SASSAFRAS 12 CANOE PROJECT

Day 36 – 1.5 Hours

Started smoothing out the outside of the hull. Thickened up some epoxy and filled some of the gaps in the joints. This was really necessary at the stems to smooth them out for the glass tape to be applied. This will probably take a few days to let the epoxy cure and recheck the results.



Day 37 – 1.5 Hours

Sanded the filled areas and found a few more areas needing some work. This is where you have to decide on how nice you want the results to look or get the project done sooner. There is still ice on the water here so I might as well take my time and make it better. More filler and another day to let it cure.



Day 38 – 4 Hours

Finished sanding on the outside of the hull (still have a few divots) and preceded to fiberglass the middle planks. Following instructions it didn’t go too bad. Next to tape the stems and apply the fill coats.



Day 39 – 1 Hour

I did the stem tapes today. I didn’t have any tape left to use so I used some of my straps from the hull. I cut the strips on the diagonal, as described in the manuals, and found they conformed beautifully to the stems without any folds. I used two strips on each end. I will let them cure and then start on the fill coats.



"The most important things are length, width and weight," Kitt says. "You have to get the right boat for the right job. The main difference is distance. You have to determine how far you want to paddle. A longer boat goes farther with less effort".