Strip Boats-Flute or no flute

[R Mousel]

What are your experiences with strip built canoes/kayaks. Are the fluting/cove bits usefull/necessary? I am just wondering if this is an added step that some leave out without consequence. Maybe it is only needed on the sharper curves. Or is it just as easy to bevel with a plane just a little?

[Jim Creech]

I have built several canoes using strip plank construction. The purpose of the "bead and cove" ( one edge convex and one edge concave)is twofold.
1- Strip planked canoes are usually made of 1/4" thick pkanking (before final sanding/fairing). As such, the convex and concave surfaces give a larger gluing surface.
2- Cosmetics! Unless you are skilled enough, maintaining a perfect bevel along the entire length of a constantly changing curve is extremely difficult. By using the "Bead and cove "method, Glue lines are more uniform.( There is no cotton caulking and seam compound here)
Final analysis- The relative small amount of time necessary to mill the bead and cove on the strips is time well spent in the strength and appearance of the final hull. Strength plus uniform glue lines .
Hope this helps!
Jim

[Kerry Cox]

I'm afraid I've only build one strip canoe and after doing it I don't think I'd do one any other way than bead and cove. I built without staples and at points it was a challenge to hold the strips into position and the bead and cove really helped make clamping in place much easier.

It really is a great project though and the final result is worth every hour spent building.

Just my 2¢
Kerry

[Eric Mims]

my 2 cents as someone building their first.. I chose to do the 'quick and dirty' method, meaning I simply used square edges with no bead/cove and not even beveling. You staple it down and then spread epoxy over the whole thing and it gets down in the joints. then you remove the staples. Well the problem I had is the strips tend to not want to line up between the forms (1' on center). One might bend slightly in or out.. they just don't register perfectly. Next time, I will use bead/cove for this simple fact, to align the strips in between the sections.

[Kurt Loup]

I vote for bead and cove. If you want sharp transitions between contrasting woods, no b&c. When I mill the strips, I'll make a couple with just a bead, some with just a cove and others with no b&c.

Kurt

[Gary Kvasnicka]

Exactly like Kurt said, redwood B&C, popular no B&C.

[Jim Creech]

Good point!
I had forgotten about plank alignment and contrasting "stripes". A piece of scrap with waxed paper clamped to hold things in line between station moulds will make for easier final fairing of the hull on areas where bead and cove are not used.

[R Mousel]

I guess I don't understand why to not use the b/c with contrasting woods. How does this make it sharper? Maybe if I would make a sample it would be clear.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

Depends on your design (strip pattern). B&C is fine if your contrasting wood is parallel to the field as along the bottom of this photo. B&C is difficult to deal with where strips are not parallel as along the top of this photo. I hope this is clear.

[R Mousel]

Ok, that makes sense, anywhere it meets at angles no bead/ cove.

[Dan Barr]

I could get into a lot of trouble with canoe like that. i might not ever come back.

the wife might not like me floating up and down the rivers and creeks for days on end.

lol

dan

[Bob Smalser]

Strip-built boats date form the 1800's and were originally built with square strips. They were generally were larger work boats over 20'. The strips were positioned so the assembled hull would have vertical grain, and they were bedded in white lead and nailed in place.

The only advantages were one man could plank a large boat and cheaper wood could be used.

The disadvantage was the hulls were horror stories to make fair, and accordingly you still see older strippers around today that look pretty bad.

[Jim Creech]

In Bead and Cove construction, the cove is usually almost a feather edge. When fairing the hull, a little too much sanding and you will lose the crisp, well defined line between contrasting planks. Especially on parallel planks such as a boot stripe or sheer stripe.

[Dan Fera]

I'm just starting my first stripper so this is only my 2 centavos...

I originally planned to bead and cove, even bought a $300 router lift and a PC 7518 for a motor. Since then I've re-thunk it all.

I can't see putting fragile beads and coves on 60+ strips just to get an advantage in the few areas where it'll be helpful (turn of the bilge, etc.). Much easier to just plane in a rolling bevel on those curves as needed. That's what I've decided (the designer is quite experienced and does it this way) and I'm ready to start stripping so I'll find out soon enough.

As far as a longer glue line, that is going to be hard to get in practice. Any two adjacent strips with more than a bit of twist or extreme curvature aren't going to lie as tight as I can get with a rolling bevel done with a block plane. The big advantage as I see it is to align adjacent strips where they run the span between two station molds. As mentioned above, easy enough to fix with a caul (1/8" plexi strips is what I intend to use) on each side and a light duty clamp to draw them together (split PVC pipe should work fine). Some use tape, some use 1/4" staples, alignment is only necessary while the glue sets . By the time you add another strip to the opposite side, the glue will be set enough to remove the clamp.

I've seen lots of close ups of B&C built strippers and they always look like s*** where the bad curves are. The geometry is just working against you in these spots and I'm confident I personally will do a better job with a plane.

Now... what to make with that $600 table router?

[Bob Smalser]

I've seen lots of close ups of B&C built strippers and they always look like s*** where the bad curves are. The geometry is just working against you in these spots and I'm confident I personally will do a better job with a plane.

Scarfing strips to 1' overlength instead butting them on a bulkhead is always worth the extra time when it comes time to fair the boat. The extra length plus proper scarf joints insure each strip bends fairly and identically.