One of my readers sent me some photos of chairs made in Mexico by traditional means.

Full view of the chair.

Lashed construction holds the parts together

Lashings hold uprights to the bottom ring.

He writes in part,
I recently got back from a trip to Mexico visiting my wifes family. When down there we saw a style of furniture construction which reminded me of skin on frame, in that it involves multiple relatively poor quality pieces of lumber lashed together in a way that makes it both strong enough to do its job and is also very resilient to impacts. It seems to me that this chair and SOF (bicycle wheels as well) are so strong is because loads and impacts are dissipated by transferred them to multiple small, relatively weak, parts instead of concentrating them on one part that must be thus very strong. The type of furniture is called Equipale and was very common in the state of Jalisco. (I do not know if it is a regional style or a national one).
And Im adding some photos of two chairs of ours that were falling apart because the glue was coming undone. These were chairs where the parts were held together with glued dowels.  The glue failed and the dowels pulled out of their mortises one evening at dinner while a friend of ours was sitting on one of these chairs.  The dowels were still stuck on one end and drilling them out would have been tricky so I just reassembled the parts and lashed around the joints.  The chairs now have some movement in them since the lashings dont make completely rigid joints, but overall, they are hanging together.
This isnt skin on frame technology, but it is lashed and doweled construction where lashings take the place of glue or screws  to hold parts together.

Here I reenforced each doweled joint with a lashing.  Even if the glue fails, the joints will not pull apart.  The string lashings function like ligaments in animal joints.

Here, my lashings pull all the legs toward the center.  This approach is less work than lashing each joint individually. Now that I look at this photo, Im thinking that I should paint the lashing some color other than white.

Postscript: I first saw these two chairs at a neighbors yard sale.  I didnt care enough for them to buy them but picked up some lamps.  Next morning the chairs sat out in the alley next to his dumpster so I grabbed them.  Painted one red and the other one blue and reupholstered the seats in yellow vinyl. Subsequently painted the blue chair orange.  I believe the chairs now have a few more decades of life in them.

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Ive had two different prototype paddles kicking around for a while that I was not able to get to the point where I liked them.  What I typically do when I build new paddle designs is to overbuild them and then whittle away at them until they work to my satisfaction, or at least until their performance does not improve any more. Sometimes, it is just not possible to rescue a paddle design.  I have to walk away from some paddles and simply write them off as a learning experience. I generally have no idea how a new paddle will work until I actually try it out.  I would like to say that the more paddles I build, the better I get at predicting paddle performance, but I would be lying.  The only way I can tell what design will work is to actually build it and try it out. 

 

I should also mention that a paddle must be matched to the boat as well as the paddler to perform well.  A paddle is not a good paddle in the abstract.  A paddle is a good paddle only for a specific set of conditions.  In this case, I happened to have my King Island kayak readily available and that became the test platform.  The King Island kayak was fairly well suited to this particular paddle test because the King Island kayaks high deck calls for long paddles and the set of paddles I was testing were fairly long, 98 inches.  I had already modified both paddles based on previous tests. One paddle had started out at 102 inches long and I cut it down and the other had a loom that was way too fat for comfortable use and I had slimmed down the loom on it.  The thing about the fat loom was that it felt good in the shop, but out on the water in action, it was just too bulky.

Heres a shot of the inside of the King Island kayak. Note the high deck ridge.  The thing about a high deck is that it forces you to hold the paddle up higher which means that it has to be longer to reach the water.

And here is a shot of the two test paddles on the deck of the kayak.  The lower paddle was based on a paddle shown in an old illustration. The upper paddle is a breakdown version of a more conventional Unangan shape except for the loom.

Both paddles are versions of an Unangan (Aleut) design. The Unangan paddles are asymmetrical with the loom offset from the plane of the blades. 
And so I had my test paddles, test boat and test pond, San Francisco Bay.  Even though I had whittled away at both paddles and tried to improve their feel, I preferred the one piece paddle because it was lighter and seemed to move the boat with less effort.  The breakdown paddle felt heavy and more ponderous in the water. 
After the initial test I did a little more whittling and then took out both paddles again and this time I had my GPS with me.  The GPS gives me a speed readout which I can use to measure top speed for a boat or paddle and if I have two or more paddles, it gives me top speed for comparative effort.  Effort expended is pretty much a subjective measure but on a given outing, swapping paddles back and forth several times gives me a pretty good idea of comparative efficiency of two paddles.
And this is where the GPS comes in.  Although one paddle may feel better than another the one that feels worse may actually be giving me a better top speed. It may feel worse because it moves more water and makes me work harder.  But if I am simply cruising, comfortable feel of a paddle may be more important than top speed. Comfortable feel may also be an indication of better efficiency of one paddle over another. 
So to sum up, paddle design for me is a pragmatic exercise.  I have to test paddles on the water to tell whether they are any good and results are often surprising.  In a future blog, I will get more specific on factors that make for a good match between paddler, boat and paddle.

