort nothing beats a little cush for the tush. Choices range from closed cell foam to gel pads to inflatable pads. My favorite for inflation adjustability while paddling is a simple Therma-rest Trail seat, used mostly deflated for maximus gluteus contact and wrapped over the front seat edge for kneeling comfort. Plus its handy out-of-boat around camp or on shore during daytrip respites. Keeping it in place needs only the addition of two slightly loose webbing pieces wrapped around the seat frame. Tools & Materials: Webbing, scissors, stainless steel staples or brads. Installation: Remove the seat, wrap two slightly loose pieces of webbing around the frame front to back and staple or tack the webbing ends under the seat. Reinstall the seat (refinish the butt ends with varnish, eh). To use just slip a partially deflated pad under the straps. Even a mostly deflated pad provides sufficient comfort and seat contact, and can still be incrementally deflated a few times to change pressure points over the course of a day. Photo Webbing, stainless steel staples, seat and pad http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283ELTAHW Photo Seat cushion (and back band) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BRhazt Photo Seat cushion in place (with back band and spray cover) http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BuCZqF ++++ Through-hull lining holes: A well placed through-hull connection is no- contest better than the alternatives of tying off painters or lining ropes from a carry thwart or deck plate handle. Making a through-hull connection sturdy and waterproof on Royalex canoes needs only a couple of plastic electrical box grommets, a piece of tubing, some epoxy and the courage to drill a big hole. Tools and materials: Marker, tape measure, drill, spade bit, box grommets, tubing, epoxy. Installation: Mark the through-hull hole locations evenly on either side of each stem and drill the holes (keep the spade bit flush with the hull, not the keel line). Test fit the diameter of the box grommet shank to make sure it fits snuggly inside the hull hole, and that the tubing fits over the shank end of the box grommet inside the hull. Sand the grommet shank or file the drilled hole as necessary for a snug fit. The ends of the tubing should be cut to match the angle of the interior hull dimensions. Test fit all of the pieces before gluing. Epoxy the outside of the grommet shank & flange and the inside of the tubing, situate the tubing inside the hull and press the box grommets through the hull holes and into the tubing. Bend a long bolt to match the angle of the canoes stem, run it through the hole with a fender washer on either side and tighten the nut for a snug epoxy-drying fit. Once the epoxy has set remove the bent-bolt tightening jig, run the painter line through the waterproof hull hole and find that knot book again before attaching the painters. Photo - Drill the hole for the box grommets http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283yGtlhz Photo sanding the box grommet shank to fit the tubing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283BeHoUm Photo Box grommet-tubing test fit http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283MPvmYc Photo Ready to glue it up http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283niQnZg Photo Box grommets, tubing, angled machine screws http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283EmuXrq Photo Angled machine screws holding glued grommets and tubing tight to hull http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vGmfgA Photo Tubing inside the hull http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283oVtPNl Photo Through hull line connection http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FXAXeK +++ Stem line carry candles: Carry thwarts or deck plate handles are convenient for pulling over beaver damns, hauling above the tide line or double carrying a ready-to-launch canoe to the water at busy put ins, but those usually accessible grab holds can disappear when using a spray cover. Those through-hull lining holes, located well below any spray cover interference, can be augmented with a short piece of flexible tubing for a handhold more comfortable than tugging on naked rope. Tools and materials: Tubing for handle, torch, vice grips, short piece of thin metal pipe for melting a rope-size hole in the tubing. Installation: Cut the tubing to handhold length, heat the pipe and burn a rope size hole in the center of the tubing (shove a dowel inside the tubing for something to press the hot pipe end against). Place the painter line through the box grommeted hull hole and run the short end of the line through the tubing from one side and out the other side (leave enough slack line protruding to tie a knot). Run the long end of the line halfway through the tubing from the other direction and pull it all the way out through the melted hole. Knot the short end around the loop (where did you put the Big Book of Knots for Dummies?) and pull the knot back until it is centered inside the tubing. Photo Flexible tubing, torch, narrow melter pipe, dowel http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vIpFJS Photo Centered hole in tubing http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283wkNfRr Photo Line through tubing. Leave enough slack to tie a knot and it slide back inside the tube. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PCGLxt Photo Tubing handhold at the ready http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283UVFZtK http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PWJadH +++ No-waste one-cut seat drops: Altering the seat position or depth may be the first step in customizing a canoe for individual paddler preference. A full truss or half truss seat drop will add rigidity to the frame. Home outfitters can save wood and time by making a mirror image truss curve, so that each cut begins the shape of the next piece in line without any wasted wood (or wasted cuts). Mirror image curves work equally well for seat drops or kneeling thwart drops Tools and materials: Dimensional lumber, band saw or jig saw, sandpaper, drill, varnish. Installation: Rough cut the drops and check the angle at the wide end of the drop where it will be installed under the gunwale to make certain it sits flush and hangs straight from the inwale. Mark and drill the holes and test fit the drops for any minor corrections before varnishing. Remember the pipe cleaners. Photo Kneeling thwart drops, full trusses, long half trusses, short half trusses http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283sfTWVi Photo Half trusses replacing dowel drops. