|
SCHEDULE
Canoe
Kayak&Tube
Area Info.
ACA Instruction
Contact us
About the Creek:
Creek Maps
lower
Upper
Trip Details
Livery Detail $$$
What to bring
Reality Check
Waivers
MED Forms
WW Outfit
Weather Stuff
Gauges/Levels
Reservations
Refunds &
Payment
Area Info.
Directions
Place Stay
Place eat
Thing to do
Creek GPS
| |
Canoe Outfitting - Gluing
it up Page 3*
- At this point we have an empty boat with the following outlines marked on the bottom of
the boat for gluing:
a. Thigh strap anchor D rings (2 or 4)
b. Air Bag anchor D rings (2)
c. Saddle
d. knee Pads (ankle blocks and foot pads are fitted later)
e. We have the bow and stern clearly marked,
and in our hearts we have inscribed, I promise not to use my new outfitting for 24
relatively dry hours after the last glue up, even though it may cause me extreme anxiety.
- We need to have on hand :
80 or 100 grit sandpaper (those 3m sanding blocks work great)
acetone or alcohol,
putty knife (or similar to press the glued d rings down
sheets of paper/plastic to set glue cans on,
pencils with points, magic marker with point,
hair dryer or heat gun,
vacuum cleaner,
razor knife to re-sharpen the point on the pencil because you didn't bring more than one
like I suggested,
throw away paint brushes ,
plastic spreaders like the ones you use to spread body putty or something similar to
spread glue.
Weld wood contact cement , the flammable stuff, (or more expensive substitute like sta
bond or hydro grip),
Vina Bond, Have twice as much as you need.
Rags to clean up spills.
a nail or punch to poke a hole in the top of the vina bond
NOTE that foam is glued to royalex with weldwood or similar, d rings are glued with vina
bond or similar. For R lite and R 84 boats get the glue the Mfg. suggests probably sta
bond or 3m monkey glue which has a # designation that I
don't remember.
- Preparation for gluing.
a. BOAT Bottom- lightly sand 80 to 100 grit (one direction, then cross, then
diagonal) inside the outlined areas and just a tiny over the lines; vacuum, wipe down with
alcohol. (most mfg. now call for alcohol as a degreaser, acetone, mek and other solvents
work but they are more risky - melt your hull, lungs liver etc. I use acetone)
b. D RINGS - lightly sand the bottom, try not to sand the stitches too much; just
Lightly scratch the glossy surface, wipe down with alcohol.
c. FOAM if its clean you don't need to prep. If you're using stuff that's been
kicking around the shop for a couple of years, clean it first (gentle sanding with that
metal sandpaper works great) then rub it down with alcohol. Make sure the gluing surface
is as flat (smooth) as possible.
- GLUING SEQUENCES AND PROCESS
a. FIRST with the boat empty, glue in the thigh strap anchors. Next the air
bag D Rings. I do these as two separate steps. It takes a little longer but keeps
screw-ups to a minimum.
1. Prep as above - D ring pads and boat bottom. If you loose the pencil lines while
prepping, re-draw them before you use any glue. There are no second chances with contact
cements, so you have to be sure exactly where to place the glued pieces.
2. (the object is to get a thin coat of glue uniformly spread on the glue surfaces.)
3. From the vinabond tube lay a glue line around the outside edge of the D Rings then zig
zag across the center. Quickly spread those lines evenly over the entire
surface with a plastic spreader. Do the same on the boat bottom & Go a little outside
the lines where you sanded. If the glue is not right, not fairly smooth, not fully
covering the area, let it dry and repeat the process
4. Set aside and let the glue dry completely. After it is completely dry.
(completely
dry is important)
5. Take one D Ring and the hair dryer; holding the D ring close to the spot where you're
going to glue it ( this is where you make sure the "Right Top" and 4 register
marks match the glue spot) heat both surfaces at the same time. When warm, carefully press
together. I start at one end and sort of roll it into place making sure that it goes down
flat, matches the register marks, without air bubbles entrapped
; Immediately take the
putty knife and press the pad flat to the boat from the center out. Press hard and cover
every sq. in of pad, one way, then across, then diagonal.
