Pheather2

Over the 2024/2025 winter I began designing my second canoe. In my first canoe (Pheather) summary, I emphasized the entire chronological process. Here I plan to highlight some of the key aspects of the build and might ignore some of the steps taken if they simply repeat what I shared in the first summary.
I always welcome your feedback via the form on my homepage.
I hope you enjoy this summary.

For those who want to jump right to the end of the story, here is a piece CBC Kitchener created on August 5, 2025.
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And I've recently learned that Pheather2 will be written up in Small Boat Magazine and Wooden Boat Magazine.

Photo credit, Mathew McCarthy

Mathew McCarthy of the Waterloo Region Record took a nice shot for the front page.

On rare occassion I have to wait for a train to pass.

The sign where it all began. Notice boating is allowed!

A picture I studied from Pheather to determine where the waterline was and how much height I needed to keep the boat afloat! You can ignore the orange longboard wheels. I leave them on while I paddle and they support the boat when I'm 'trailering' it home with my bicycle.

Scarfing pieces of ash together. The parchment paper just keeps the glue from making a mess. West Systems epoxy was used.

The little pencil line is a 'registration' mark. I take a moment to decide (prior to epoxy) what the exact correct position is for the scarf. A little pencil mark is then applied so that when I am working expeditiously with the epoxy installed, I can simply line up the mark and clamp it. Doing this on a long and level bench ensures proper alignment.

A second design decision regarded the stems of the boat. Being a calm water boat, there was no need for a bow to smash through waves and part the water. In fact, through video study of Pheather, I realised that the front tip of the boat barely cuts through the water. By having the stem flow back from the ends, I would save weight. And it might look cool. ​This design historically was called a kootenay, sturgeon or Yaksumit canoe.

As I started to put the boat together I decided to temporarily put a piece of western red cedar in the keel position. I used cedar (leftover unused stringers from the Pheather build) because I was still working on scarfing some ash together to make the keel and gunwales.
From the picture you can see that the cedar (stringer) is oversized but it allowed me to study the flow of the boat.
I did learn something important by this action. My notch in the stem where the keel is received should not be horizontal. It should be cut on an angle that matches the rocker on that part of the boat. So I will need to adjust the notch for a better fit.

I've filled in a very thin red triangle at the top of this picture to highlight the incorrect angle of the stem where it receives the keel. The stem will need to be adjusted. We will see if this is possible without having to recreate the entire stem.

Note the stems angling back.

Look how I marred the dacron with the junk from the iron! Luckily this was a test and not the final boat!

You can clearly see wrinkles on in the first picture prior to applying the iron. In the second picture the skin is nice and tight.

Corey Freedman often applies his urethane with a long plastic scraper. I decided to use a piece of wood with a very distinct edge and the result was the top half of the picture you see here.
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But I then hit it with the roller and it made for an improved surface. You can see the actual roller I used in the previous picture behind the iron.
​This is coat one. More coats to come and then a test to see if it can keep out the water!

Update April 20--it's still sticky!
​Maybe my 2 year old urethane is beyond use....

​I've decided to stick with 20 gauge clear vinyl.

The stringers need to be glued to the stems. During skin installation, the cloth is flung over the boat and then attached to the gunwales. The iron then shrinks the fabric over each stringer. The stringers play a key role in telling the cloth where it must flow around the boat. The best situation is where there is a nice flat spot where the cloth flows over each stringer. In the first picture shown here, you can see that stringer B ends up with a sharp edge. The gunwales, keel and Stringer A are all pretty good or fair.
So what to do? Usually, one would take a block plane to Stringer B and 'fair' it towards its intended purpose. 
I might do this.
But I might also try to steam the ends of this stringer and twist both ends into position. This action might allow for less reduction (fairing) of the stringer leading to a stronger boat. Then again, as the stringers are converging together at the stems, perhaps this is worrying about nothing!

Update July, 2025. I glued them on without attempting to steam both ends.

This picture shows beautifully how Stringer B ends up on an angle. And not only would the outside need fairing, but the inside would need to be trimmed to make a flush surface where it must meet the stem. Now we are losing a lot of strength! And perhaps you are seeing the air gap under the keel where it is supposed to slide into the bottom of the stem! Further down the page we explore this issue.

Checking the rocker on Pheather.

The actual rocker on Pheather2. Looks like 2 3/4" on the bow and 2" on the stern. Unless the sloped ground I was on changed the distribution of weight. The stern was 'downhill' from the bow. Maybe gravity lowered the stern. Clearly I should do the same test on level ground!

