JEM Watercraft

If you read this article about the late Robb White,
http://wbeditor.typepad.com/rudderpost/ ... _arti.html
You will see that he used the same technique to get good epoxy saturation on his boats.
BTW Robb White's book "How To Build A Tin Canoe" is a good read also.

If you read this article about the late Robb White,

Interesting article. Thanks for posting the link. I think I will do this again in the future. I would rather have the voids in the wood filled with resin than with air. I like the way it turned out.

I sanded them down today and cut the fiberglass for the bottom layer. I am using double layers of 6 ounce cloth on both the outside and inside. I cut this layer on a 45 degree angle to the center line. The second layer will be parallel with the centerline. (Inside and out) This is due in large part to the test results posted on Southern Paddler forum by Texas River Rat. Thanks, Ron for posting the results of your tests on diffferent fiberglass applications. I know this layer on the bottom being at a 45 degree angle to the center line is not as important as the inside layer, which I will do the same way. I am building these boats to withstand a lot of abuse to the bottom, which is why I used 6mm plywood on the bottom. Pretty much every boat I have owned has been high centered on a very hard stump in Millwood Lake, Arkansas. This usually involved cranking the big motor to get off. These boats will be subjected to the same conditions, (but without a big motor!) They WILL be high centered on a stump sooner or later and will have to able to take it without damage. The 45 degree cloth on the inside should make a difference.

Terry, there must be more than one stump there, or you would have learned how to avoid it by now. ;=}}

I learned that a round bottomed boat is no where near as likely to get high centered or impaled, as is a flat bottomed boat. A flat bottom runs rihgt up onto a stump or rock. Round hulls tend to shrug off the impediment on first contact, and keep shedding it as the boat passes by it.

If the round bottomed boat comes to a dead stop, lean a bit away from the stump and relieve the load some.

Terry
And as Jack showed me on the Brazos if you cuss real loud it changes the boyancy in the water and a round bottom boat slides right off them rocks, I bet it would work on them stumps to.
Ron
FIRE IN THE HOLE

Kayak Jack wrote:Terry, there must be more than one stump there, or you would have learned how to avoid it by now. ;=}}

If the round bottomed boat comes to a dead stop, lean a bit away from the stump and relieve the load some.

Lean a bit away from the stump , ( make sure your wallet is in a zip lock bag ) , lean a shade more , now tread water and pull the boat off the stump. Clime up on the stump and reenter your boat. The pleasures of a rounded bottom boat.

Heck , just back paddle , you will not be going as fast as with a 225 HP kicker on the back. If anything the round bottom should ricochet you to one side or the other of the stump and away from it.

Chuck.

Ron's right - cussing helps buoyancy. Nerves too. Red Man chewing tobacco used to advertise that "chewing serves to steady nerves." Well, cussing doesn't cause lip cancer.

I got both layers of fiberglass applied to the bottom these boats. I have owned lots of boats in my life, several dozen actually, but I have to say that I am more excited about these boats that any I have owned. Can't wait to get them finished.

Terry,

I wish you and your Wife the best with these two fun-craft. I think you both are going to enjoy your childhoods again.

I have been trying to work out the best way to get foam floatation in these boats. I'm shooting for 3 cubic feet. Three cubic feet of water weighs about 187 lbs. Should be adequate if I use two batteries, nice safety margin if I go with one. I weighed one of my bass boat batteries and it weighs 66lbs. Also, the area on the inside of the tumblehome panel is going to be a pain to glass with the 1/2" inwale. I decided to add a strip of foam in this area and cover it with thin plywood. I bought a sheet of 1/8" luan from Lowe's that is actually only 3/32". Weighs almost nothing. This gives me about 0.25 cubic foot of foam and will make the glassing a lot easier. I'm going to use 1 cubic foot in the bow, and 1 cubic foot somewhere in the stern, and whatever I can fit in elsewhere. Three cubic feet is a lot of space in a boat this size. I'll get it somewhere though.



I've got the plywood strips clamped in place to trim to size.



I am also considering doing the same thing to the sides. This will make the boats look smaller inside, but will actually not take up much of any usable space. If I do this to the sides, it, plus the 0.25 cubic foot of the tumblehome panels, will give me about 0.91 cubic feet of foam. I considered applying the fiberglass directly to the foam. I know they build airplanes this way. It would be a problem only if I needed to attach something to the sides. The plywood would make using fasteners easier.

I have the fiberglass done on the inside of the boats. I did it the same as the outside, 2 layers of 6 ounce cloth, with 1 layer at a 45 degree angle to the center line of the boat. I did the end pours today. I hope nobody opens the garage door!