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Board pivot.

Taking it a step further today.  Found a chunk of 3/8 bronze rod and cut it to length for the pivot.  Previously, I had marked the inside of the interior trunk side for the pivot point prior to cutting out.  THIS IS IMPORTANT as it helps locate the pivot point indicated on the plans.  This can be done after the fact, but it was very easy to locate this way.

I removed the starboard side of the trunk and then drilled a 3/8 hole through the CB and the side after ensuring that the holes were lined up well.  These will be drilled oversize, filled with epoxy, then redrilled when all is said and done with.  This will provide a more permanent pivot, and one that wont swell up and contract with the variance in humidity.  good practice on any hole through plywood. as it also protects the interior layers from delamination.

Next, the bronze rod was placed to keep the board and side aligned and a hole was drilled upwards to the starboard panel that is temporarily tacked in place (sheet rock screws).

I then tested the board for pivoting, and marked its maximum extension.  Note: I had been wondering if the board went to vertical, and the answer is, "no".  the board is at a small angle to the hull in the full extended position as it is indicated on the plans.  The picture on the plans matches what it looks like in real life.  The top of the board does not protrude past the top of the trunk, and with the cap on, the travel of the board is limited to this angle.

After assembly, I did notice that the very top front corner of the board still needs shaping to the foil, as it is currently a flat non-hydrodynamic shape.  this will easily be rectified with the wood eraser.  

The pin itself will reside in two layers each side o 3/8 ply.  the first layer will have a hole in it to receive the pin, the second layer is the seal.  I plan to bed it in polysulfide sealant.  This sealant is actually removable in case we ever need to take out the board for maintenance.  

finally, a look at my choice for the tip of the blade.  This may be pared down knowing that we have more of an angle than I anticipated.  The trailing edge and leading edge need to be extended a little more.  This would be most problematic when the board is partially raised (normal downwind practice).  Very little protrudes past the bottom in practice, but it is bothering me. 

I got tired of running out to the garage to find the electric/18V drill, and switched over the the bit brace.  I actually can remove the screws, and then torque them just right in less time than running the drill.  Insert photo of me slapping my forhead and saying "Doh!"

3/15/14 -  update

got the sides of the CB trunk glassed today with a layer of 10 oz glass set in epoxy, and cut out the support pieces for the CB pivot (3/8" 4X4 panels, four of them).  Additionally, further shaping of the Centerboard to make the portion where it emerges from the trunk more hydrodynamic.     Photos below.

While I was at it, I cut the slot out from the bottom of the boat.  It was marked prior to removing the mock up from the boat, so it was a simple job with the Japanese backsaw.  10 minutes tops.  

pilot holes drill to help start the saw. 

Pilot holes drilled every foot to help guide the cut.  Really were not necessary.  

Centerboard slot looking forward. 

Centerboard slot from the starboard side.  

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Ive got the deck of the Eastern Arctic Kayak (EAK) set up.  Beam is something like 29 inches at 90 inches from the stern. I figured that the first three feet of the boat werent in the water so I would put the widest part of the boat more or less in the middle of the part that was in the water which worked out to be at about 90 inches from the back.

View from the bow end. Theres a windlass just back of the bow to pinch in the sides. Aside from the coils of rope that hold the ends together, three spreaders fix the shape of the deck.  The middle of the three spreaders fixes the beam.  The other two spreaders widen the deck by some amount fore and abaft the middle spreader.

Heres an oblique view of the deck, this time from the left rear toward the bow.  The bow rises and the stern drops.  The deck turned out pretty symmetrical, something that sometimes takes some struggle to achieve.  But I cut both gunwales from the same piece of lumber that had been laying outside for about a year, giving it time to stabilize from its green state when I bought it, so perhaps I shouldnt be surprised that it turned out.

