Asking the experts... | SouthernPaddler.com

Asking the experts...

toon

New Member
Jan 24, 2011
3
0
54
Waycross Ga. (Okfenok Swawmp)
I am about to assist my 11 year old son, who is in the Boy Scouts, in building a piroque. We have decided to build it 15 feet long with a 30 inch bottom and 12 inch sides.We will build it from cypress and we want to glass the entire outside and glass tape the joints inside. My question is "how much epoxy do you think we will need?" I already have a 1.5 gallon epoxy kit onhand. Do I need more or will the kit suffice? Thanks in advance for advice! Carlton :D
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
I'm no expert but a 3 gallon kit ( 2 to 1 ratio ) will build 2 boats ( Pirogues or Canoes) for me and have some epoxy left over. That is having the complete boat epoxy saturated and encased in fiberglass. Along with the fillets for the seams and epoxying any other parts to be used.
The easy way to save on the epoxy is knowing the steps that have to be taken and where you need the epoxy. This way when you finish the one part you mixed it for then the excess ( if there is any ) can be used on a part of the building which will require it later on. I mix small batches and then use that , if more is needed then I mix some more.

You will waste some , that is just a part of the process. Well it is with me and always seams to work out that way. :roll:

Chuck.
 

toon

New Member
Jan 24, 2011
3
0
54
Waycross Ga. (Okfenok Swawmp)
Kayak Jack said:
Toon ,the pirogue experts will weigh in soon. I just want to give you a tip o' my hat for helping your boy build a boat. Actually - you will be building a boy with a boat. Good on ya!
Thanks Kayak Jack! I have a good young fella...mostly! Haha! He is the typical boy, but he is a keeper! He is my hunting and fishing partner! I want him to remember all this one day when he gets a kid!
And thanks also to you Old Sparkey! I have built two boats for myself and my best friend out of plywood. for this one we will use cypress planed down to 3/8 inch. I have never worked with cypress and want to use scarf joints as my lumber is only 12 foot lengths. Have you ever done this? I have two boards that are 1" x 16" x 12 '. I want to plane these down, put them together, and use them for my floor. Any suggestions on putting them together? I am thinking that I will scarf them down the entire length of the board. I am using the piroque kit from uncle johns, so I have four ribs. Ithink that will suffice in helping brace the floor? what about you guys? I will post pictures as soon as we get started and I invite evryone to offer advice and food for thought along the way! Thanks Y'all!

Oh yeah... The cool part about this project is my son will use this boat in getting his Eagle Scout required camping merit badge. He (and I) will have to paddle into a location about 3 miles with our gear and camp for the weekend. We will either do the Satilla river or the swamp! Gonna be fun! Thanks again!
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
All of my boats are from plywood the only thing from cypress is the framing for the pirogue ( Uncle Johns Kit) or the seat I have for it.
It would seam that 3/8th cypress would be plenty thick for the scarf joint and for the boat. Keith or Seedtick would be the guys to answer that since they make boats from Cypress.

As far as the pirogues , they are sturdy little boats. I made a lightweight pirogue from 1/8th inch plywood and paddled it in the swamp for 5 days 4 nights. Left Kingfisher and went to the canal , 2/7/02 --2/12/02.
The Pirogue is still like new and being used.
Bill Logans Trip report of that swamp run. http://www.canoe-suwannee.com/oke12P1.htm
 

seedtick

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2006
1,161
7
Denham Springs, LA
OK, I'm here but I'm not sure I can add much to what you're proposing to do as we have little to no experience in building with cypress and fiberglass. But, not being knowledgeable has never kept me from having an opinion........

first off 3/8 planks seems a little thin, we typically nail the bottom into the sides and trying to hit 3/8" in the middle and at the same angle as the sides (even when using a preacher) is difficult and likely to split the boards. You can get away from that by having an inside or outside chine or by using a fillet of epoxy like most folks here use on plywood.

A 3/8" thick solid plank may be a bit light on strength laterally- not near as strong as plywood (no cross fibers) - but glassing both sides and using 12" to 16" rib spacing will help. How strong is strong enough? That's your call. We typically use 5/8" to 3/4" thick planks with no glass or epoxy

we just butt joint the edges of the bottom boards - but we also have a pretty good fit. Aim for glue joints no thicker than a credit card

scarf the side planks for length - let the scarf land on a rib or at be in an area on minimum bend

don't know what cypress you have but new growth is more brittle so bend carefully

fasteners should penetrate 3 or 4 growth rings


blunt the tip of your nails to minimize splitting
 

toon

New Member
Jan 24, 2011
3
0
54
Waycross Ga. (Okfenok Swawmp)
Seedtick, thanks for your advice. having put a good bit of thought into this project, I have decided to save my cypress for my next boat and build this one from plywood. I think with having an 11 year old helping, it will be a more manageable project. I will probably be asking for a little guidance with my cypress project. Thanks alot!