Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

[Wimperdink]

Well I'm in town for a few days again so I'm back at it on the canoe in two. Here's a few pictures. <br /><br />Everything looks a lil rough at the moment because I have not yet completely smoothed out the fiberglass. I'm waiting till I get tops on the outriggers and will lay another layer of fiberglass on the entire outriggers. Then I'll smooth and consider a lil paint. <br /><br />Need a few opinions here. <br /><br />Should I bolt the back pole for the outriggers to the transom or to the side rails?<br /><br />Will it be Davy Jones Locker or Fair Winds and Smooth Seas?<br /><br />Anyone taking bets on top speed with the 4hp johnson?<br /><br />

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[fishingdan]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

I admire your determination. Maybe attach the poles to the transom and the sides. <br /><br />Speed? My bet is that it won't go any faster than it did on your first trial. You have added weight and drag.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Looks like the pontoons sit lower than the bottom of the canoe. My guess is that unless they are raised they will fill with water and cause more drag. Probably need a top or foam fill them to actually be useful.<br /><br />I think you need:<br /><br /> 1) Bigger pontoons.<br /><br /> 2) Bigger motor. Maybe 9.9 or 25. <br /> <br /> 3) More life insurance.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Originally posted by fishingdan:<br />Speed? My bet is that it won't go any faster than it did on your first trial. You have added weight and drag.

First trials were with a 36lb thrust trolling motor. Next launch is a 4hp outboard.<br /><br />

Originally posted by Mark42:<br />Looks like the pontoons sit lower than the bottom of the canoe. My guess is that unless they are raised they will fill with water and cause more drag. Probably need a top or foam fill them to actually be useful.<br /><br />I think you need:<br /><br />1) Bigger pontoons.<br /><br />2) Bigger motor. Maybe 9.9 or 25.<br /><br />3) More life insurance.

The pontoons are almost even with the bottom of the canoe actually raised 1/2 inch. I'll have to put 1/2" deep ribs on the bottom of them to match the bottom of the canoe to make them dead even. Not sure I want the weight of the bigger motor for trial run. Hope your not right about the life insusrance. .. I'm considering putting foam in them before I seal the tops though I think i'll line the pockets with plastic before I foam them so I can seal the plastic and make it so if they do leak the foam wont get water logged. They have been heavily soaked with resin so hopefully they wont leak.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

How about making the pontoons from 4, 6 or 8" pvc tubing? Easy enough to glue end caps on, inexpensive stuff in the lighter schedules. Might even think about putting a cleanout fitting on the end of each one to easily open and drain water. And PVC would have worked well for the supports too. What you have there is starting to look heavy.<br /><br />I think it's a neat project, or I wouldn't be sticking my nose in.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> <br />I think it's a neat project, or I wouldn't be sticking my nose in.

Thanks Figure I need to learn a lil about the laws of "aquadynamics", use my learning curve for fiberglassing, and my expell my need for gerry rigging before I get to a real project. <br /><br />I considered going with pvc but my hopes of it planing out made me think that pvc with end caps isnt a very aquadynamic shape and would have created too much drag. Weight wise these are still incredibly light weight for what they are... the whole outrigger setup feels lighter than my 15 lb trolling motor.<br /><br />I tested this out today without first capping off the tops... big mistake got about 10' out with the trolling motor and the wake from another boat capsized my left pontoon. <br /><br />When I was in the cove and there wasnt a lot of action on the water, I could stand up in the middle of the boat and it was as stable as it could possibly be. I didnt get the added floatation that I had hoped for. These pontoons with caps on them would be ideal for a regular canoe. I was very impressed with the stability. I'm thinking that moving they would hold up just fine but I want buoyancy at a standstill too.<br /><br />I'm still going to need more floatation with a shape that will allow it to pull up on a plane. I've got two ideas in mind. Either I start over with the pontoons and make them out of foam and encapsulate them with fiberglass, or I can just add to the sides of them with foam, shape them more like a boat, and cover the whole works with fiberglass again.<br /><br />I'm very open to suggestions on how big i'll need to go for proper displacement.<br /><br />I really want to do it with the single canoe but If I have to, my final attempt will be to cap off the other half and go the route of a cat.<br /><br />crude pic of possible intended foam add on's<br />

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

P.S. Mark52, I did take another look at the height of them today before attaching them and took your advice and raised them up 2 inches.. They were in fact riding a lil lower than I thought.

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Other option is to move your pontoons further out on each side. The longer your outrigger is, the smaller the buoyancy force of the pontoon needs to be. The stability would certainly improve.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Here's an idea... I saw a picture of a folding lawn chair tied on to a pair of pontoons made by stacking up the pink rigid foam you can find in the home centers (fishing chair). An 8'x2'x1.5" sheet costs about $17 (if I remember right) and I guess it must be closed cell foam or that lawn chair would have been on the bottom of the lake in no time.<br /><br />So that is one rather inexpensive way of testing out different size and shape pontoons. I installed that foam board in my basement and it cuts really nice with a razor knife, easy to "carve" into a real pontoon shape. Very rigid. When done, put a layer or two of fiberglass over it. And you get fiberglass experience to boot!

