Building instructions for Salish

These instructions assume that you have basic strip-building skills.

Materials list

One and a half sheets or 1/2 inch plywood for forms
100 cedar strips, I use 22mm by 5mm(or ¾ by ¼ inch) of these, 58 full length at 18 feet, and the rest 16 feet.
1/8 inch doorskin plywood, either two 3X7 or 1 4X8
½ sheet 6mm marine ply
two 7 foot 1X1 yellow cedar (can sub fir or spruce etc)
17 foot fir 1X1 (clear for keel)
4 feet of fir 2X2 ripped into 1/8 inch strips for outer stem
4 feet of yellow cedar 1X2 ripped into 1/8 inch strips for inner stem
21 inches of 1X6 material for transom. Some hardwood or yellow cedar would best.
One 2X8 sheet of 1 inch styrofoam insulation board
26 yards of 4 oz fiberglass cloth
3 gallons of epoxy (my epoxy comes in 3 gallon kits, and is more than enough, but 1.5 gallons is insufficient)
the rigger will require 8 pieces of yellow cedar, 2X3/8, and 12 feet of  2 inch fiberglass biaxial sleeve.
Latanzo rowing parts is a good source for rowing components. You will need:
aluminum tracks with end stops,
undercarriage complete (get 11 inch)
Nylon seat supports
pair of nylon scull locks with keepers
pivot pipe with ends  (12.75 long).nylon heel cups
pair of notched channels
smooth channel (one needed but are sold in pairs)
3 pcs stainless steel square bolts with wing nuts (1.5 inch)
you may also want to order a seat, instead of carving your own, (get the sweep one), and sculling oarlock pins and foot straps.

Setting up

I build on an 18 foot box-beam strongback, like Ted Moores describes in Canoecraft or Kayakcraft but any 18 foot long flat and stable platform will do.
Strike a centreline the full length of your strongback to align your forms later.

Forms

You will need one and a half sheets of ½ inch plywood for the forms and risers.
 Start by printing the station drawings full size. They are pdf files on Arch D paper. Cut each station out slightly oversize so they can be glued to plywood.
One sheet of plywood will do all the stations.
You will also need 19 plywood risers 8 inches wide by 12 high with a vertical centreline (i use a saw kerf) cut from the remaining half sheet.
The last drawing is the bow form. Cut it out slightly oversize, and glue it to your plywood, and cut it out to the 2 foot mark and to the dotted line at the bow and bottom (for a ¾ inch inner stem). Drill some holes just back from the leading edge of the form so that you can clamp the inner stem to glue it.
 I used 1/8 inch strips of yellow cedar, and steamed them to make the tight curve at the bottom of the bow. Let them dry on the bow form and then glue them up with wood glue.

Find the drawing marked Station 18. It will become the transom so glue it to a nice bit of 1X6, 24 inches long and cut it out to the line. Cedar will do for this, but it is very fragile in a couple of places until it is mounted. Save the offcut from the top of the transom as you will need it to mount to the riser.

Cut the forms from the plywood sheet to the lines on the paper patterns.

We will need to notch the top corners of the forms for these stringers so make up a little jig that aligns with the side and top of the form. Make the jig so that the top edge of the stringer will be just above the level of the decks. Mark and notch the forms.

Take each of the forms and screw the risers to them, lining up the centreline on the drawing with the centreline on the riser and the top of the riser with the “alignment mark” line on all of the forms.

Start by attaching the bow form to a pair of risers and mounting it to the strongback so the form is centered on the line. Screw a cleat to the strongback so it’s forward edge is 1/2 inch back fr0m the rear of the bow form and so it is perpendicular to the centerline on the strongback. From the front of this cleat, attach 15 more cleats, perpendicular to the centerline at 1 foot intervals. 

Now you can attach form 2 to the strongback and the bow form. Make sure that the centerlines of the risers and the strongback line up and that the centerline of the form lines up with the center of the bow form. Drive a screw through form two into the bow form to keep it centered. 

Attach the rest of the stations 3 to 17 to the cleats on the strongback, making sure all the centerlines line up.