This picture shows the result of placing an 8lb weight on (left column) a straight piece of wood and (right column) an arched piece of wood.

So now let's apply what we have learned to the ribs of a canoe. Study the picture below. Notice that I have flipped the original pictures upside down which allows us to apply this learning to the situation of water pushing up on a rib.

Better. After adjusting the red station the gunwale had a fair path to follow!

On the top photo you can see the air between the two parts. Although I could have glued it down by pushing down a little, the flow lines would not be ideal. Why not make a little adjustment for a better boat?

You can see the saw in action here. I also gave it a little sanding before the epoxy application. Note in the bottom right where I clean up the angles after installing the keel.

The 9 ribs soaked and ready for steaming. I layed them out by the boat first to determine which rib would go at each position. Notice for example two on the left (bow) and one on the right has a piece of green tape. This marks a weak spot. Putting them near the end means I still have lots of length to match the need.

Here is a screen grab from the video I've included. It shows me clamping the rib at the gunwale. Next, I would rush to the other side and repeat the bending process.

My steam box setup. I would write the load times on the top of the box.

I measure the temperature in my steam box at three points. I start writing the temps so that I can see if I'm getting close to a target temp of over 200F. The angle of the box is important. Almost level is best so that the steam moves around freely to all areas. The angle allows the water to flow out holes on the low side.

The one broken rib. Note the change in the grain pattern that was the cause of the break. Straight grain is key.

Fortunately the break was towards the end of the rib. To save the install I just slid the rib further to one end which allowed the break to appear after the gunwale. Later I would trim the rib down to flush with the top of the gunwale.

At this stage, the boat weighted 7.4lbs!

The day after applying the epoxy I was motivated to make a little video of me balancing the canoe with my thumb. My actions were smooth, but at one point I heard a pop. After studying the canoe I realized that one of my joints had broken.
Oh dear. 

If I am to be very specific, the joint did NOT actually break. The epoxy held!
But at this joint, the wood to wood contact was one little edge. Under stress the stringer vs rib broke apart by separating the wood on the stringer! A great example of the power of epoxy. The epoxy was fine, the contact point was too small.

But let's think about this by thinking of an extreme. What if I had full contact? Could it still break apart? Well it actually might! So what could be done? I realised a great lesson through this situation and now realize why people like Brian Schultz of Cape Falcon Kayak bind the joints together with cord thus holding the two pieces of wood entirely together. Lesson learned. I may now consider lashing key joints, especially if contact is not robust.
July update: I lashed all cedar to ash joints.

Note the little piece of cedar wood that broke right off the stringer. The epoxy held strong!

Lashing on top of the epoxy. Hmmmmm..... In future I think I may skip the epoxy.

Tightening a lashing.

Bow.

Stern.

Clamping on angles that are not parrallel creates challenges as the clamps want to slip. The bottom right clamp was placed so that its bar would jam agains the stern stem. This stopped it somewhat from sliding towards the tip of the boat as I screwed it down. On the far side I placed a little piece of bicycle innertub to give the plastic clamp a bit of grip against the ash wood. Once this clamp was in place I put the big clamp across the top to push the deck in towards the stem. This ensured good contact for the glue to set.

I purchased 20 gauge vinyl from JT's Outdoor Fabrics in Barrie, Ontario. It weighs 12.9 ounces per square yard.
As I got closer to the use of this material for the first time I wanted to make sure I maximized my chances of success. My research had shown that a product called HH66 was the best adhesive. Their specifications said it would stick to wood but I decided to investigate further by contacting the company. They confirmed that it "should bond" but recommend I perform a 24 hr test. So I did.

I'm not convinced I applied enough to each contact surfact (wood and vinyl) but proceeded with the test. The instructions state that the adhesive should sit for 2-5 minutes until tacky prior to bringing them together. With the extreme heat of the day it was almost dried out in just over 1 minute. I proceeded to push the test pieces together, push a smooth stick against the joint and then let it sit.

The next morning, about 15 hours later, I gave it a test tug and it was sticky but still releasing. I expected this and so left it for the rest of the 24hrs. After 24hrs I was satisfied that it would work.

I had heard that fitting a vinyl skin has some challenges. I've also heard conflicting reports about whether stretching it with a heat gun is possible. My conclusion is that I should not mess with its structure. I will try to fit it, as is, as best as possible.

