Boat Building Forum

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

Strongbacks, spines, & crustaceans
By:mick allen
Date: 5/16/2016, 1:35 am
In Response To: Re: Strip: strongbacks (JohnAbercrombie)

Or is the reason for internal strongbacks . . .

Assuming the internal is stiff enough for the build, it typically won’t matter which approach is utilized, but advantages for internals over externals would be –
-weight and balance, less bulk, often less length for storability, alignment constancy during complete build, rotational or 360deg strip access during build, portability, form rigidity [ie centred and attached right on strongback], assembly rigidity [no long, wiggly standoffs], specific form location and specific nontwist assurance [wiggly standoff again], flexibility for design [ high or low topsides are immaterial that might make a floppy hull if external used], and stripping control that roams across expected join locations: all in all, mainly non-typical concerns or issues.

There’s just as many advantages for externals, but different.

And for the non-pros that have to align their forms on less than perfect strongbacks [my strongbacks seem to have all kinds of inconsistencies] – both the externals and internals need form mounting methods that allow simple form movement to ‘align’. Externals might have ¼ inch upstand bolts and fenders washers for 3/4 inch form holes or upstands holes, and internals need an offset ¼ inch all around hole for strongback mounting to allow for one-step ¼ inch deviancies and say up to ½ in at the worst case: one can’t align a form if the form can’t move.

So it typically makes no difference - but in specific instances one will be more useful than the other.

[However, one should add that an internal strongback is much more elegant and considerably farther up the evolutionary ladder than that lowly spineless exoskeletal crustacean approach]

Messages In This Thread

Strip: strongbacks
Marc Donnelly -- 5/13/2016, 7:52 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/13/2016, 8:12 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Donnelly -- 5/13/2016, 9:01 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Mike Bielski -- 5/13/2016, 11:16 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/14/2016, 3:03 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Mike Bielski -- 5/14/2016, 11:22 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/15/2016, 3:46 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Bill Hamm -- 5/16/2016, 1:07 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/17/2016, 11:01 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/17/2016, 11:41 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/17/2016, 12:18 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
scottbaxter -- 5/17/2016, 12:47 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/17/2016, 3:41 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/17/2016, 4:11 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/17/2016, 4:26 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 5/17/2016, 9:33 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks *PIC*
ian johnson -- 5/21/2016, 5:39 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Larry C -- 5/23/2016, 7:14 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Bill Hamm -- 5/24/2016, 2:29 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks *PIC*
Larry C -- 5/24/2016, 11:57 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Bill Hamm -- 5/25/2016, 12:35 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Mark Rakestraw -- 5/27/2016, 10:02 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
jaybabina -- 5/13/2016, 8:18 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/13/2016, 10:31 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Olli -- 5/14/2016, 7:03 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Bill Hamm -- 5/15/2016, 12:39 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
John Messinger -- 5/14/2016, 7:19 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
shotcar57 -- 5/14/2016, 10:25 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/14/2016, 11:26 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
John Messinger -- 5/14/2016, 12:00 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/14/2016, 12:20 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
John Messinger -- 5/14/2016, 12:24 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/14/2016, 12:40 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Donnelly -- 5/14/2016, 2:31 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Bob B -- 5/14/2016, 7:07 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks *PIC*
Marc Upchurch -- 5/15/2016, 4:00 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Justin -- 5/15/2016, 4:45 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/15/2016, 11:15 am
Re: Strip: strongbacks
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/15/2016, 12:33 pm
Re: Strip: strongbacks
Marc Upchurch -- 5/15/2016, 12:40 pm
Strongbacks, spines, & crustaceans
mick allen -- 5/16/2016, 1:35 am
Re: Strongbacks, spines, & crustaceans *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 5/16/2016, 9:03 am
Re: Strongbacks, spines, & crustaceans
Paul Sylvester -- 5/16/2016, 6:51 pm
Re: Strongbacks, spines, & crustaceans
Bill Hamm -- 5/17/2016, 1:34 am