Skin on Frame Canoe Testing Results: 4 1/2 months in Mexico!

[@nicholasdavis9849]

I love these videos critically talking about what works and doesn’t work. I’m super excited about a tandem fishing canoe build.

[@qaannat]

That F1 I just reskinned for Ginger was ~15 years old. The frame was in great shape, but she does store it in a garage. No rot, no rib collapse.

[@Gillesgip]

Wow! Very nice. Ive watched your trip , been looking forward to this conclusion. Thank you for sharing.

[@brucekjesbo3378]

Loved your Baja videos! Following these post-trip summaries with great interest. You and Liz rock!

[@jamesdim]

A few seconds in and I'm already impressed by how durable it seems dragging it on rocks!

[@JohnWBarry-ml7mw]

Great test report Brian. My LPB (kayak) is in its 15th season and the skin/coating shows almost no wear. I have paddled between 50-102 days per year but put in on concrete boat ramps, so no dragging. I’ve paddled over a number of submerged rocks and trees with not more than a light scuff. Back in 2010 we used acid dye and a single coat of PU with a hard plastic spreader. After 5 years I added one more coat. Funny that my Aztec(?) gold acid dye looks the same color as your canoe. Loved your fishing videos!

[@adamkelly6264]

not surprised at all by the skin durability, the boat I built with you years ago still looks new although to be fair I don't drag it over rocks.

[@YdocFrench]

Thank you for putting such detail into these videos. I find them very resourceful even when not particularly relative to projects I'm working on. There are just so many nuggets of information to be picked up. We spoke in an email this past week about your outrigger and I really appreciate the help. Such a valuable resource in this area. I am curious what you think about making an outrigger skin on frame style? I believe you made a replica Polynesian outrigger canoe for an organization that used this method?

[@macrumpton]

I would be tempted to make a wheel or pair of wheels that fits into the pedal drive hole to make land transport easier.

[@senfdame528]

What about that lashing at 14:39 in the bottom right corner? Looks torn

[@capefalconkayak]

I had to go look at the boat! badly frayed, but there's still more than half the fibers intact. Obviously you wouldn't actually do this in real life!

[@senfdame528]

@@capefalconkayak Thanks for looking at the boat. And thanks for the video. Your canoes look awesome

[@MWodenberg]

A decade or so ago I built a 15 ft canoe -umiak construction- and installed a Mirage drive. I find it has exceptional control at all angles of wind, I just point and go. I am puzzled why yours does not. My bottom does have a bit more V to it than yours.

[@capefalconkayak]

Are you using a rudder? Is it a tandem or solo? When this boat is balanced correctly, there’s no problems with control. Next video is gonna talk about the pedal drive exclusively.

[@MWodenberg]

@@capefalconkayak It does have a rudder. I pay little to no attention to trim other than I like the bow to sit higher than the stern. 15 ft x 36 in beam with a slight flare at the gunwales and a shallow v bottom, 13 in. deep, the drive well is 6 ft from the bow on center. Before I added the rudder, I tried to steer with a paddle; it was uncontrollable. I like having floor boards. They do raise you a little, but with 1.5 inch deep keelson, they act like a baffle. In rough water once you get a couple inches of water in the bottom, it acts like ballast and it really settles the boat.

[@capefalconkayak]

@@MWodenberg yeah so you’ve basically set it up like a solo boat so your boat is way better balanced than trying to use something set up as a tandem boat as a solo. The simple answer is that I’m just sitting way too far back for it to be balanced right in solo mode. I knew this when I designed it there’s no real surprises there. I have a 15 foot solo that doesn’t have the same steering issues.

[@freedomspyder]

I read some surfers were killed on the baja side not too long a go. Though I believe they caught the murderers.

[@capefalconkayak]

Yeah, that particular area is right next to one of the poorest and depressed places on the peninsula (Ensenada just south of Tijuana) Lots of crime in general. I generally avoid it.

[@freedomspyder]

@@capefalconkayak I forgot the best surfing would be on the Pacific side. I'm going to read Steinbecks' The Log from the Sea of Cortez. It looks interesting. I believe I saw someone had recently renovated the boat they used for that trip.

[@kentowakai1234]

Hope you get to write the whole trip off in your taxes.