Mounting the transom requires attaching the off cut of the transom opening to the riser board, as there is not enough space above the alignment mark for screws. A couple of screws through the offcut and into the edge of the transom will be hidden by the planking of the deck.
You can put the inner stem back onto the bow form. Attach it at the back end with a small screw through form 2 into the end of the stem and clamp it at the second hole up from the top (now on the bottom) of the stem.

Now fasten the 17 ½ foot sheer clamp strip into the notches on all the stations. I used some staples to be removed later.
This is also a good time to taper the edges of the bow form so strips will lay flat on inner stem edge. Just remove enough to make a flat gluing surface, you don't want to make the inner stem narrower. Use a scrap bit of strip held on the first couple of forms to get the angle right.
Tape the edges of the forms and the outside of the sheer clamp strip so that you don’t glue the hull to them.

Striping

Attach the first strip to each side of the boat using 1inch #6 screws through the strip, the sheer clamp strip and into the edge of the forms. Glue this strip to the inner stem and the transom.
I build placing the strips bead up, so I attach a couple of holders to the forms to put the glue in the coves.

Put glue on the strip and a dab on the inner stem and transom; take it out of the holder, and place it tight above the previous strip and staple at every form and the stem and the transom.
Continue in this way until you reach the top of the stem and the middle of the transom. Now you will have to trim the ends of the strips so they closely line up with the centerline. This doesn’t have to be perfect, as we will cut a slot out of the bottom of the hull later for a centerline filler strip.

Continue until the hull is completely stripped.

Mark the hull 3/8 of an inch on either side of the centerline and cut it (I use a pull-saw)

This will give you a ¾ inch gap down the bottom of the hull that you will fill with a block. If you are using ¼ inch strips just glue three of them together, to make a ¾ inch square filler block. You can trim the sides of the gap with a rabbet plane on it’s side, to get the best fit on the filler block. At the bow cut a notch in the strips to expose the rear end of the inner stem, so the block overlaps  the inner stem by about 2 inches. 

Remove screws holding the hull in place at the shear, then use thickened epoxy to glue the center block in place, pulling the hull up tight using rachet straps.

Once the epoxy is cured, plane the block until it is flush with hull, and then sand everything fair and smooth starting with 60 grit. Fill any minor cracks or gaps in the strips with epoxy and sawdust and sand one last time with 120 grit.

Cut the ends of the strips at the bow so they are flush with the front of the inner stem, and taper the center strip down to the inner stem.
At the stern, cut the strips flush with the transom, and sand flat.

Glassing the outside of the hull

Now you can apply glass and epoxy to the hull. 4 Oz glass is perfect, and two coats of epoxy to fill the weave of the cloth.

I like to bring the glass down over the transom at the stern, the transom is small enough that the glass will lay down without a dart. Let the hull cure while you cut the keel and skeg.

Keel and Skeg

For the skeg, use a ¾ by 2 1/2 inch cedar board about 4 feet long. Scribe the skeg to the bottom of the hull so it tapers to nothing at the forward end and is about 2 1/2 inches at the transom.
Glue the skeg to the hull with a couple of dabs of thickened epoxy. Make sure it is straight and vertical!

For the keel you will need a 16 foot long ¾ inch square piece of wood. I like to use fir, it is less likely to dent than cedar. It should be run through the tablesaw to put about a 7 degree bevel on either side.

Now you can laminate the outer stem in place. Tape the bow of the boat so that the stem is not initially glued in place. I use 1/8 inch laminations steamed to make them pliable, of fir to match the keel. Make them 1 ½ inches wide, and use enough laminations to match the height of the keel.
Steam them and bend them right on the bow of the boat, using. screws to hold them in place until they dry. Then take them off, and laminate them in place on the bow using thickened epoxy.
When the epoxy has cured,m ark the inside of that lamination where it meets the hull and take it off and cut it to fit. (cut a bit oversize and sand or plane to fit.) Also cut the aft end of the stem so that it is shorter than the inner stem and is square where it will meet the keel.
Take the tape off the bow of the boat, and epoxy the outer stem in place, using the same screws.

Glue the keel onto the hull and keel with thickened epoxy. You can use a temporary screw into the skeg and another one into the inner stem at the bow to clamp it in place. Use ratchet straps down the middle of the hull.

