|  Posted on November 24th,2011 As I have noted before,one of the biggest issues I have found with the skin-on-frame outrigger canoe AL DEMANY CHIMAN is that the ama isn’t working out. The shape is a bit off and it ships too much water. Having completed a number of smaller maintenance items since calling an end to the season,I have begin the winter’s major project:redesigning and rebuilding the ama.
My first step was last night. I unscrewed the “sheer clamps”and the pulled off the skin. What I found was a bit distressing,if not wholly unexpected:there has been water trapped beneath the skin and the frame doing what water will do.  You can see that dark area where the oil I put on the bow piece didn’t help (or wasn’t enough). The part above that was quite wet,and that is from rain somehow getting in (or,forbid,leftover from a month ago –shudder). The line where the skin met the bow piece is distressingly evident,though this is more mildew. The bigger issue here is that the two planks that make up that piece have separated (note the slight hitch in the “sheerline”). The afte end is better off,but has a few issues of it’s own.  So this leaves me with the question of how to proceed from here,as I have to approach this project with an additional variable. Factors I am thinking about are: - I need to reconstruct the ama so that it does not ship water
- I want to preserve the skin-on-frame look as much as possible
- It is unlikely that,with the skin-on-frame medium,I can keep all water out
- If I make the ama a good deal more watertight,but not 100% so,I’ll end up with more of the issues noted above
- A new ama that is fully watertight and water-protected may not go as well with the rest of the boat
A bit of a quandary,eh? My current thinking is to unlash the frame,coat every inside surface with the same two-part polyurethane that coats the skin,partially relash,add foam to fill the inside,and reskin the ama. My guess is that this approach leaves some vulnerability to water damage,but hopefully holds it off a good bit. Any other ideas or approaches you all would recommend? Please comment below. Many thanks, Posted on October 29th,2011 
For some tie I have known of Douglas Brooks,a Vermont boatbuilder who became fascinated with traditional Japanese boats several years ago and has since traveled there a few times to study and document traditional boats and construction methods. There was a nice piece about him recently in the Japan Times Online that focused particularly on Brooks’s efforts on Okinawa to find a surviving traditional builder of native sabani,a local sailing canoe. The article links to a resource site with more about sabani,which look extremely interesting and capture,I believe,faint elements of the traditional craft to their south. The image abve comes from that site. Posted on October 26th,2011 On Sunday afternoon I took AL DEMANY CHIMAN out for probably the last time this season. It was a stunning Fall day and there were only a few other folks out with me on the Patuxent River. There were some birds about and a couple fish jumping,but,for the most part,things were quiet and autumnal. As I put the boat back on the car and drove home I reflected on what a great boating season it has been. The story of the season was obviously AL DEMANY CHIMAN. This was her first full season in existence and she gave me all I had hoped she would. From the first paddles in May,she continued to prove light and easy to transport. She took the whole family out and did fine (except for the part where we all leaned to starboard) and even carried my boss and colleagues. From there she carried me and five days gear around Muscongus Bay,ME in what will go down as one of my great voyages. This is the adventure she was built for,whether I had articulated it or not,and she served me fabulously. The heat of summer and my desire to complete the sailing rig slowed us some,but when September arrived,AL DEMANY CHIMAN became my social yacht. I had some great outings with friends and,a couple times,with friends and sons. She proved a great draw and a fun boat for talking or for fishing. Throughout all these interactions,I was thrilled with the reception AL DEMANY CHIMAN got. I have been so touched by the clearly sincere compliments she has received. People have been drawn to her and it has been thrilling to see and hear. It will now be a long wait for the Spring… Posted on October 25th,2011 
As I work away on refinements to the sailing rig for my skin-on-frame outrigger sailing canoe AL DEMANY CHIMAN,I wanted to show off a few more details of the rig as it is. I posted a variant of this view before,but I think this is a better picture. It gives a sense of the overall layout and the different rig elements. Here is the steer oar and its chalk. This set-up worked reasonably well,though I might eventually want to put some weight on blade end. 
This view shows the hiking plank and mainsheet leads. 
Finally,some detail on the finished blocks,which I hand made from paduak. 
I can’t wait to get her going again next season. Posted on October 3rd,2011 Toward the end of the day Saturday,I happened to be on hand when John Harris,father of Chesapeake Light Craft,took a spin in one of the two cocktail class racers that were about. For those who don’t know,these boats are 8′plywood outboard boats that barely hold a single man. They go fast and have a devoted following. John was getting into the boat and setting of when one fo the other guys from CLC yelled out “John! Stop! You’re in the wrong boat! It has a MOTOR! [as John heads out] Uhhh…he’s gone to the dark side.”LOL. John came back after an out-and-back run looking somewhat exhilerated and more than mildly terrified. In the next three minutes I heard him say “the steering is really an art”no less than five times with his eyes the size of bulkhead ports. I wouldn’t be holding your breath for the CLC cocktail class kit. Posted on October 2nd,2011 I wanted to get these pictures of the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival up right away;I’ll be adding captions soon. [UPDATE] Captions are now on there. I encourage you to browse through. There were some AMAZING AMAZING boats there. I’d highlight the sailing canoe SEVEN STARS,the Melonseeds,the sailing canoe in pictures 4 and 31,and,of course,the Coquina. Posted on October 1st,2011 
For those scoring at home,your 2011 Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival sailing race winner was a Sunfish. A non-traditional,plastic boat –kinda violates my sensibilities. But well done. I am eager to get going with the paddling race as it is COLD here in St. Michael’s,MD. [UPDATE] It was me and four kayaks. I got shallaced…again. Time to get my double paddle working with this boat (tried once and I could get my position right). At least the race committee noted I was the only single paddle and called me my own class. So they gave me recognition. Posted on October 1st,2011 Posted on October 1st,2011 Posted on October 1st,2011 | |
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