Ribs Bent!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY! I have bent the six ribs. I only snapped one. So I had to create a new one. I wonder if God did that with Adam. He was asleep then "SNAP!" His rib broke as God was trying to bend it to create the new human. Maybe that is where the expression "Snap" came from.?! Anyway, I am sure that is not the way it happened. So, I placed the rib stock in a hot shower for about 30 minutes then let the hot water in the tub soak into the wood. After about two hours I took the ribs out one at a time and presto...they are on the canoe hull. I will let them dry for about 3 or 4 days then I will flip the canoe and install the new ribs. Yeah!

Bow tips and deck finished! (8-23-08)

"Before" photo

"After" photo

I just finished with the bow deck and tips. I sanded it down really smooth and applied linseed oil. The piece of mahogany I used for the deck tip reconstruction is unfortunately a shade or two lighter than the original. I may try to stain it darker or just leave it. Doesn't that mahogany look beautiful!? The tips were broken off and dry-rotted farther down and the deck tip was dry-rotted and missing the last few inches. Note the stain of the Old Towne decal on the original! Just think, that was put on there 54 years ago. Now I will add a small piece of planking to each side and that will be finished. I hope to get my boiler set up this week and bend those ribs. All is ready!

About dry-rot. Wood can look firm and solid on the surface. However by applying the least bit of pressure you can cause the dry-rotted wood to crumble like dust. Like with people....if we do not have our life built on the solid rock of Christ we can look good on the surface but will crumble with the least bit of pressure. That will preach!

Ribs ready...Bow tips ready (8-16-08)

I succeeded in shaping six ribs today. I realized after I completed them that the ones near the bow are shorter. So, I had to begin again with those three and do them again. Bummer. Hey, Northwoods Canoe Company in Maine sent me an extra rib and an extra 3' of planking at no extra charge! Ye haw! Above you can see the final ribs. They are all 60" right now. They are 2 1/4 inch wide at 30" and taper after 15" down to 1 3/4" wide near the ends. You can really see that taper on rib #6 above. By the way the ribs are leaning against my outdoor solar shower. I have a 5 gallon bag that the sun warms all day. At night I can take a long warm shower without being connected to the power grid. Would that be a "Green" shower?

Here are the six ribs lying on the canoe where I will be bending them. I will boil the cedar ribs in a rain gutter and quickly bend them over the outside of the canoe clamping them to the rails. I will let them dry for about three days and then I will take them off the hull and turn the boat over where I will finally install them inside the boat.

Here is the bow inwale tips being replaced. Since they were rotten and broken I had to replace them. I used pieces of the old outwale rather than using new wood. I wanted to use as much of the original wood as possible. The deck plate was also created and it is sitting in a clamp as the epoxy is drying as well. I had to make a new tip for it as well since it was also broken and rotten.

Next....I will put the deck, inwales and stem all together as one unit as I did the stern. Cross your fingers.

Material Order Placed With Northwoods Canoe (8-2-08)

I have just ordered five more ribs and 12' of planking material. It will ship out Tuesday. As soon as it gets here I can shape the ribs then steam them. After steaming I can bend them around the hull. Once installed I can add the planking. Things are slow but this is fun! If I had a source of white cedar here I would have already been done. Northwoods Canoe Company in Maine is THE place to aquire materials. They are a small business and when you call, who ever is near the phone picks up. It might be that someone was planking, steaming, painting, etc. They ship materials on Tuesday and Friday. The cost is high. For example, each rib costs $5. I needed seven. The planking is 4" wide and very thin (about 3/16"). The longest piece they ship is 6'. I have already used 12' and ordered 12' more. I did not know I needed more until I found the other broken ribs. To get the broken ribs out, some planking has to be removed and I found that when removing the tacks (with a special $18 tack puller nonetheless) I split some planks. Ahhhhh! So, when it all said and done (before the varnish, canvas and paint) the hull has to be solid, sound and strong. Sounds like life! Got to have a solid foundation before you put on the shine!