As with the skeg, make sure this is straight by sighting down the length of the boat.
When that is cured, use a 1/8 inch radius router bit to round over the top edges and the outer stem.
You might have to blend the stem and the keel joint with sandpaper or a rasp to get a smooth transition.
Fillet the keel and skeg to hull and blend in the outer stem a bit if there are any gaps.

Use bias cut cloth strips to cover the keel and the stem and laminate them to the hull.
I use tape on the hull and cut the cloth along the tape edge before it is fully cured to get a straight edge.
Once cure, use a scraper to ease the edge of the cloth covering the keel and stem and then apply another coat of epoxy to fill the weave and blend in that line.

Once that fill coat is hard, you can turn the boat over. I usually build a pair of cradles that can support the hull upright on the strongback.
Start by undoing the screws that attach the risers to the strongback.
You should now be able to lift the hull up and roll it over and replace it right side up on the cradles.
Now remove all the risers from the stations.

Building the deck.

The stations and the sheer clamp will likely move around or fall over. Set them back in place and refasten them with the number 6 screws through the hull, the shear clamps and into the forms. Use a block plane to flatten the shear clamp and first strip to the same height and angle as the top edge of the forms.
Now tape the inside and top edge of the shear strip so that the deck will not be glued to the hull; only to the top of the shear clamp.
 Also tape the top of the transom and make sure that the tape on the tops of the forms is still in place so that the deck can be removed when the outside is finished.

Run a bead of glue along the top of the shear clamp and clamp the first deck strip with the bead towards the centerline so it is protruding past the outside of the hull by slightly more than the depth of the cove (we’ll plane the cove off later).
Do both sides and let the glue dry fully before moving on.

Now strip toward the centerline, stapling the strips to the forms. (note that I have put in a centerline strip, in retrospect, I think just cutting the strips to butt against each other might be cleaner)

About 6 or seven strips in, the foredeck ends and the rear half of the boat will have to be stripped separately due to the sides of the seating area curving down.
I would strip the foredeck first, and run it about an inch past station 7. Strip one side across the centerline, cut to that line and fill in the other side.

The curved inner rear decks can be slid under the foredeck to come flush with the aft face of station 7 and can run long at the transom. Those inner rear deck sides have to be stripped down past the line formed by the bottom of the rear deck.

I use doorskin plywood to make the seating deck. You can get the length you need with a simple butt joint, glassed on the bottom, and the widths can be taken off the form. 

Make the deck a bit long and wide to help with fitting later. Just measure the wdith at each of the stations from 7 to the transom.
Pull all the staples holding the strips to the forms.
You can now sand the deck assembly. 
Fit the seat deck into the boat,
The width can be brought down to fit using a block plane, and the extra length can run past the transom and be cut later. Once the seating deck fits flat onto the forms put a couple of staples into place to hold it, and fillet it into place. 

Clean up the fillet and sand one more time with 120 grit. Glass the deck with two pieces;  from the bow to the end of station 7, and another aft to the transom.

Put on a couple of fill coats and let everything cure.

Glassing the inside

Now remove the screws holding the shear clamp to the hull, and carefully separate the deck from the hull. The shear clamp should stay attached to the deck.

Now lift the deck off the hull and set it aside. Be very careful not to bend the area at station 7! It can kink and break in that area.
Remove all the forms.
Now you can sand the inside of the hull for glass. This area just has to be flat enough for the glass to bond, I mostly just sand 60 grit, the only visible part will be under the hatch at the front and the bottom of the footwell from forms 10 to 13.
None of the underside of the deck is visible so I just sand it with 60 grit until it’s flat.

Glass the inside of the deck and hull. One fill coat should be sufficient.

Building the bulkheads

Pull the forms number 7, 11, and 13; trace them on to 1 inch EPS foam and cut them out.

The back of 7 .and 11 can be seen in the boat so I usually epoxy doorskin one face of them before glassing both faces of all.
My seat tracks are 11 inches on center so I cut 1x1 yellow cedar reinforcements long enough to go from the front of station 7 to the rear of station 13.
Now fit the stations to the underside of the deck and notch them for the yellow cedar 1x1’s so that they are 5 inches from the centerline to the inside of the 1x1s.

