Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
By:Oliver
Date: 11/3/2013, 7:44 am
In Response To: Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro (James Doyle)

Well said, Allan. It's all good, and much of the fun as an amateur builder is trying out new designs and techniques.
If you're using particleboard, be careful that it doesn't warp, especially if exposed to moisture. Laminated and in a dry space, it's probably ok, but I've seen 1/2" MDF take quite a bend when used on end forms.
Jay Babina mentioned a trick to me (yesterday, while paddling on the Connecticut River) for keeping materials from warping. He varnishes them to keep the moisture out. I've whitewashed mine with primer, the easier to see various pencil marks, but now realize that doing so acted similarly to Jay's varnish.
Nick uses a metal beam, but then as a professional builder he can justify the investment. An alternative is engineered lumber, which goes under a variety of trade names, Timberstrand, Unilam, Glulam, etc. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glued_laminated_timber It is available in a variety of sizes and lengths, heavy but because the glues used in it are moisture resistant it stays true over many years. It's a smaller investment than aluminum, more than building your own box beam from plywood; a 14' manufactured beam has served a friend and me well over five boats and as many years, and so the oversized box beam I built as an external strongback has been retired.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Strongback
James Doyle -- 10/20/2013, 7:07 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Oliver -- 10/20/2013, 7:32 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro *PIC*
Greg Galloway -- 10/20/2013, 9:36 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/22/2013, 4:11 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
aedie -- 10/22/2013, 5:11 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/23/2013, 1:18 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Allan -- 10/23/2013, 2:06 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Etienne Muller -- 10/23/2013, 5:50 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/23/2013, 8:58 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/24/2013, 12:47 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/24/2013, 8:51 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Oliver -- 10/24/2013, 9:22 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/24/2013, 11:10 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
ddaniels -- 10/26/2013, 2:24 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Etienne Muller -- 10/26/2013, 3:07 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Marc Upchurch -- 10/26/2013, 3:20 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Björn Thomasson -- 10/26/2013, 5:51 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/27/2013, 1:52 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/27/2013, 10:41 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/29/2013, 1:40 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
James Doyle -- 10/29/2013, 10:44 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/30/2013, 2:22 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Marc Upchurch -- 10/30/2013, 4:10 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Allan -- 10/31/2013, 1:14 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/31/2013, 2:06 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 10/31/2013, 12:48 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Marc Upchurch -- 10/31/2013, 1:59 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 10/31/2013, 9:18 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bryan Kapteyn -- 11/1/2013, 1:16 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Marc Upchurch -- 11/1/2013, 5:35 pm
Internal Strongback Videos
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/2/2013, 5:52 pm
Re: Internal Strongback Videos
Bill Hamm -- 11/5/2013, 1:59 am
Re: Internal Strongback Videos
aedie -- 11/11/2013, 9:27 pm
Re: Internal Strongback Videos
Bill Hamm -- 11/12/2013, 12:32 am
Re: Internal Strongback Videos
Robert Horstmann -- 11/20/2013, 8:38 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Allan -- 11/3/2013, 3:03 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
James Doyle -- 11/3/2013, 4:49 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Oliver -- 11/3/2013, 7:44 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Bill Hamm -- 11/5/2013, 1:35 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
aedie -- 11/11/2013, 9:14 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Etienne Muller -- 11/3/2013, 5:52 am
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
bryan kapteyn -- 11/5/2013, 12:34 pm
Re: Strip: Building With An External "Ladder" Stro
Jay Babina -- 11/6/2013, 6:51 am