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283vktLgi +++ Other Odd DIY Stuff Gogetch: All of the friends boats that come through my home workshop get owner- customized stem designs, and my personal boats all sport the shop logo; a stylized combination of various Passamaquoddy builder gogetch stem decorations http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283IufKgG The crescent moon and star are borrowed from the mark of Joe Ellis and the pipe from the mark of old Peter Plochies (see pages 85 and 85 of The Bark and Skin Boats of North America) My artistic talents ceased developing at the crude stick figure level, so I make a carbon paper trace from a copy of the Shop Gogetch http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283VwxdAl tape it on the canoe and scribe the outline with a pencil http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283IQXSNo and fill in the blank http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283MNLgoW Each shop Gogetch turns out a little different http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283xWDwCE And each friends boat through the shop gets something that speaks to their history http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283rQHiJM http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283qlEMqG http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283aOSTkP http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283UTXnDd +++ DIY Padded/Insulated Dry Bag: A 5 to 10 liter dry bag stovepiped with a cylinder of ensolite foam makes a multifunctional padded dry bag for small cameras, optics, weather radios or other electronics. Tools and Materials: Small dry bag, ensolite pad, razor blade, contact cement, chip brush. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283KUVBeF Installation: Measure loosely around the circumference of the dry bag; any excess length of ensolite stovepipe will be overlapped and glued. Cut the ensolite strip to size, leaving enough headspace to roll the bag down and clasp securely. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FJsDRT Slip it unglued into the dry bag and mark the overlap in situ. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283NCKidw Remove the stovepipe from the bag, contact cement the facing edges of the overlap and press together. Add a couple of circles of foam for bottom paddling and slip the glued stovepipe into the bag. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283gdBMJP http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283iIspfs Because the dry bag is well sealed and insulated these also make amazingly effective food and drink coolers for day trips. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283tGAkCY +++ (84) Frugal Paddle Bags: Using a paddle bag or sock protects your preferred propulsion from shuttle abuse; a $5 gun sock provides a frugal solution. Tools and Materials: Gun sock, cord lock, trip to big box store sporting goods isle. Installation: Add a cord lock if the gun sock doesnt have one, slide the paddle in blade first and presto inexpensive paddle bag. Photo Gun sock and cord lock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283ZZfNqB Photo - Gunsock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PLZTvN Photo Paddle and gunsock http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283htYqtd Photo Paddle in gunsock. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283FdUDZI +++ EZ boat storage rack: A movable storage rack, with space for multiple boats, can be made by fashioning oversized sawhorses with an additional low crossbar. Tools and materials: Nine 2x4x8 pressure treated boards, four sawhorse brackets, screws, drill, saw. Construction: Begin by cutting four of the boards in half to make eight sawhorse legs, each 4 feet tall. Place the legs in the sawhorse bracket sockets and screw into place. Position the hinged top of the sawhorse brackets about 20cm in from the ends of the top 2x4 crossbar, angle the bottom of the legs out slightly and screw in the top crossbar. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283xZxaoi Cut a couple of spacers to fit between the legs, one up high for strength, one low to seat the bottom crossbar http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283JkDSuu Screw those spacers in place, add the bottom crossbar and one canoe storage horse is done. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283PUXhSn Make the second canoehorse and rack your boats. A few eye bolts and rope will keep the top boats in place on windy days. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283TsdpBj Easily movable and plenty sturdy http://good-times.webshots.com/photo...94614283OrCNHj Nice article! Thanks! |
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DIY Canoe Outfitting
Yowsa. Why all that extra work? Just push the end through from above
and knot it below. Then feed the _other end_ through the remaining holes. :-) Meanwhile, I've evolved over the years to prefer having my painters lying along the boat and feeding back to right beside me (tripping boats, I'm talking here). It makes it infinitely easier to just grab the end, hop out of boat along a steep or fast bank, and snub the boat in. Great post, btw. You still sending stuff to Lesie? -riverman On Aug 30, 11:53*pm, Mike McCrea wrote: Installation: Knot the far end of a length of bungee and begin the lacing from underneath one of the two far reach stem holes. Pull the bungee through to the knot... |
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