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

I have great stability AMD, just severly lacking in buoyancy at a standstill <br /><br />Mark52, I just bought some of that very foam your talking about. 1" x 2' x 8' for 7 something. My only concern with using foam without some kind of skeleton would make it break with any light force... like dragging it on to the beach.. or if it planes out and Ismack into someones wake. etc etc

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Mark52 can you email me puuleeeeeeese. I read through a share project months and months ago and found one where this guy made some trim pieces for his boat by moulding them himself. I searched forever for that project again a few months later. Just went back and reviewed your project again to see the trailer transfer pictures and voila there it is... it was you!! I have some questions for you for some ideas I have. Thanks

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

Ok i'm almost ready to give up on the pontoons idea... few stupid moves on new set and getting frustrated... going to give it one last shot tomorrow.. if it doesnt work out i'm pulling out the other half of the canoe and building a transom for it and figureing out how to tie the two together into a cat. Tried to create some foam toons for outriggers... everythings going wrong... some glue eats the foam and some just doesnt stick.. resins melts the foam.. have no epoxy on hand and getting tired of it not working. would have had a cat built by now if I would have started with that idea.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

OK now.... here are the results of todays "sea trials" I built a new set of outriggers out of wood and foam. I achieved desired stability, buoyancy, and almost everything I was looking for. heavy on the ALMOST. I brought along the gps too... <br /><br />The trolling motor got me to a speed of 2.8 mph and the 4 hp johnson got me to 5 mph. (trolling motor will get me to 4 or 5 mph without the outriggers but is extremely unstable)<br /><br />It all sits up out of the water just fine till I get my fat butt in it and thats a lot of drag. The water at full throttle comes over the top of the outriggers and makes some of it splash into the canoe... if I move the weight forward, there is not enough hull area in the front and it tends to plow pretty hard. <br /><br />The pictures have first a load of a 15lb motor and a 51 lb battery. Second picture has a 38 lb motor and 4 gallons of gas. <br /><br />I think with a steering system and throttle control I would not be at all afraid to stick most any kid in it with a trolling motor and any 10+ kid in it with the gas motor. I could stand up in it with a full load at a standstill and under full power of either power source, without any fear of rocking or tipping. It was ever bit as solid as any big boat as for stability.<br /><br />I firmly believe with a person near half my weight and it would probably plane and do a good speed. I'm just to heavy no matter how you look at it.<br /><br />Wish I would have had a camera operator to show it in operation. I had a lot of spectators on todays trials. Most found it comical and some even acted like they felt a lil sorry for me. I'm thinking they figured it was my only mode of water transportation. <br />

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[cpj]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

If you have ever cut a canoe in half and bolted on out riggers, you might be a redneck!Just kidding,I am actually enjoying your project.Although,Im not saying that I wouldnt laugh my arse off if I saw it in the lake. <br />I just bought a canoe and was thinking about turning it into a square stern.I just havent got the nads to break out the chainsaw and cut up my brand new canoe.I think that my wife would kill me.I guess though it could "accidentally"fall out of the truck and land on the stern and...

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

When are you painting flames on that thing already??<br /><br />Is there any way you could move the sponsons fore and aft to see what happens? Longer sponsons would provide more bouyancy and lifting surface. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that if you had square chines it would plane better.<br /><br />And if all else fails... Smart Tabs!!

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

You guys crack me up.... <br />cpj I think my wife would have kicked me square where it matters if I would have cut up a new canoe. This one cost me a grand total of $50 (before I cut it in half) I'd leave the new canoe in one piece and look around for an old pos canoe to try on first. oh and speaking from experiance here... leave a lil more on the part you intend to use than I did. also a chainsaw would destroy it... use a sawzall btw I just moved out of MO last november. I might have been your redneck neighbor. <br /><br />Calico... I've had soo many visions tonight that range from tossing it in my sisters pond for their kids to making a huge whale tail for the back to similate the low rider cars with the fins on the trunk. Guess that makes them go faster haha. <br /><br />I've considered making trim tabs that operate with a manual lever from the drivers seat... and the possibility of a surfboard cut in half mounted on each side on the front much like front wheels on a lawn mower... would act the same at a stand still but would give lift to the front end at any speed.<br /><br />Of course you realize that with all that drag we would need at least a 25 hp motor now. <br /><br />I have also invisioned putting a 25 hp motor on it now as it sits but in my head I can also see the outriggers and canoe disintegrating under me. Any future sea trials will be done with large empty jugs tied to the motor for retrieval purposes.

 

[cpj]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Where at in MO?I would like to know so that I dont drink the water.Maybe some form of bacteria caused you to cut up your boat.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

lol South of Kansas City.... and yes I'd be careful about drinking the water... or perhaps even eating the fish out of that water.... its been rumoured 3 eyed fish have been pulled from that very water. <br /><br />cpj join us here.... wimps chat if your still online... or anyone else for that matter

 

[Mark42]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

I think you should make longer pontoons. Shapped like a canoe, they will probably give you the boyancy you need and cut the water better than the "skid" nosed pontoons you have now. <br /><br />Think about at least twice the size they are now.<br /><br />Come on, what are you waiting for?

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Canoe in Two Finished (recent pics)

lol... ya mean like just strap a canoe on either side? these worked great for stability and buoyancy... <br /><br /> http://www.trampofoil.info/videoen.html <br />this was posted in the non boating topics... look at the foil and how small it is... considering one of those on the front with a slight up angle and maybe some manually operated trim tabs on the back.