Canoe

[catsittingstill]

I faked up a back thwart and a foot thwart the day before yesterday. (Even a piddly old 10 inch sears bandsaw bought second hand is still pretty darn cool.)  I used a piece of 2 x 4 to have enough extra height to have a lip hanging over the gunwale (and besides 2 x 4 is cheap) because I didn't want to waste hardwood until I knew exactly where I want the thwart to be.  I need to be able to lean back against the back thwart without having it skitter away when I'm testing out proper positions, so I added a wooden lever to pinch the gunwale from below against the lip above.  The wooden lever is worked by a carriage bolt with a wingnut.  I needed the lever to slide in and out, because the distance between the gunwales changes as I move the back thwart back and forth to find the right position, so instead of a hole in the fake thwart, I made a slot so the carriage bolt could slide away from, and toward, the end of the thwart when the wingnut is loosened. 

It's rather a clever idea, actually; I may use it for the clamp-in yoke I will make for this boat.  The nice thing about it is it doesn't require taking anything all the way loose to clamp and unclamp,, so I'm less likely to lose an important piece of hardware forty river miles from the nearest hardware store.  If it works out I will probably redesign Patience's yoke.

I spent most of the day today faking up a seat.  I needed something that would sit stably in the bottom of the boat but that I could shift backward and forward to find the correct position.  I ended up taking the mold for the middle of the boat, and the mold for a foot back, and tracing the last 3 1/2 inches (the bottom of the boat) onto a two by four.  I cut it out with the bandsaw, sanded it back to the lines with the shopsmith, and cut notches in the ends to take 1 1/2 by 3/4 inch slats.  I've epoxied the slats in place to give me a sort of wooden box, with two sides that exactly match the bottom of the boat.  I'll wrap duct tape over the top of it (it worked in Quetico) and have a quick light movable seat.  A pad of that nonskid kitchen stuff between it and the bottom of the boat, should keep it from skidding around.

So tomorrow I expect to put it in the water for a few minutes to position the seat, back thwart and foot thwart.  Then when I know where the middles of the thwarts need to be, I'll be able to design curves that put the ends of the thwarts at parts of the gunwales that have spacers.  Seeing as my original spacer design didn't work out so well.

I'm also going to have to custom make a seat, I can tell.  I want the seat so low with respect to the gunwale that it's going to end up a bit narrower than usual.

Comments

[boywizard.livejournal.com]

Why a low seat? Do you customarily paddle seated or kneeling? I needed a fairly high seat in my boats so I could get my large size 12 feet under them when kneeling. Of course, a lower seat improves stability, but I think that for river paddling, where upper body flexibility and reach are important (except perhaps for the calmest of rivers) not being able to kneel comfortably would be a handicap. Then again, if you have dainty feet, no problem.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

In my Osprey I paddle seated, or kneeling. I actually checked what height to hang the seat with books and a board, to make sure I could easily get my feet (in sneakers) out from under if I tipped.

But the Wee Lassie II, like the Wee Lassie, is customarily paddled from a "kayak" position--seated in the bottom of the boat (or a seat a few inches higher) using a double paddle. I expect it will have good secondary stability but feel "wiggly." Once it is done I may try sitting on the back thwart and see if that feels too crazy. If not, I may consider the option of a higher seat. But I wanted the seat so far below the thwart because it's designed to be paddled kayak style and the paddler leans back against the thwart. I have a tall back and need the thwart to be higher with respect to the seat than most people.

The Wee Lassie II is really a flatwater boat anyway.

[boywizard.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. I like using a double-bladed paddle myself, when I am paddling solo. Less effort wasted in steering. My current boat, a 17-foot Grumman (purchased after boat number one was stolen), is plenty stable, so sitting low isn't really necessary. Have you considered putting in foot braces? A little pressure forcing you back against the thwart/seat back can really lock you into the boat, allowing effective bracing with the paddle if you encounter waves (from wind or wakes).

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed.

My current plan is to have the front thwart act as a footbrace. One of the things I'll be checking when I put it in the water is whether this is a pipe dream or a real possiblity.

My current plan is to have a gently curved front thwart, with the curve toward the paddler, so that shorter people can put their feet against the middle, and taller people can put their feet against the ends (near the gunwales.) I have faked something up from a two by four that is so ugly its own mother would pretend she didn't know it in public, but if my idea works I will come up with a nicer design.

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

You are so crafty! I am continually amazed at how you put things together so you can put things together better.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

:-) Shucks.

I enjoy solving these kinds of problems--at least, I enjoy it when I can think up some practical way to solve them.

Maybe I should have been a designer or an engineer.