I decided to try to learn a little about the upcoming challenges of the fit by testing with some cloth or other material.
I happened to see a junk piece of plastic and decided to try to fit it around the bow of the boat. I learned a few things but clearly the test was pretty flaky. Then it hit me that I could use a clear drop sheet--which I had!

So I covered the entire boat and started to learn about the fitting challenges. 
It was actually a cool moment when I saw my boat covered for the first time.
I started my study at the front of the canoe but quickly realized I need to dry clamp the entire boat as it was unknown if I might have challenges in the middle section too. 
As it turned out, my half rib might create some issues of uneven skin flow. As it 'falls off' the end of the half rib, it might create a depression of vinyl. We will see.
At the ends, I was able to think about how the vinyl will flow over the front.
Key will be where I can staple if left only with that option. I've determined that the vinyl will still flow flat over the gunwale about 8" back from the front/top of the stem. If I were to staple closer to the front, the vinyl will arc out from the staple, placing a pulling action on the staple. I will have to rely on the attachment at the front of the stem to provide the necessary holding power.

The last picture in this section highlights some of the challenges that may appear as I tackle the vinyl installation at the ends of the boat. I don't want the vinyl collaping between the stringers near the stems as this would really mess with the glide of the boat. 
Or would it?
I am hopeful that my waterline at the very front is about equal to the bottom of the boat with the keel just breaking the surface. That is one of the main reasons for my approximate 2" of rocker.
At a minimum though, loose vinyl would not be aesthetically pleasing. 

The bottom half of this picture clearly shows how the vinyl will 'drop off' the end of the partial rib. Could be trouble.

I've been pulling my other canoe (Pheather) behind my bicycle for a few years now. The stem on Pheather is thicker than Pheather2 so the receiver on the hitch has a large receiver for this thick stem.

For Pheather2 I knew I would need to build a new trailering system OR create removeable shims that could be inserted into the receiver to make for a good fit.

When I first slid Pheather2's stem into the receiver I was shocked! I had built my boat incorrectly! I clearly had made a mistake on the strongback or station placements or some other unknown trouble. All these thoughts raced through my mind. I knew that for me personally, this was a very new project--a one off. Brand new for me. I was prepared for mistakes. I knew I would be challenged by unexpected events.

But then I took a breath....
And realised that what happened was that the canoe was simply 'floating' in the receiver that was too large. And when I put it down on the ground it just happened to settle in a maximim bent location leading to my concerns.

So I built some shims and all was good.
​I've included a YouTube video in this section to show the Longboad wheels in action.

Friday, July 18, 2025.
Yesterday (Thursday) I installed the 20 gauge vinyl on Pheather2.
What a day! My wife and I started out by driving to the St. Jacobs market and loading up on fresh Ontario produce from our favourite sellers. After that fun outing it was time to get to the boat! I did this part of the project outside on our driveway as I wanted to avoid the wicked fumes from the HH66 adhesive. 
I  began by rolling out and centering the 5 yards of vinyl over the bottom of the boat as it sat in the stations upside down. Then I stuck a line of green painters tape on top of the vinyl where it rested on the keel to help me know where I needed to apply the HH66. I then propped up the vinyl near the bow and applied the adhesive to both the vinyl and the keel making sure they did not touch until a 2 minute cure time had passed. Next I slowly dropped the vinyl onto the keel (using the green tape on the vinyl as a guide) and rolled the joint (did I just say that?) with a little hard roller to ensure a good stick. I then proceeded to finish the rest of the keel.
Next I tackled the gunwales which were easier to get at. I was a bit surprised that I did get some creases. Upon reflection, I should not have been surprised as my boat has rocker! Since the bow and stern arc away from the center of the boat it is natural that the skin would not sit perfectly. I left the ends for another time. It was time for a break.

Today (Friday) I was able to seal the bow and stern of the boat. I had thought about how I might approach this task. Would I tackle one side only of each end and then let them cure? I decided to tackle both sides of the boat, bow and stern. I convinced myself that this was a decision based on best chance of success vs simply wanting to finish the boat and get it on the water!
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I applied HH66 to the vinyl and stem on one side of the boat and stretched the vinyl around the front. Once in place, I trimmed the excess. Then I got ready to pull the other side over the front. This action would then bind the far side to the first side and they could cure together. But I realised I had to do the final cut of the vinyl before applying it. I would not want to glue it on and then have to cut off the excess as this would risk a puncture of the skin!
This was a decision on the fly and highlighted that you can plan forever and miss something. I marked my finish time as 9:02am and realised that I could test paddle Pheather2 on Saturday at 9:02am as that would be when the 24hr cure time was accomplished. Can you tell I want to get this boat launched?