NOTE: If the vina bond is not completely dry, and wet glue gets trapped under the d ring,
it will quite simply eat a hole in your boat. Your boat will not be covered by warranty.
With this in mind, on cool and high humidity days it may be necessary (desirable) to dry
the glues with a hair dryer as opposed to just setting them aside and waiting for them to
dry.
6. Next do the other D Ring(s) and and air bag D rings using the same sequences and
procedures. There's no hurry. take your time and do it right
- b. GLUE IN THE SADDLE (make sure the foot pegs are installed and
everything but hand shaping is complete and installed on the saddle before gluing it to
the boat. A very wide saddle may need to be contoured on the bottom, to the hull
shape, before gluing )
A long note on foot pegs; then back to gluing. Foot pegs are important.
They take a lot of stress and they need to be installed in a position that accommodates
the way your feet rest in the boat as well as your paddling style. For example. Some
boaters place their toes on the bottom of the boat, their foot is perpendicular to the
bottom of the boat and their foot pads (balls of their feet) engage the foot pegs. These
paddlers place the foot pegs about 2"-3" up from the bottom of the saddle. Other
paddlers lay the top of their arch on the canoe bottom, slide their foot under the foot
peg and engage it with their arch or heel. These paddlers need about 3" or 4"
from the bottom of the saddle. Since foot pegs need to be installed with long attachments
all the way through the saddle, installing or adjusting them after gluing is really
difficult. Last thing, foot pegs need to be installed on (through) a base
(kydex plastic works great - like Plexiglas but less brittle) that acts as a washer
between the foot peg rails and the foam saddle. This base can run the whole length of the
rail, or can be an actual washer (about 2" in dia.)at each point of
attachment. If your not sure about height, error on the side of too high. It's pretty easy
to adjust the pegs lower with foam; they will need to be reinstalled if raised. Another
lastly, if you are super tall you may need to add length to the saddle to accommodate a
farther back foot peg than normal. 6'4" to 6'5" guys can usually fit into a
standard saddle with standard foot pegs.
Back to gluing in the saddle with foot pegs installed
1. Prep as above
(sand, vacuum, solvent), stir the weldwood glue like paint. Paint the bottom of the saddle
and it's footprint on the boat evenly with glue and let it dry.
2. After it dries repaint the saddle with one or more coats until it dries uniformly shiny
over the whole surface. Pay particular attention that the outside edge has a good layer of
glue. The glue should be as evenly spread as possible.
3. Place the saddle on its footprint very carefully. Start at the back. Line up the marks
and press in place from back to front. Pay particular attention to alignment back to front
as it goes down. Weight it down after full contact by pushing, kneeling, standing etc. on
it to get a good seal.
- c. GLUE IN THE KNEE PADS (kneel
in the saddle, put the kneepads in place again, dry. check their alignment etc. re mark,
or re cut if necessary. Prep and glue just like the saddle. Note that things are
starting to get tight, the knee pads need to fit in a tight, curved, angled space
between the thigh strap d ring, saddle, chine etc. Practice putting (rolling) them
in dry and matching up the registration marks before you glue them up. There is no sliding
and no OOPS's with contact cement.
- d. Mark and install the 1/2 "
thick foot pads most WW open canoes don't have these but
they are really nice, and a MUST for barefoot, C1ers and Teva paddlers.
- e. ANKLE BLOCKS,
kneel in the saddle again, have your paddling shoes on. Get comfortable. Adjust the toe
blocks the way you like. Next, slide a piece of foam about 2"high x2 1/2"wide
x5" long under your shin about 6 " above your arch. The idea here is that the
ankle block should take some of the weight of your leg off of your foot so you don't have
to use muscle to hold your foot in position . If they are too high they will be
uncomfortable. Too low they don't do any good. Trial and error is the only way to get them
just right and in just the right position. Also keep in mind that any change in footwear,
foot pad or knee pad thickness, [ie. wet suit] will also change the way the ankle blocks
meet your shin.
- Your Glue up is pretty much complete except for cleaning up the spills and squeeze outs.
I use acetone and a course pad or rag - not overly wet - acetone is strong stuff and
softens vinyl. see comments elsewhere.
Next- FINISHING TOUCHES
|
BACK to measure & mark
|BACK to outfitting p1
top of this page
|
