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Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:56 pm
by LesForgue
Oh now I think I understand. I once read a dialogue about how a perfectly sealed compartment would not do so well with rising and falling temperatures, could even crack when, so you're adding sort of a pressure cooker valve made of tyvek.

Are you going to stuff floatation material in there, or using the empty space itself as the flotation?

Me I am building an open canoe (Jem Trapper 15) that will have very small decks and I haven't decided yet to close in or leave open the space beneath the little decks or breast hooks.

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 4:26 pm
by SMilliken
I think I'm going to use some foam board cut to fit. It doesn't weigh very much and would still give me floatation if something happened to flood the compartment. I built a decked canoe (my own design) a couple of years ago but it was too small for my weight. Gave it to my uncle for his grandkids to play with. Decided to go with the regular kayak design for this build. Always helps to have something for flotation, even if it's those inflatable inserts you can get for 'yaks. Hope your build goes well- would like to see it some time.

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 8:04 pm
by SMilliken
Serious progress on the boat. The hull is glued together and I'm beginning to prep for fiberglass. I got sloppy trying to apply epoxy between all those ties. Tried using a ketchup squeeze bottle and got much better results, but wasted some epoxy. The bow is shaped, still more to do on the stern. Will go over it with sandpaper and rasp plane to even the joints and get ready for fiberglass. I'm real pleased with how symmetrical the hull turned out.

http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... sort=3&o=5
http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... sort=3&o=4
http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... sort=3&o=1

5 September: Moved the photos to a different folder in Photobucket. Look for more posts shortly.

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:32 am
by SMilliken
Update- Labor Day Weekend
I've been working in fits and starts most of the summer. Too many interruptions and I'm not on schedule anymore, but still there is progress. Still hope to splash her before cold weather sets in.

Here's the link to the build on Photobucket
http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... t=3&page=1

I got the outside glassed and 3 of the 5 seams on the inside. Get those done today and I'll start glassing the inside. Couple of design decisions:
1. No extra bulkheads, I'm going to cut some foam wedges to fit the tight spots fore and aft and use Velcro to hold them in place. Will be able to remove them when I need to.
2. Hatches- flush hatch on stern deck with a single bolt on a cross piece and hand knob in the center to pull the hatch down on the rim. Only one through hole and no bungees inside to take up space
3. Tie-downs- I'm going to make them from Nylon webbing. Less drilling and nothing on the deck to snag.

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:53 am
by OnkaBob
SMilliken wrote:Thanks, Bob. How do you like your Laker? I had a tough time deciding, settled on the Cape Fear partly because that's near my home town in NC. And I like the looks of it. :D
Don't know how I missed this earlier - anyway my Laker is still going strong although it is used less these days because I have 3 boats to choose from. It is an excellent flat water fishing boat with it's open cockpit but the best fishing in these parts is on the sea.

The Cape Fear looks to have come up well with the glass on the hull. I hope you manage to get it wet before winter really hits.

I notice you mentioned using nylon tie down straps. I'm not sure if they add UV stabilizers these days but my experience with nylon is that it doesn't cope with strong sunlight as well as polyester. This may not be a big deal for you but I suspect your sunlight would be similar to mine and it may be worth a little research.

On the subject of bulkheads versus float bags or foam: the thing is it's not really about flotation, it's more about having less water to get rid of after you tip over. Most hulls will float when full of water, even the plastic ones because the specific gravity of the plastic is less than 1 (just). However a hull full of water is difficult to get back into, takes ages to pump out if still out on the water, and is incredibly hard to manage if doing an assisted rescue or trying to drag to shore. Bulkheads or well fitted float bags will make things much easier.

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:12 pm
by SMilliken
Thanks for the recommendations, Bob. If I can get a few nights on her this week, I think I can splash before the end of September.
(Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Pro 19:21)


I'm "repurposing" a nylon tiedown strap, the kind from Wally Mart. Have quite a few for my truck and they have held up well to lots of abuse. Plan to store it inside, too. If they don't hold up I can replace in a few years.

That's good advice on the flotation. I hadn't thought about the water volume issue that way. I will have watertight (hopefully) compartments at each end, leaving about an 8' long open cockpit.

More pics from the weekend's labor. I'm already thinking about which one to build for my incredibly patient wife.

http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... t=3&page=1

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 10:18 pm
by SMilliken
Fiberglass inside is almost done. first coat of epoxy on outside sanded. Shots from today when I took it outside for some serious sanding- enough to kill my lil' Mouse. :cry:

Ordered paint- Rustoleum marine primer and Dark Green enamel. No Graphite for now at least. I'll switch to that if the paint doesn't hold up. Plan is for green below the waterline and bright wood topside. The green just seems to go with the tone of the Okume that I used.

http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... t=3&page=1

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 8:05 pm
by LesForgue
presuming you're going to clear varnish over the epoxy on the top portion then, am I right?

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 8:15 pm
by SMilliken
Yes, clear varnish topsides. That is the plan unless the clear epoxy doesn't turn out so well. Then it's workboat finish :oops:

Re: Cape Fear

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:19 am
by SMilliken
Almost done. Many starts and stops over the summer and early fall. Travel, work, stuff around the house, and more work. I was not as diligent posting updates as I wanted to be, but I was able to splash her yesterday. 50 degrees but otherwise a nice fall day. Pictures on Photobucket captured most of the build and the splash yesterday. If I can get some warm days, I might be able to finish paint and varnish, otherwise I'll wait until spring.

http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Sandy_ ... t=3&page=1

My granddaughter has "helped" me every step of the build. Couple of years and she will be ready for her own boat.

Matt: This is a great design! Stable, super quiet, and tracks like a dream even with my inexperienced paddling. Your website and builder's forum were a huge help, too.