JEM Watercraft

Hey Jack;
On the first kayak I built, I did the cardboard dam method. Have also heard the horror stories of the cardboard dam leaking. On my 18 foot kayak I stood the boat on end (talk about a tall boat) and did the end pour the same way ( and nope I am not the first to do it this way). I am not planning on putting a rope handle thru the end pour, so the size of my end pour is probably alot smaller than you are thinking or used to. To small to go thru the effort of trying to fit a cardboard dam in (stern end maybe, bow end- no way)

I agree with the cardboard dam method being a good dumping ground for leftover epoxy. And also advise for either method, the pouring small amounts of epoxy in at a time and letting it start to harden, as a mass of epoxy curing generates ALOT of heat. Not to mention the expansion factor which could lead to over flow with the dam method.

Either way works.
On end is what works for me.

DM

Yeah, my first one or two oozed out. Learned to thicken the first dump into peanut butter consistency and artfully smear it around the seams at edges of the cardboard. From then on, I just dumped remains in there.

If you are sealing and securing the ends evenly, then yes, a cardboard dam would not be a good way of doing it. Could maybe just do a thick fillet with tape before you apply decks and get it done easier? I'd be afraid a gust of wind would tip over my boat.

Nice Job Mouse.

I'd be afraid a gust of wind would tip over my boat.

I think the boat is supported both sides with a strip of timber?

I did the end-pour thing on my wadefish. a lot of trouble and was pretty ugly.

Now I just use heavily thickened wood flour mix and sort of just trowel it into the ends to make a heavy fillet. Before it goes off, I work in several layers of matt offcuts.

Seems plenty strong enough and I don't drill through the ends either.

It is probably just me, but I reckon a hole through the stem pf a boat with rope through it looks like an afterthought and detracts from the looks of the boat.

Mick
Now nothing like a mate cutting you to the quick I like my holes in my boat
Ron

Like Mick said, there is a 2x4 spanning the gate, and it is strapped to the fence. The boat is strapped to the 2x4. If it is windy enough to blow that over, I would not even attempt to set the boat up like that.

DM

You guys misunderstood, or I did. I wasn't talking about your boat tipping over; I was talking about MY boat tipping over. I'd study and find some way of doing that.

I like short (about 15') ropes on each end of my canoe to tie up at a landing. River current tends to lose my boats for me otherwise. My kayak has holes and a really short line (10") with a whittled grab handle spliced in. When I land, I drag it sideways up on shore.

The grab handles, by the way, are not whittled to fit my hand - they fit my buddy's hand. Sneaky, ehh?

heya Ron,

Sorry mate. I wasn't talking specifically about your boat. I thought yours had rope leading to a handle in the top deck? I really liked that.

What I was talking about was where a hole is drilled through the sides of the stems and then the rope just looped through it.

A tow point down low on the stem is a better place to put it, but it just doesn't look right to me.

Again mate, I am real sorry, I never meant to offend you.

Mick
I just be pulling your leg mate.
Ron

I carry a mesh bag full of an assortment of ropes & lines. Mesh bag because when the ropes get wet, I can still bag them and they'll dry out.

I laid out measured marks on the edge of my 16' workbench that I use for assembling boats. I chose to put marks at 2' intervals and mark the 10' spot; you could use other distances. Then, I took all my ropes and lines, one by one, and laid them out. I used indelible laundry marker (read Magic Markers) to mark every rope. One red band per 10', and one black band for every 2' over that. I put these marks near one end.

To bundle each rope, I start by doubling it end to end. Then, I slip out one end into 1.5' - 2' tail. Then I continue doubling but keep that extra tail out free. When I get down to a bundle between 3"-6" long (depending on the length of rope) I wrap that tail snugly around the bundle. I secure it by tucking a loop of the tail up under the last wrap, and pull it up tight. (I wrap that last full wrap OVER my thumb to keep enough room for tucking in the loop.)

Advantages to this method are:
1. Before unwrapping a rope, I know how long it is.
2. By having tucked a LOOP under the wrap instead of the single end, I can now quickly tug it out and undo the entire rope easily.
3. By not having looped the rope around my elbow like a washerwoman, I do not have kinks in the rope as I unbundle it.

Deck is all glassed.
Now it just sanding, sanding, sanding and a little more sanding, hopefully that will be done on Friday. Then varnishing, then rigging.

Then play time.

DM

Bumming that I didn't (wont) get it finished up before I head down to the Fla Keys Labor day weekend. Would have loved to run it around down there.