I've now loaded a video of this part of the build.

Ends still unfinished....

This picture shows the vinyl skin but also highlights the few ribs I decided to install. Usually about double the numbe of ribs would have been steam bent into shape but I decided to say no to ribs and yes to less weight. The front portion of the boat remains extremely strong.

July 19, 2025
Today was the day!
I woke up too early with excitement and made of list of the key things not to forget.
I had to take off the clamps, install the seat (after a little adjustment) and put on the longboard wheels along with a number of other minor items.
Then I weighed the boat! My goal was around 15 lbs and it came in at 10 pounds 6 ounces! Once I added the seat it came out at 11.6 lbs.
I checked my list one more time and began my ride to Victoria Park. I was confident the boat would perform well on the trail as I had given it a bit of a test ride without the skin.
I got to the lake and set everything up and then carefully entered the boat. It initially felt weird but I almost expected this. I was unsure if the boat was designed tippy or was I needing to learn the boat's characteristics? It quickly proved to be the later and I enjoyed two loops of the waterway. What a blast! It worked! It didn't sink. It didn't tip me out and it didn't leak!
I then hooked it back to the bike and rode home feeling great about my outing.

I've had it out twice more since the initial launch and I'm really enjoying it. Seeing the water break over the front of the boat from the inside is wild. I've had great conversations with many interested park visitors. 1.3 million people have seen it on Reddit with lots of interesting comments. One comment of note was a gentleman who said that my boat is lighter than his cat!
And today (July 23) CBC dropped by the park to record for a story they are now working on. Two little boys realised that my boat is about 1/2 the weight of their baby sister! Good fun together in a public park.

A feather floats into Pheather2!

July, 2025.
I've been out a number of times now and there are always things to learn.
Here are a few of them....

​1. I've noticed that the few splashes that enter the boat can get trapped by the stringers. And the vinyl might be holding the water against the cedar wood. I'll have to keep an eye on this situation. For a dacron skin, perhaps the water can wick out of the trapped area. I would not want wood rot to appear.

2. A video I took showed me that my little stand on the back of the longboard truck slices through the water. The purpose of this little stand I turned on my lathe is to act as an attachment point for a rear facing flashing red light during transportation. This drag is not a great situation as it might slow me down! I did get a new light and was able to shorten the attachment point. I'll have to see if I've solved the issue through a new video.

On Sunday, August 10, 2025 I had a great little paddle in Victoria Park.
But on the way home the wheels fell off!
I had felt a bit of play in the wheels during a pre-ride check and made a note to give it a full checkup. But I should have acted earlier. It fell apart on the way home as I crossed out of the park at City Cafe Bakery.
Upon analysis it appears that the non-waterproof plywood of the stem had deteriorated. The shims I was using in the slot of the receiver (to make the fit better) seemed to have some wetness which told me water had infiltrated the plywood--not a good situation.
I ended up rolling my bicycle up the Iron Horse Trail while carrying my 11.6 pound canoe. I slid the wheel contraption onto my back through the top of my life jacket.
I rested about 4 times and changed hands occassionally but it was not a big deal.

On the way home I started thinking of what the fix would involve.
Clearly I had lost some important structure in my canoe stem. I had used shims to widen the stem to fit into the larger receiver of the wheel contraption. Maybe I could glue new shims to the stem to give it more beef and hold everything together.
So that is what I did. I began by cutting off the rot and then cut a little half round piece to fill the hole that was left. Then I made two shims being careful to get the thickness right so they would fit into the receiver. Then another little piece of plywood to fill the gap completed the part production. I then put it all together using West Systems epoxy and clamped it for 24 hours. This morning (Tuesday, August 12) I put the wheel contraption onto the canoe and drilled two 1/4" holes through the joined items to receive two pins. I wanted to drill into the good plywood from the original stem but had to consider the challenge that I was getting prettly close to the edge of the wood of the receiver--I would not want that to be a weak point. Considering that it was a piece of hardwood and quite thick, I decided it was sufficient.
​Once the pins were installed, off I went and it held well!
Update: August 27th, 2025. I've been out many times with Pheather2 since the fix and it remains strong.

Here I'm checking out the breakage behind City Cafe Bakery. I first had to decide how to get home. Check out the rot on the end of the canoe stem.

First we see the rot that I had to cut off. Then you can observe the two thin shims that got epoxied onto the side of the stem with two other pieces of wood inside the sandwich. Check out the video below to view the epoxy process.