JEM Watercraft

You don't want to leave the interior without fiberglass.

Is that for strength, moisture resistance or both?

I have a week off next week so hope to make some good progress

Rob

strength.

Moisture barrier comes from epoxy.

Time for an update
I have a week off, so getting a bit done on the Trapper
On the weekend I picked up & cut to size the timber for the gunwales
It's a hard wood (Tassie Oak) so will be a bit of fun fitting to the tight bends on the ends

I have a secret weapon though, a quick & dirty bending jig I knocked up
Will just tweak the ends a bit using clamps and a heat gun



This is it in action, I leave the timber in over night to hopefully give it some memory
Have done a dry fit with one and it looks like it will work



The ends where the fore decks are going have framing fitted



I've also been working on filleting the joins using a mix of 50-50 cotton flock & ply wood sandings
I'm doing it in sections as I have left the middle formers in place



I have been a little worried about a small gap that opened up between the middle formers and the sides at the join of the third & fourth strip when the stitching was removed. Obviously the sides have splayed some what. I can still pull the top in, but that leaves the side bulging.

The solution another quick & dirty jig / cradle



The cutouts are taken off the middle formers with a 4mm allowance for the ply
She's sitting in the cradle now and the gap has disappeared like magic
I'll leave the formers in place while I finish filleting the mid sections & fit the outer gunwales

Rob

Hey that gunwale bending job is pretty slick! I'm going to include that concept in the plans.

Thats what I love about web forums, there are so many people with good, simple ideas that can help everyone & save a lot of time & heartache or help fix problems as you go a long.

Hey that gunwale bending job is pretty slick! I'm going to include that concept in the plans.

Glad you like it, I was pretty happy when I realized I had a solution to make my life easier

The Gunwales are now fitted and went on with no problems
As per plans they end short of the bows which would have made the fitting really difficult



I had a bit of extra curve it the jig to allow for spring back, if I built it again I'd have a bit more. I also found that heating in small sections and moving on was better than trying to heat the whole length in one go. If you get a section really hot it does not spring back even where the bent is tightest. The clamps were tightened evenly and heat applied when the bend was about half way. I didn't want to push it to much, when almost there I let it rest for a few hours before clamping all the way.

Rob

Have been bogged down with the filleting & clean up (7 full days so far with another one to go)
After finishing the filleting I took the rough off with the power sander but wasn't game to get to close.
The ply has only a thin outer layer, so careful hand sanding is the order of the day
I don't mind the sanding, or the dust, but the lack of progress is a bit frustrating

Any way next weekend should see the inside glass on, then on to the inwales and seats

Rob

Like the bending jig! Chances are you're gonna get some springback when you release it. Wonder if it might help to "overbend" it a little. That is, beyond the curve you require. How much would be guess work but should require a lot less clamping, therefore less stress.
Cheers John.
Ps just went through the post again and noticed the bit below the photo about overbending... I must've scrolled too fast through that bit.
Cheers John.

G'day John
You're right they did spring back, all different amounts
There was no problem fitting them so I did not bother re-bending any
The main factor determining the spring back was probably the amount of heat applied
I did have a little extra bend in the jig, could probably have had a bit more but didn't want to push my luck

Maybe I need to build another canoe to perfect my technique

Rob

Interior glassed on weekend