Sailing Canoe Chapter 5: Hull Frame Finishing

Lashing the stringers to the stems. Locking the lashings with epoxy. Finishing the framework with linseed oil.
Here's what we end up with in this chapter. A mostly finished hull frame with a coat of linseed oil, a lot of finished lashings, and fewer sharp corners.

Continues from
Chapter 1: Make the Deck, Keel, and Cockpits.
Chapter 2: Make Ribs
Chapter 3: Lash the Frame
Chapter 4: Carve outrigger and Break tools

Followed by:
Chapter 6: Morton's Oar
Chapter 7: Sew a Skin over the Hull Skeleton and Seal it.
Chapter 8: Keel and Rub Strips
Chapter 9: Dipaakak
Chapter 10: Independent Suspension
Chapter X: Maiden Voyage

Please support the WAM canoe project as they preserve and foster canoe knowledge in the Marshall Islands.

Step 1: Stem Lashings

Here's how the stringers are lashed to the stem.
I trimmed the end of each stringer to lay against the stem with my pullsaw and knife.
Then I drilled two holes above and below each one. I lashed around each pair of stringers with 7 or 8 turns of polyester twine. I shoved a loop of wire under the lashing and pulled the loose ends through to finish the lashing.

I wasn't planning to do anything at all to the ends of the stringers.
I was going to leave them hanging out in space and not lash down the tips.
It felt like they'd break before they bent enough to reach the stem.
But I tied them bent and went away for a month. When I came back they bent to the stem easily.

So went ahead and lashed them to the stem.
Don't agonize over this part of the boat. You'll see when we stretch the skin over the frame it won't even touch the stringers here. And if it does, this part of the boat is above the waterline most of the time anyway.

Comments

[milesnorth]

You should enter this into the photo contest going on. You did a nice job of documenting the process in a pretty easy way to understand.

[milesnorth]

I like your boat and your instructions. I live in Alaska and I want to try making a birch bark canoe. I have made some birch bark baskets, but am definitely a novice. Have you come across any resources specifically for making birch bark canoes? Haven't been able to find a whole lot other then a few websites without a lot of specifics. Appreciate any ideas you might have. Advantages to types of wood to use for frame? (preferably harvested from woods spruce, aspen, birch?) Thanks.

[Wade Tarzia]

Real purty! What are the measurements of the things? LOA, DAS, and the ama length?

[TimAnderson]

16 feet overall, main hull is 16" wide, outrigger main beams and outrigger float are both 10 feet long. Outrigger float has 17" circumference amidships. What's a DAS?

[Wade Tarzia]

Depth amidships. By the bye, you can see the use to which I put some of the masts I bought off you on last month's photo on Gary D's "outrigger blog." Almost caught the schooner but she turned and headed back for some reason (perhaps out of shame).

[TimAnderson]

Ahh. 2 feet deep in the middle. Hey! your boat looks nice! And it's in the water!

[Wade Tarzia]

Thanks. Yes, in the water since August. It is not quite finished (no hiking seats) but after two slow years of building I was impatient to sail it. The day the photo was taken (by kindly stranger on the beach) I sailed it 3 miles into the Sound, very rough but exciting, and boat hit 12 mph on GPS, close reach, and I was soaked through -- a wet boat! Side seats will divert the stray when I get around to them. I wish you joy in the warmer Hawai'ian waters! Carry on!

[T3h_Muffinator]

Whoa! That's a nice looking canoe!

[discontinuuity]

So will you be sitting inside or on top of the canoe?

[TimAnderson]

On top for sailing, legs down in the cockpit holes for paddling

[stasterisk]

yikes! did your friend recover? nice boat!!!

[TimAnderson]

He was done recovering by the time I met him. I mean, he'd done as much recovering as he was going to. I've got to finish it so we can sail it!

[Brennn10]

Beautiful!