Gettin' started for the first time!

[redfisher]

Well I have jumped in with both feet. :shock:

I recieved my Uncle John's kit a few days ago and got started yesterday. I ordered my stuff from Raka yesterday 10/3 at lunch and it was at my house waiting when I got home today 10/4 from work. :shock: DANG!!
So far I only have the plywood cut,ribs assembled and the scarf prep done. I did have to spend some time putting a work bench together. The one in my shop is a little small.

I now know why some of you folks just prefer to use a butt joint. This is a pain in the a$$. It was tuff on my cheap sanding belts.

 

[Kayak Jack]

"Let the Weenie Dog special, shiner her light on me...."

I see the dachshund under the boat, and figured you may name it after the dog. Weenie Dog Express

 

[cctyer]

Hell yeah! lovin that sweet pile-o-belt dust you have gathered. That GOD spelled backwards is one fine lookin pup. At least the end we can see. Is that your paddlin dog? I went with the conventional wisdom here and did the BUTT joints on mine and never looked back! Butt having never tried the scarf I got nothing to compare it with so good work redfisher and keep the pics coming. All the geezers round here really appreciate it!

 

[JEM]

umm... maybe I'm not seeing the picture correctly, but looks like a solid piece of lumber you're scarfing. :shock:

It looks like stacked plywood that is scarfed in the later pictures. You can see the glue lines. But that first picture threw me for a loop.

 

[FlaMike]

That was a solid plank in the first pic, you can still see the corner of it in the bottom left of the pic that shows his stack of sanded ply.

I was wondering about that for a minute, myself!

redfisher,

I'm just up the road a bit from you, just off the south side of County Line Rd. not too far from Spring Hill Hospital. Are you going to be doing your first launch in one of the lakes near you?

I built a PVC rack for my Pirogue and took it up to the park on the Weeki Wachee River. Good place for that, on a week day, anyway.

With a handle like "redfisher," I just gotta' ask, where will be you be doing most of your fishing from your Pirogue? That is, if that's why you are building it. . .

So far, I've been spending most of my time up in the Ozello area, between Homosassa and Crystal River. Lot's of beautiful scenery up there and when I go during the week, very few power boats around.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[redfisher]

Mike, I would love to do an Ozello trip but the word is Cedar Key is looking good. Either would be great though. I'm sure a couple of the P-F.com guys would like to go also.
For most of my exploring and fishing I'll probably stick with the kayak. The pirogue is more for those quick trips poking around the backwaters and taking the pup out.

As for the pirogue build,I have gotten a little more done.

The scarf joints are a pain but they do come out nice. It turns out that it was a waste anyway because this boat is definitely getting painted. Hey it was good practice for a stained boat in the future. :wink:

I think I saved some money and hassle ripping down pieces of the 2x for rails. They came out nice but a table saw would have made it much easier.

I guess wood flour is about the same weight as coffee.

I glued down the bottom and the belt sander with 30 grit made quick work of the excess. I would not want to try this without a belt sander. :roll:

I dont have enough clamps so I had to put one rail at a time on.

Here are my boat building helpers and paddling buddies. They are really looking forward to chasing some reds.

 

[Kayak Jack]

NEATO! I like the pups too. You, like all of us, use "targets or opportunity" when it comes to weighing down the wood for your glue to cure.

 

[oldsparkey]

That is a nice way you have the grain of the wood matching each half , I agree with your helpers , it would be a shame to paint it. Some fiberglass and epoxy would really bring out the grain and good looks of the pirogue.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I agree - keep the boat beautiful and use the paint on our car.

 

[FlaMike]

redfisher,

I know what you mean about wanting to paint the boat. Sometimes, the pictures can look better than the real thing. Mine was that way. I decided to paint the outside of the hull and the inside bottom. Personally, I like the way it worked out.

You'll need to let the epoxy cure for a couple of weeks before you do any painting, or varnishing for that matter. In that time, you can still take the boat out and start learning how it handles. Once that time has passed, then you can decide if you want to apply varnish for a clear finish or paint for some color.

Your boat, your call.

