| Gerald |
11-07-2011 11:21 AM |
This is just part of a complete discription of how to build this pirogue.
Basic Description: Two cedar side frames are covered with Aluminum Trim Coil, a pre-painted sheet metal building roll product that make me think of flashing, and a 1/4" plywood bottom. That's it!
I had never heard of "trim coil", so I ran it past a roofing contractor friend, who wrote back: ".... coil metal, like we use to do trim on houses. I had never looked at the coil as boat building materials."
Epoxy is used to encapsulate all wood for waterproofing, and fiberglass cloth is used in strategic areas to impart lightweight structural reinforcing. Herb says "You do not fiberglass the bottom. The first coat of epoxy is squeegeed on so as to get maximal absorption. I sanded this then put on another coat and used an old sock on my hand to smooth out the epoxy.
The stems ARE reinforced with cloth on the outside."
Construction procedure is very similar the building of any pirogue, "cheap canoe", "6 hour canoe", three-panel design, etc. (they're all essentially the same thing). The sides are made to shape, joined at the ends, spread apart in the middle to desired width, and a bottom added. The rake of the stems go a long way in determining the side flare.
Think of the two sides as ladders, where you have two long side pieces, or stringers, and a bunch of rungs between. Lay the two ladders on edge side by side and lash the ends together. Now spread the two center sections apart and voila! a boat shape is made. Now cap it off with a sheet of plywood, trim excess, and a boat is born. Get it?
Jim writes in an email: "Went to Home Depot on Saturday and sure enough they still had the partial roll of trim coil. I figgered it looked like about 30’ which would have been perfect. But alas, it was only 26’ which means I either build 2-13 ft’ers or 1- 14 ft’er and a 12. Anyway, I have some and I was surprised by how thick it was, not as thin as I thought. Very rugged stuff. I can see why your boats have held up so good, Herb. So I got the trim coil and paid $37.50 + tax. The manager would not cut me any slack on the price for a short roll nor the fact that one end wasn’t real smooth. Oh well, I’ll find a use for it."
Above: The boat in the background was built about twenty years ago, was one of his first two-man boats, or, as we call 'em in canoe lingo, a tandem. He had originally sold the boat to a friend, then more recently bought it back when the friend moved away.
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