JEM Watercraft

Seems like to me that on a big lake, whitecaps and breakers near a beach are caused by a combination of shallow water plus undertows. My JEM Trapper 15-38 canoe gets totally removed from my control by the breakers and especially the undertows before the one or two seconds it takes for me to get it w...

Thanks Matt!

I might want to add stiffness to the bottom panels of my canoe. I'm reluctant to add ribbing because I'm likely to kneel at just about any random spot at some time or another. So aside from the rib option, would extra plywood for the entire bottom panels OR extra fiberglass cloth be the best for add...

Thanks Matt.
So blessed to be able to build a boat well without being an engineer/designer,
we just have to get (and follow) the advice of the engineer/designer (you )

For my Merrimac build,
would 2x2 thwarts need cleats under them?
Or would the cross section size hold enough filled epoxy to be enough?
(Thwart placement will be tight up under gunwales).
Thanks.

Sneak preview. Temporarily stitched half the panels to see the angle for the decks ahead of time. Now I got to move everything off my wife's hardwood floor before an unexpected application gets implemented for my concrete anchor.
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9M2KX88QvxDMe9q7]

Any recommendations for shoes or sandals that won't get stolen by lake/river bottom muck?
I'd love to canoe barefooted but concerned about submerged fish hooks, broken glass and mussel shells, sharp rocks, etc.

Well my merrimac project has been almost totally stalled since I finished cutting out the panels. Due to cold weather and grandpa babysitting commitments. Plus it was mingled with making repairs to my Jem trapper. As soon as the seasonal temperatures allow epoxy friendly work environment then my mer...

Thanks for the tip Matt. So far I've cut out the bottom panel. Times past I've had my jigsaw blade slant to one side and I couldn't see what was happening until I was finished and looking at the work. This time though the blade remained perpendicular, glad for that. I still get a bit of wavy but I s...

Preparing to jigsaw the panels. Since I paid less than $15 USD per sheet, I decided to sacrifice a sheet of plywood by cutting all four copies of each panel at one time. I'll be cutting up four plywood sheets instead of the only three sheets required per bill of materials and instructions. I stacked...