Cedar Key? Yes, I hear that's great. But from here, I'd think you'd be talking about an over-nighter, wouldn't you? Nice thing about Ozello is that it's less than a 50 mile drive (one way) for me. That makes it a nice day trip.

Soon, I'll be giving other places a try, from Crystal River, south. Eventually, I'll probably explore some places down in Tampa Bay. I hear there's some great snook fishing in the old, upper bay.

Of course, I do my boat trips on week days, usually Tues, Wed, and Thursdays. That's because I work weekends, Fri, Sat, and Sun, 12 hour night shifts.

Keep up the progress and find some time to post more pics!

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[cctyer]

Man that boat looks nice redfisher! Your boat builders are quite cute and the little jack is just adorable. how old is the little tike? Do they wear life vest's? Keep up the great work, at this rate you are gonna be done soon.


Chad

 

[bearridge]

Friend redfisher,

That little one iz so cute I called Miz Bear over ta take a look see. She agreed, our cats need one of them. :wink:

regards
bearridge

It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence.  Charles A. Beard

 

[redfisher]

Today was a lot of sanding. Removed the "screw clamps" and filled the holes in prep for the glassing inside and out.

Sanda boat Danielsan!!

Major my dachshund is 8 and hates the sun so he not much for paddling.
Morgan the JRT pup is not quite 3 months and hasn't had a chance to go out yet but I think she will do great. She has some big shoes to fill. A little while back I lost a JRT. My best friend ever, Maisie.

After a hard day of boat building this is how I found her.I couldn't believe she could sleep like that but she was sound asleep.

 

[redfisher]

Still at it. I have been working on the fiberglassing. I also built the front and rear compartments. Still not quite sure which is which.

The boss is getting tired of waiting on her boat.

 

[redfisher]

Mas trabajo hoy!

Please remember this boat is being painted. I'll use the right color and pay more attention to the filler in the future. :shock:

SOOOO much sanding!!
R.I.P. Good-bye old friend.

 

[redfisher]

The weather has been too crappy to get much done outside. I think I should have a yard sale and sell all the livingroom furniture.
That's it. A nice tiled workshop will be nice.

 

[FlaMike]

Brother! I feel your pain! :shock:

OK, that's not quite true. Actually, I don't feel your pain, I'm too busy working on not feeling mine. :lol:

One thing I did early on was to replace my vibrator sander with a random orbital sander. Got an inexpensive one at WalMart, an extra "hook" pad, and a "contractor" box of sanding disk with the "loop" backing. I had discovered earlier that the adhesive-backed disk were a bad idea for me. After going thru a pile of those disk, the glue built up on the sander and then melted into it, making me replace that part.

I'm kind of lucky, in that I can build inside of my garage, although the space available is not much. (Working on that!) But the rain is killing me anyway. I've bought and paid for 10 sheets of 1/8th in. Luan, but I can't drive down to Largo and get it until I'm fairly certain I can make the trip there & back without getting caught in the rain.

I'd hate to start the new build with warped plywood! (I'd much rather warp it myself, while building.)

Yer' Pirogue, by the way, is looking great!

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[redfisher]

I bought a new 1/4 sheet sander but I do have a random-orbit. I have found that the 1/4 sheet is better for removing lumps while the RO leaves a better finish.
With my glassing skills I have been getting my moneys worth out of the 1/4 sheet.
As far as tools go I am not lacking. I will repair the broken 1/4 sheet sander which will give me 3 of those, 1 half sheet,2 belt sanders and 1 RO. I know I am sick but I do work in construction which is a good cover for being a tool junkie.

 

[redfisher]

Well I have been pretty busy lately. Sorry to say working and not paddling/fishing. I just loaded the pirogue for its first trip. I have to work tomorrow but I will be ready for Sunday. I can't believe how dang heavy it turned out and I still have some finishing to do. :? Learning experience right?!

I will certainly pay more attention to weight on the next project.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Redfisher,

I wish you a lot of luck fishing. I know you're going to enjoy that new boat. Good feeling, ehh?

But - you had that BAD four letter word in our post - and a seven letter derivation of it! w0#k is a no no. ;=}}

Have fun, and enjoy that boat!