17 lb pirogue.......maybe | Page 5 | SouthernPaddler.com

17 lb pirogue.......maybe

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
I have the last epoxy coat on the inside and outside bottom drying. Glassing the stems and attaching the breast hooks is next. A little smear of caulking to seal up the aluminum/wood joints and she should be ready. I'm guessing 22 lbs for a final weight................Crazy!


The back side of the ply is not quite as pretty as the finished side.


100_1350.jpg



Joey
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
I have some encouraging news about the Revolutionply I'm using for the bottom of this pirogue. I cut a 3" x 4" piece and threw it in a bucket of water 2 weeks ago. I've been checking it every couple of days for any changes. After two weeks.......nothing. No swelling, cupping, warping, splitting or delamination. Well, maybe about a 1/6" of a slight twist. Looks just like it did 10 minutes after it hit the water. They don't market it as "marine plywood" but, in my book, it passes that test. I have my doubts as to whether any real marine plywood would do as well.

Joey
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Seedtick, I'll do that and maybe think up some other diabolical tests until I get it to fail. Failure is a learning experience too. 8)
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Maybe somebody would have a scrap piece oy marine plywood and would do the same test to set a standard. A real test may take some time, but what is time to plywood. :roll:


beekeeper
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
The good, the bad and the UGLY. This is what I came up with to salvage this build.

100_1351.jpg


Sealed her up with PL Premium adhesive/sealant. Supposed to stick to just about everything. But, it doesn't finish up nice at all. From what I've read, this look is about normal for the product. It doesn't like to be smoothed and it actually bubbles up and expands as it cures. I've read that it can be sanded. Not too worried at this point. $4.00 a tube to save the build where the epoxy didn't stick to the aluminum. She was meant to be an experimental short trip fishing boat. I don't need slick , blinding speed. Still, not bad for the $75.00 I've got in her.

Joey
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Jack, it's probably a first cousin to Gorilla glue. Polyurethane glues tend to behave this way. The stuff set up within 30 minutes or so. It's supposed to take 5-7 days to fully cure. I'll wait until next weekend for a maiden voyage.

Joey
 

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
the foam from most one part polyurethanes is caused by the release of CO2 during the cure or reaction.

That's not earth shaking news but the foam is open celled as opposed to closed cell. Open cell foams are like household sponges, they suck up and hold water. Water goes in as a liquid, but, since you can't squeeze the in place foam, it must exit slowly as a vapor. So your wood gets wet and stays wet for a while

Depending on how long you want the experimental boat to last, you may want to seal up the exposed foam to keep mositure out
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Seedtick, I've read a lot of successful boat builds with this stuff. The general concensus is that it is waterproof and does a good job of sealing. In my case, the caulk is sealing the joint where the aluminum and the epoxied chine come together. There shouldn't be any water soaking into unsealed raw wood.

Here's a pretty dang good testimonial to the effectiveness of PL Premium.

http://www.simplicityboats.com/pl_testimonials.html

Joey
 

john the pom

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2007
345
1
Queensland
Awww Joey you might wanna wait for a week, but we don't want to. Joshua Slocum didn't bugger about waiting for his boat to dry!
Cheers John.
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Well, she floats......and well, too. I had a few minutes before work so I put her into the bayou behind the house. Very stable for just a 22" bottom. Very responsive to the paddle. Need a little more time, but she seems to get up to about 3.5 mph or more with little effort. Came back close to the bank and was able to stand up. The 22" bottom and quite a bit of flair seem to work together well.

More later

Joey
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Good for you, Joey! You're now an honorary member of the Tin Can Navy. That's the moniker given to those who served on destroyers. Mount some racks for depth charges, another 2 to 3 pounds at the most, and fishing will improve immensely!
 

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Bob, 10 lbs. ........no way. Uuuuuhhh........hhmmmmmmmm..........wait.......if I make it a little shorter.......use smaller rail stock .....thinner plywood.......................... maybe....just maybe. :mrgreen: