I built a lapstrake canoe over two winters

[Hard-Deck]

She's done....
I took the photos of the strong back after the build was complete, but this is what I started with.

[Hard-Deck]

Sadly, I didn't start taking photos from the exact start.

I test fitted the bow breasthook in the rough just to satisfy myself that I'm on track with the design. Then I put the canoe back on the rails, sanded it down with 150 and put a coat of epoxy on the hull to seal the wood. I used System 3 Epoxy, it doesn't leave an amine blush behind that needs to be dewaxed so the work moves along quickly. It also doesn't have a spiral-down exotherm causing it to kick quickly or kick quicker if you mix a big pot. I mixed 12 oz and it worked fine.
I kept in mind while sanding that this is a clinker boat so I kept the edges sharp, not rounding them as I worked.

When whetted out with epoxy, the boat looks nice, but she'll be painted white outside and oiled inside. (I you want to know exactly why, ask and I'll explain).
Today, I test fit the bow breasthook in the rough just to satisfy myself that I'm on track with the design. Then I put the canoe back on the rails, sanded it down with 150 and put a coat of epoxy on the hull to seal the wood. I used System 3 Epoxy, it doesn't leave an amine blush behind that needs to be dewaxed so the work moves along quickly. It also doesn't have a spiral-down exotherm causing it to kick quickly or kick quicker if you mix a big pot. I mixed 12 oz and it worked fine.
I kept in mind while sanding that this is a clinker boat so I kept the edges sharp, not rounding them as I worked.

When whetted out with epoxy, the boat looks nice, but she'll be painted white outside and oiled inside.

[vash]

explain "clinker boat" to me please?

snapper, that is cool as hell!! no problem getting that out of the basement? keep the pics coming.

[Hard-Deck]

[kach22i]

Nice boat.

My father-in-law built a wood kayak, a beautiful thing.

[Hard-Deck]

Originally Posted by vash

explain "clinker boat" to me please?

snapper, that is cool as hell!! no problem getting that out of the basement? keep the pics coming.

Vash, yes, it is now out of the basement. I measured everything first.

Clinker is an old term for lapstrake. Real clinker boats were riveted or nailed together along all seams. The term is not totally interchangeable, but clinker and lapstrake are essentially the same.

[Hard-Deck]

Ok, now I've finally finished the outside hull. I've got the stems and keel strip fastened and faired. In the first photo you'll see how the keel strip meets the stem unfaired; in the second one it's faired; and in the third one it's a front shot of them meeting. They are bedded in caulking, not expoxied, that way, as they take a beating over the years they can be easily removed and repaced. The keel is walnut so it'll take a lot of hits and stay strong. I hate to paint it, but it's got to be done. The third photo is dark, and the camera lanyard is in the way, so it's not much of a good pic unless you look closely.

Next is turning her upright, finishing out the gunnels, breasthooks, spreaders and seat as well as varnish.

[Hard-Deck]

Change of plans for finishing the inside hull. Originally I was going to paint outside and oil the inside with linseed oil or teak oil. This mindset comes from my furniture making background. In furniture making, like a table, you'll varnish the top and sides and legs, but oil the underside so the wood can breathe. On a boat, this is a bad idea as oil in the outside marine environment will attract dirt, fish scales, seaweed and get grungy. The alternative to having an "open" side for breathing is to completely seal the wood, which is where I'm going now. So, the boat will be painted outside and varnished inside. The first step is to use CPES (Clear Pentrating Epoxy Sealant). CPES is fairly new to the wood market, it is water-thin, and literally penetrates into the wood and cures, binding the wood fibers. On top of this, it'll get a varnish pre-coat and multiple coats of Captain's Varnish with UV inhibitors.

Photo 1: CPES, comes in 2 cans, a 50:50 mix, I used 14 oz, (~400ml)
Photo 2 and 3 shows how the boat looks right after application. It looks splotchy because the different hardness in the wood absorbs at a different rate. Where the chisel is, is what it looks like as it stabilizes. This stuff takes 3 days to dry.

[Hard-Deck]

After application of 2 coats of CPES and 3 coats of Interlux Sealer. Now it's time to finish the building, then I'll apply somewhere between 10 and 20 coats of Captain's Varnish and 2 coats of satin varnish to the inside planking to dull the shine; it would be blinding in the sun otherwise.

[crustychief]

That is awesome!

[Hard-Deck]

Gluing up walnut to cut breasthooks, roughshaping, final shaping and routing of the 1/4 inch roundovers on the breasthooks. Gunnels are next order of business.

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My wife Melanie and I ran the gunnels through the router for a 1/4 inch roundover and I glued up the spacers for the starboard inwale. Gunnels are walnut and spacers are maple.

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Riveting the gunnels to the boat. I used copper rivets and roves. Photos show the rivet and rove, a closeup of how it goes together and a wider shot. The camera battery was getting weak so the photos are a little fuzzy; my apology.

Photos: Rivet and rove/close rivet/stbd gunnels at start

[Hard-Deck]

Tonight I was finishing up the bow and stern and the stern broke due to a compound curve being too harsh as I was attaching it. I was horrified, but then I remembered I know how to scarph wood so all will be o/k.

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Starboard gunnel meeting breasthook.

[Hard-Deck]

I have successfully fixed the broken gunnell with a scarphed joint.

[Hard-Deck]

Back on the rails for the last work on the hull. I finished the keel strip out of walnut and fixed it with caulking and brass screws. Now the last of the painting. Sand, paint, sand, paint for 3 coats, then a brass keel band, followed by the final step on the hull....the garboard wants to be wine red. Once that's done, it'll be back upright for the spreaders, final topside sanding and then 20 coats of varnish over the next year. But I'll be using it after 4 or 5 coats for sure.

If you've never used green frog masking tape you're missing a little piece of heaven.

[Hard-Deck]

I prepped and painted the garboard Stolen Kiss Red. I chose this color for three reasons. 1) I'm naming this boat Kimmi Sue after my Daughter; 2) Kimmi and I used to play a game when she was a toddler; I'd kiss her and say "I stole a kiss" and she'd rant and say, "I want my kiss back" so I'd kiss her again; 3) I wanted a red color close to wine color.

[Zeke]

Jethro Gibbs would be proud.