Building a stitched lapstrake canoe

August 20, 2007
Glassing the keel

I ran out of epoxy and had to run out to the store today to get another quart to finish the job. While that means I have used 1 gallon of epoxy, not all of it went on the boat due to waste. I'd say that just over 3/4 of a gallon was actually applied to the hull so far, so in a perfect world a gallon would be enough.

I cut a 4" strip of fiberglass the whole length of the keel line right up the stem to the gunwhales. I cut another 2 18" pieces that I cut on the bias for extra strength along the keel line near the ends, this will resist abrasion where it needs the most strength. I used 8 ounces of epoxy that I brushed on with a shortened disposable brush. The shorter pieces were laid on over the full length glass while it was all wet.

August 21, 2007
Second coat of epoxy

Here's my mixing station set up on my table saw. I always put on rubber gloves before working with the epoxy, no matter how neat I try to be, I always end up with epoxy all over the gloves and tools. I don't want to get over exposed to the epoxy and get sensitive or allergic to it.

Today I sanded the edges of the fiberglass along the edges to smooth it in to the surface. Then I rolled on about 4 ounces of epoxy over the entire seam to fill the pattern of the glass so the surface is now smooth.


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HOME	1. laying out the planks	2. cutting planks	3. gluing planks	4. rabbeting edges	5. stitching seams	6. shaping hull	7. filleting stems	8. gluing seams
	9. removing stitches	10. filling holes	11. gluing inwhales	12. gluing outwhales	13. glassing outside	14. glassing inside	15. glassing keel	16. decks and seat mounts
	17. installing seats	18. epoxy coat	19. sanding	20. varnishing	21. finishing up	22. launching	storage	BILL OF MATERIALS
	This canoe was built from plans in the book "The Canoe Shop"