And I forgot to mention in the previous post on shaping the gunwales that I backed up the Gorilla glue with some stainless steel screws. My experience with Gorilla glue is that it isnt that strong given the kinds of surfaces that I glue together, that is, unless the two surfaces being glued are both smooth and in good contact, you dont get a very good bond.  Hence the screws.  I could have driven some dowels in there too, but screws seemed just a bit faster and I had a box of them and wanted to try and given that the pieces of the gunwales do not need to move relative to each other, rigid joinery is OK

When it comes to something like the gunwales, what matters is the shape and not the details of how the shape is achieved.  I used to think that these things needed to be done in a traditional manner like with doweled scarfs and no glue or screws, but then doweled scarfs were not particularly traditional anyway.  Much of what we think of traditional kayak building technology evolved in post contact times, that is, post contact with European traffic which introduced both new materials and tools.  The only truly traditional part of kayak building is to do the job the best you can with the tools and materials available to you.

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August 21

Took the boat back to Wareham.  It was a glorious day with winds 10-15 kts and crystal clear skies.

We sailed out to the middle of Buzzards Bay and then went back to the sand spit for lunch.

I cant say enough of how well this boat sails and the ease of launch and retrieval.

Lunch on the sand spit.  It doesnt get any better than this.

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Now that the boat is flipped. (at this stage a two man job).  I have put it back in the garage to finish the seating area and put the decks on.  Hopefully, this will be done by the first snows so that the garage can be used for automobiles!  Flipping back to right side up is more difficult than flipping to upside down as there is nothing to grab on to.  Process:
1.  roll cradle out to lawn
2.  place 4 strong saw horses with long planks set up rail to rail to receive the boat.
3.  Lower corner by corner (6") at a time to the ground.
4.  Flip and lower to grass.
5.  gradually raise the boat back up on the saw horses so it sits above the cradle.
6.  Place forms back under the bulkhead area.  These are now carpeted so as not to mar paint.
7.  Roll back to garage.  (note: In my building space it needs to go in stern first. )

Boat has been placed on grass and then will be lifted onto saw horses above the cradle. 

Carpeted bunks receive the boat.

Rolled back to garage,  Note it needs to go in stern first. Oops.

October 18, 2014

Step one was to apply epoxy to all surfaces that will not be seen again once the decks and seats are on.  I used an old jug of System 3 that had been sitting around as I thought it was not too critical as it is just a coating.  Apparently, it was past its prime and took quite a while to set up to the point that I can paint and prime.  Primer is going on tomorrow.  The blades look fantastic with a coat of paint.  Quite proud of them.  

I have purchased some lengths of mahogany to use as the king planks, and deck beam, as well as the center seat.  The center seat will be glued up from smaller pieces.  A trip to Harbor Freight found a nice jig for setting up the dowels to for the joinery.  As it is getting cooler here in the Northeast, this will be done indoors.  

October 21, 2014

Had a few hours to work on the hull today.  Areas that will never be seen again once the deck is on received their first coat of primer.  Laid out and dry fit the deck beam.  This is a bit of a pain in the neck as I found no 5" wide mahogany or fir around in 3/4" dimension, so I went with full 5/4" mahogany.  I dont own a band saw, so had to hand cut the curves.  Tried using the sabre saw, but the blades keep busting.  All has turned out well, as the king plank, supports have now been fit as well.  

Hope to get more primer on the area under the deck beam, then bilge paint.

October 26, 2014
Quality time this week.  Got the rest for the deck framing cut and fit.  Next is to glue it in place and put the final coat of bilge paint on as we get closer to putting a deck and seats in.

October 28, 2014

King Planks and Hatch frame installed.  

Yesterday, I painted the bilge and storage areas with Interlux Bilgecote.  Damned this stuff stinks to high heavens.  the smell was coming through the rafters from the garage and into the main house.  It works well, but is full of VOCs.  House smells better today.  

Worked all morning cutting the hatch frames, shaping the bow king plank, and then screwing and gluing it all together.  Very pleased with the result.  

On to the seating areas.  

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I mentioned a few posts back that I still have Lusitania 13s transom sitting in my shop. Ive kept it around, waiting for it to eventually serve some purpose. (Yes, Id even considered finishing a Squirt eventually... but at this point I dont think that is likely any time soon.) Some things are a no-brainer, and I believe that is the case with the fate of Lusitania 13s transom.

After a relaxing dinner at Cracker Barrel a few nights ago, I stumbled across this neat little table lamp. Its styled to look like an old Johnson outboard motor from the 1950s. Never mind that the prop is on the wrong side. What better piece of furniture to put it on than a nightstand made from Lusitania 13s transom?

Of course, I havent made this nightstand... yet. Thats another project, coming soon... eventually.

Heres a photo of the lamp... along with what I imagine Lusitania 13s transom artwork would look like:

 

By the way, May 22 is National Maritime Day, according to my calendar. Ive got to admit, Id never heard of this before. So anyway... Happy National Maritime Day, everyone!

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