Tor's Southwind

[Bemm 52]

Thats a good looking boat Tor

I've dropped mine too onto the bitumen but like you say they are tough.

Enjoy your xmas break

[OnkaBob]

Looking good Tor - must be very stable to be able to have the seat that high. She looks to be nicely trimmed too, not too high at either end.

As for the steering:

paddling like mad

..... could be part of the problem. There is a tendency in some of us (me included) to try to steer by paddling more/faster/harder on one side to make the boat head toward the other side. This has more effect on speed than direction and in my early learning stages caused me to head for obstacles at great speed .

The best way to do minor corrections is to do a wider stroke on one side while still maintaining the left/right rhythm. For more correction make this wide stroke longer as well. Making the stroke longer means it starts close to the hull, pushes out wide from in front of you and then pulls back in behind you. This has a strong effect on direction. It can be difficult to get into the habit of doing this all the time but making a conscious effort for a while will get you there (well it worked for me anyhow).

[Oldsparkey]

Just a suggestion and nothing more ..... Paddle however or whatever is comfortable for you , I don't like to paddle and work at it , relaxation when paddling is what I enjoy.

You will save a lot of wasted time by paddling only on one side , the paddling strokes are easy to learn. You can Google canoe paddling strokes. The basic "J" Stroke is the main stay of paddling. It will move you forward or in any direction you want to go and can be done on either side of the boat.
Here is a good link to it. http://www.redrockstore.com/Jstroke/index.html

It will take some time to learn it but when it becomes a habit you can make the boat do what ever you want from only one side. Your paddle is in the water more then doing the left to right switch every other stroke which makes the paddle be in the air more then in the water. Not to even mention throwing drops of water in your boat of on the person in the front by switching sides all the time.
If you want to take a break then do the same on the other side. Myself I usually paddle only on one side most of the day by using the "J" Stroke and then using the blade of the paddle as a rudder if that step is needed. Normally the "J" Stroke does that for me. Especially since I paddle solo.

Want to cover some water or paddle up stream , a kayak paddle does wonders for that and requires a lot less skill to use it.
Better yet , have the person in the front do a standard draw stroke ( paddle is put in the water and drawn back along the boat) and you sit in the back with your paddle as a rudder for the boat. Traditionally with two persons in a boat the front person provides the forward motion and the person in the back helps but controls the direction of the boat , his main job.
When I show folks how to do it ( with two paddlers) I like to express it this way.... "It is easier to pull a chain then to push it"

Chuck.

[olsnappa]

Fantastic job Tor...... She's come up a treat.
As for dropping the boat.....I well know that sickening, heart in the mouth and stomach churning feeling.
I dropped the Laker the day before I delivered it to my friend......horrible feeling ....and sound!

[craiggamesh]

Great looking boat. I see you were using a Kayak paddle at one point. If you are interested, here is a great sight on kayak paddling techniques. It has animated instructions which make it very easy to understand. http://www.kayakpaddling.net/

[Tor]

Just a suggestion and nothing more ..... Paddle however or whatever is comfortable for you , I don't like to paddle and work at it , relaxation when paddling is what I enjoy.

Chuck, I totally agree, generally I just paddle enough to move forward . I used a single paddle and a double during the day and as long as I was smooth all was well and I can keep it reasonably straight paddling mainly on one side.

Feel free to provide advice I'm happy to take the bits I like and ignore the bits I don't. I've paddled for about 40hours all up I figure you paddled a little more than that... so you might have some wise words to share.

I wondered whether when I had someone in with me the front was lower and so a little more sensitive to turn. towards the end of the day I could hear it go as the back end went sideways.

As for dropping the boat.....I well know that sickening, heart in the mouth and stomach churning feeling.
I dropped the Laker the day before I delivered it to my friend......horrible feeling ....and sound!

I've dropped mine too onto the bitumen but like you say they are tough.

I'm a little happier knowing I'm not alone

Thanks for the compliments I will be sanding a little and spraying the varnish as I'm still not happy with the finish but I needed to take it for a paddle.

Tor

[Barneseye]

She looks fantastic mate.
I too am a novice paddler and the couple of times i've had the merrimac out i've had loads of trouble keeping straight.
Search on google videos for 'Bill Mason path of the paddle'.
Some good video tutorials on paddling technique.

[OnkaBob]

Search on google videos for 'Bill Mason path of the paddle'.

Thanks for that Barneseye - I borrowed the book from a library about 10 years ago and it was a fascinating read (oriented toward traditional canoes in fast water) but didn't know there were videos available now. Must have a look.

[Tor]

After trying to strap a transducer to a lee board without much success I made the drastic decision to grind a hole in a perfectly serviceable canoe

The idea was to grind out the inner glass layer and the wood, leaving the bottom layer of glass intact...

The transducer



The victim (showing position, under seat)



The amount of area affected



The weapon of choice and some extra ammo



The first cut and sequence of removal.






The final "hole" and only two small nicks in the glass



Packaging tape on the underside ready to fill with resin



I had a few bubbles in the resin so after allowing it to settle a few minutes I gently scraped away the top of the puddle which removed the bubbles.

Does anyone know if the transducer with work though filleting or sanding filler (not balloons of course)?

Should I patch the top of the hole with glass before pressing the transducer onto wet resin for an intimate fit?

I will be adding a reservoir to fill with water (I've seen a thread by Hairymick that does this but can I find it ...) over the resin patch to allow the transducer to work.

Tor

[Bemm 52]

Tor your a patient man with all that Dremil work................

I did a similar instal in my Sabalo.................although I cut a hole same shape as yours all the way thru the hull then used your tape idea to hold epoxy fill in then glassed inside and out.

i filled hole with thickened epoxy useing a west system product I used for unseen fillets (white powder)





To fix transducer I used Sellys All Clear a product you can get at Bunnings in Vic.........just a big glob and press transducer into it takes about 8-12hrs to set but Ive had no problems with sounder pictures or sounder falling out....................my transducer stays in kayak......................if you want to have it removable perhaps Micks wet mount is the way to go

Cheers Paul