Glue the bulkheads and the seat reinforcement 1X1’s to the underside of the deck using thickened epoxy. You may have to adjust the bulkheads to fit closely to the decks. Strap the bulkheads in place and fillet both sides to the deck.
Cut out the footwell which is bordered by stations 10 and13 and the 1 inch reinforcing boards glued to the underside of the deck.
Cut a hole for a deck access port roughly at station 9 and reinforce the underside with a 6mm plywood ring epoxied into place.

I like a hole for a painter in the bow, and use a length of plastic water line glued into  a hole drilled just behind the inner stem. Use thickened epoxy and also make a little dam with doorskin and do an  end-pour of thickend epoxy to re-inforce the area. When the epoxy has cured you can trim back the doorskin and cut the tube flush with the hull.

Join the deck to the hull

Check the fit of the bulkheads to the hull. They will likely need a bit of sanding to make the deck and the hull come together perfectly.
While the deck is sitting on the hull, cut a hatch in the foredeck to access the bow storage.
 The bulkheads need to fit close enough that you can run a fillet between the bulkheads and the hull to make them waterproof and you can do this through the forward hatch and the footwell cutout.
When the fit is good, take the deck off the hull, make sure all the tape is removed, and apply thickened epoxy to the shear clamp,  to the top of the stem, and the top of the transom. You can also run a bead of thickened epoxy to the edges of the bulkheads.
Lift the deck onto the hull, and clamp it with ratchet straps. Now work around the boat and screw the hull to the shear clamp all the way around the boat. You will need to clamp the tip of the bow with a ratchet strap (and possibly a screw into the stem) and use spring clamps to close the gap where the deck meets the transom.
Let everything cure
Remove all clamps and screws.
Use a block plane to  remove the overhang of the deck flush with the hull and fill any gaps in that seam.
Sand a radius on the edge of the deck to hull joint. 
Tape about an inch either side of the joint and use bias cut cloth strips to reinforce the seam including at the transom.
before the epoxy cures, cut the cloth at the edge of the tape with a box-cutter knife and remove the tape to leave a clean edge.

Build the footwell

Glass both sides of a piece of doorskin about 12 inches wide and 37 long and another 14 inches by 11 inches which will make the sides and aft end of the footwell.

The sides taper from roughly 6 inches to 4 inches deep and are cut to the length of the footwell opening (from station 10 to 13)
Cut the lower aft corner off the side pieces to allow any water to drain and for airflow.

Using thickened epoxy, glue the sides to the 1 inch battens on either side to the opening in the deck. You can let them stick up above the deck and cut them down later. Hold them with a few temporary 1 inch screws. Then fillet the sides to the hull of the boat, and to station 10.

When that has cured, remove the screws and use the 14 X 11 piece you prepared  earlier to make a long ramp from the floor of the well to the aft end of the footwell. The end that meets the hull will have to be slightly V shaped, and I sand the edge at the deck to form a slight bevel for the top of the ramp to meet the deck.
Epoxy that ramp into position with a bit of thickened epoxy where it meets the hull and the deck and then fillet the sides. I usually use a small temporary screw on the centerline the hold the bottom of the ramp but the top edge will usually sit in place.
When that is cured clean all the top edges, and use bias cloth strips  to seal the deck to footwell joint.

Attach the seat tracks to the decks.

The seat tracks must be centered on the boat with the aft end at the start of the footwell. Use the wheel assembly to endure that they are parallel and the wheels roll evenly the full length of the track. Use the end caps and screws to fix them in place.

Build and attach the foot stretchers.

I use hardware from Piantedosi for the foot stretchers. 
Start with a piece of 6mm ply 9 inches wide by 13 long and glass both sides. Then cut arcs out of both of the bottom edge to leave a tab for the bottom mount and allow water to flow aft out of the foot well.

On the bottom center, make  a bracket like the one in the above photo. Attach the upper support pipe with it’s end caps with some type of strap (I use plastic cable straps)

The bottom channel is smooth and uses a t bolt and hand nut to secure it; and starts 4 inches aft of the front wall of the footwell. The two notched upper mounts are 8 inches aft of the footwell and are mounted on the deck so that they match the position of the tube ends. These are secured with hand nuts and t bolts.
On the front of the stretcher, screw down the heel cups near the bottom and foot straps about level with the support pipe (I use mountain bike foot straps).