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Newbie

oldbuffpilot

Well-Known Member
May 13, 2014
629
34
80
Central Kansas and Central Texas
Well not exactly new, just new to the membership and posting. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge just reading your posts and appreciate that you share your knowledge and experience with literally hundreds of people through your post. I probably will ask more questions than I contribute, but I decided I needed to be part of this online community. I am new to posting on forums, but I’ll try to do it right.

Not a lot of building experience, 4 Uncle John’s supervising and helping Grandkids, and 2 Herb Cottle light weights trying to make myself a pirogue easier to load and carry.

Retired Military and FEDEX, 26 years in Bossier Parrish La, now Council Grove Kansas, and Georgetown Tx in winter. I look forward to being able to ask questions and share what little knowledge I may have.


Thanks for all the previous advice via the forum,

Andy
 

mike

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2009
694
9
TEXAS!
Welcome aboard, Andy!

As you've seen, there is a whole lot of good information to be found here.

Mike
 

texastom

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2013
184
4
Dallas
Andy,

Welcome to the club and thanks for your service in the Air Force. FedEx must have been a cake walk after wrestling with 8 engines on the BUFF.

Please post some pics of your Herb Cottle boats when you get a chance. Also any advice on attaching the skin to the ladder frame would be appreciated.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
oldbuffpilot said:
I am new to posting on forums, but I’ll try to do it right.

Andy

Andy .......

That will be a 1st and something new that no one has tried to do on here so if you do not manage to get it right , just think of your self as a real member on here. We usually just post things and hope for the best. :lol: :lol: :roll: Just Joking guy's , Just Joking.

Chuck.
Man I can see the remarks I will get :wink: on this.
 

mike

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2009
694
9
TEXAS!
oldbuffpilot said:
I am new to posting on forums, but I’ll try to do it right.

Andy

Chuck likes it best when we post controversial topics, especially when they are political. He likes really large pictures, too. That makes them easier for him to see.

:wink:

Mike
 

oldbuffpilot

Well-Known Member
May 13, 2014
629
34
80
Central Kansas and Central Texas
Texastorm,
I didn’t think much of the B-52 at first, but came to love it, also it kept me in La and fishing Bodcau Bayou.

I’m short on construction pictures. Here are two pics of the one pirogue I brought to Texas. I’ve been practicing camo paint. I built the first on a whim, saw some trim coil at Menards and bought a 25’ x 10” roll they have enamel paint. Used what I had, 12’ 1x2’s and built 12’. I put the skin on the frames with them laying flat. Simply put a hefty bead of epoxy wood flour on the long runners and experimented with different fasteners; wire nails, 1/2 “ upholstery staples, and ¼ “ crown stables. All the fasteners worked fine, the ¼’ crown with the pneumatic stapler was easiest.

I drilled holes in the leading edge of the “stems” and fastened the ends together with tie wraps. Got my neighbor to help spread the sides and put a leftover UJ standard rib in the middle. 5.2 Luan bottom. No glass just epoxy coat. This pirogue was fished about 10 trips and lived in my truck bed for about a month, not abused, but not babied. Over the 4 th of July I told the kids to use it to play in the lake, they jumped off it turned it over and about everything kids 5 to 50 will do, it’s still in good shape, weighs 24 pounds.

The second was 11/4x 5/8 cedar like the first except 22 pounds. I had to add some cloth to the ends where the Luan meets the stems, after an ill advised day trip down the San Gabriel that ended up dragging it over lots of water and rocks. Also I left this one sitting in my big boat overnight and a Texas storm blew it out and about 100 yards across the yard cracked one of the ‘rubrails” so I added a thwart where the crack was. The thinner cedar was lighter, but flimsy sides, it needed a thwart anyway.

I fish out it more than my others because of the light weight. I would like it more stable, my seat is about 2” and I like to sit higher. They are both stout enough for what I do, the tension on the skin makes it considerably stronger. I’d rather have a TV 15-32 that weighs 25 pounds, one of these designers may figure that out while I’m still young enough to get in and out!

Later I’ll try another trim coil pirogue with more flare and 14’, maybe I can do a builders log. But that’s a ways off, with summer will come kids and more UJ’s.

Good Fish’n,
Andy





 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
mike said:
oldbuffpilot said:
I am new to posting on forums, but I’ll try to do it right.

Andy

Chuck likes it best when we post controversial topics, especially when they are political. He likes really large pictures, too. That makes them easier for him to see.

:wink:

Mike


Don't listen to Mike ( He's a Texan and still shell shocked from defending the Alamo ) he is trying to lead you astray and down the primrose path in a friendly way. We try to stay away from politics and religion since those two subjects tent to get folks all riled up. :oops:
By the way , congratulations on posting pictures , they are just the right size.
 

texastom

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2013
184
4
Dallas
Great looking boat and camo job! thanks for posting the pic. I think that's the first Herb Cottle style boat I've seen with a rib it.

When you skinned it, did you do anything extra to seal the edges of the metal to the frame? Pre punch the nail holes?
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
When I was a kid and living with the folks I would be out in the field working and all of a sudden this humongous jet with 8 engines would be circling overhead. He would drop down nice and low so you could not miss him , make 2 or 3 circles and then land at McCoy Air base. ( Orlando )

It would be Col , Bud Moors bringing another B-52 in from overseas and that was his way of letting Dad know he was back. That night all of us would meet at the Moors residence for supper and visiting.
Never figured it out , Dad was a full bird Army Col ( retired ) and Bud was an Air Force Col but somehow the two of them were good friends. Kids didn't ask questions , at lease back then we didn't.
 

oldbuffpilot

Well-Known Member
May 13, 2014
629
34
80
Central Kansas and Central Texas
Thanks for the welcomes. I’ve been on the road getting myself and boat back to Kansas. One of our daughters will bring my wife later. She has finished a tough chemo series and will be better off riding in a comfortable car and a 2 day trip instead of one. Good news is no signs of cancer left- just needs to recover from killing it!

Texastorm, I simply spread a medium bead of wood flour on the outside edges of the frame, didn’t do the ladder “rungs” (uprights). I both nailed and stapled, no predrill, both worked, just easier to staple. On airplanes we take great pains to scuff up and clean the alclad aluminum, apparently epoxy sticks well to the baked enamel. This was by far the easiest pirogue I have built, had some trouble getting the cedar to spread and needed help with that. Next time I think I will put a form or a rib in the middle and draw the ends together. I’ve not had any indication that the epoxy, wood to aluminum seal is a weak spot. Let me know if you have other questions, I did the first light weight in a hurry without much forethought and no problems.

The B 52 was (is) quite a weapons system. Chuck I don’t remember Col Moors, but had some good friends at McCoy. We lost some good men in the D model accident there, also learned some things that saved lives later on.

Good Fish’n,

Andy