STAPLE FREE CONSTRUCTION KITS
If this is the 'look' you want on your woodstrip canoe,
then consider one of our kits to achieve that end...
(look carefully at the hull of this 16' Prospector Fort- no staple holes)
A whole NEW way of building canoes WITHOUT staples !
Although we at Canadian Canoes would LIKE to take credit for thinking up this system, we really do have acknowledge that it was Bob Arthur and Brian Heaslip at Big2 Canoes. These guys actually began building a few canoes years ago for personal use then as a fund raiser for a local Heritage Village Reconstruction Project.
Simply put, neither like the visual distraction of the rows of staple holes.
Early efforts included hanging cement blocks then old plastic containers of water but these were not efficient.
So, after a number of ideas were tested, modified and retested, this current system evolved and it works !
For anyone who has already built a woodstrip canoe (or is thinking about building), with or without staples, there is one constant and that is, somehow, those strips have to be held tight to the station molds and to one another while the glue dries and secures the strips.
Bob and Brian have developed this nifty system which does just that.
Those clear plastic levers standing up in the image above actually have a milled piece which 'rocks' on the station mold without slipping. In the upright position, the next strip to go in place can be slid under the black straps so it easily goes into place once the strip below has received its glue. The elastic cords ( tension is adjustable by moving the chain links seen below the strongback) are pulling on a clever wire and plastic rod device (the 'claw') which acts to pull and hold the newest strip tight to the one below.
The red arrow (image above) is pointing to a strip stopper which, when construction begins, holds the first strip right at the sheer line. With the removal of one screw, it swings out of the way to allow for sanding then later for laying on the 'glass and epoxy.
In this image, the strip stoppers are visible as well as the 'claw' holding the new strip tight to the one below.
An instruction book comes with each kit. However, this image explains the technique. Strip # 13 is about to be added. So, the levers are positioned just above row 12 and elevated thus raising the tensioning strap to allow the strip to pass from one end to the other. Then, a bead of glue is applied to the strip at row 12, then the new strip is elevated into place, the levers are lowered and the 'claws' inserted to hold the new strip until the glue dries.
As the strips climb upward, the builder discovers that near the end of the inner stem, the opposing strips would collide. So, what happens is that one side gets closed over and a set of exact colour/grain matching strips gets saved and set aside for later use. The strips get progressively shorter as they approach the midline.
Assuming that builders are following Ted Moores' excellent text CANOECRAFT, they will follow the instructions and cut the mid line then close over the second half. All the strips except the very final one get held in place with the 'claws' and straps in this kit.
(interior view of staple free hull)
This image shows what comes inside the boxed kit.
The shipping weight is 17 pounds.
NOTE: The standard kit is suited for any canoe with 13 station molds (do not NOT include the stem stations in your count); for longer canoes-more than 13 transverse moulds- extra units are available.
COST: The BASIC KIT as described and depicted: $ 375.00
EXTRA tightening units $ 30.00 each.
(The nylon straps are of a size that they could be used with any of the canoe models in CANOECRAFT.
The kit works with station moulds made of 5/8"material only.
For 3/4" thick material, a custom kit could be produced but at an extra cost.
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And, if you want to know more about these amazing feature strips, please
wave the cursor just below here and click:
