27) Preparing to Glass the Inside

In order to glass the inside, I first laid out the remaining 6oz fiberglass inside the boat. Next, I trimmed the glass around the stems. The book (Canoecraft) suggests that I cut the glass a couple of inches short of the stems. Apparently there is plenty of strength in that area and glassing all the way to the stem will just be a pain in the butt (due to the tight location). Well, they did write the book, so that is what I did.

Matt goes for a paddle.

Another milestone, I disassembled the strongback. My friend Elie has been waiting for the plans to be drawn up for a glades skiff he has wanted for years. Jacques Mertens over at Bateau.com has finally finished the plans and has dubbed the new boat the "Flats Stalker 18". I must say, I am not a flats fishing fanatic, but I do appreciate the style of this beauty. Anyways, Elie has the plans and materials in hand, so I offered him my strongback as a solid building platform. Check out Elie's build at flatsstalker18.blogspot.com or just click the link on the right side of this page (You may see some familiar faces in Elie's photos).

We knocked together some sawhorses to support the canoe (I got the sawhorse design somewhere online, it is strong and required no fancy angled cuts - we literally built them in 15 min).

Also, don't forget to check out Bateau.com, Jacques probably has designed a boat you would be interested in (I have my eye on the Vagabond 23 - especially with the offshore cockpit mod.). Jacques seems to have the philosophy of simplicity and functionality of design, something I appreciate.