Friday, January 9, 2015

Wa'apa Build - Part 36 (spars & mast continued)

Ok..so a whole new year now and a long long time since an update here. Work has continued slowly when possible, but been lazy to update the blog...so here comes several posts to catch up...

Left off with mast staves being scarfed so...

With mast staves scarfed..taper was marked on the narrow ones

And planed down

Large plug for bottom of mast was constructed

And glued to narrow staves then cleaned up

Spacer blocks were fit and glued in

Using center line along wide stave to help align and keep things straight.

Then the wide staves glue on to close it up

All glued up in the rough...

Many shavings later mast cleaned up and looking better

Edges rounded over and bottom section of mast gets a wrap of fiberglass reinforcment. Spars and mast tip also receive wrap of glass on ends to prevent splitting.

Holes drilled into spar ends for attaching the sail, and pad eye fitted to top of mast for the halyard


Then several coats of epoxy to seal up and fill weaves and mast and spars are complete...awaiting sanding and several coats of spar urethane.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Jake, congrats to your Wa’apa! Great boat and a lot of good workmanship and upgrades too! Your sail setup is a very good choice. I am thinking of building one too.
    Have some questions: it is a very good idea to have a self-bailing cockpit, which height did you built it in?
    Your rudder support is taken from Gary’s Motu; at which distance are the two sticks mounted? Is the lower one not disturbing in waves? I think the original mount on the outboard bracket is higher up. Why did you change it?

    Mit freundlichen Grüßen/ Best regards / Φιλικοί Χαιρετισμοί

    Helmut Mueller
    84300 Naxos
    Postbox 25
    mail: hmueller@otenet.gr

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  2. Hello Helmut, thanks for the kind words.

    I have to check to be absolutely certain, but if I remember right the cockpit floor is about 10 inches / 250mm above bottom of the canoe at center.

    The rudder supports are attached to back side of the #1 bulkheads. Top one is as high as possible under the gunwale, and lower one is something like 4 inches / 100mm below that..maybe a little more. The whole setup is far enough back and high enough out of the water that I've not noticed any issues thus far.

    I do have rudders supports at both ends of the canoe, as I eventually plan extending to 24 feet with a shunting rig, and so will have rudders on both ends. The supports at the bow will certainly kick up spray occasionally depending on conditions...but then again so does everything else..these are not exactly dry boats... ;)

    As for why I chose these type of supports over something else. Mostly because they are dead simple, relatively bullet proof, and will put my rudders as far back as possible for better effectiveness and balance...more so when it gets stretched to 24 feet.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jake, I just scrolled another time to all your blog, really a very good work have you done. Congrats again! Thanks also for answering my questions; the modifying changes you have taken from the Vaamotu are really KISS quality! It makes really sense ;-)) Thanks again for your help! Good luck to you and your boat ;-)) Best regards from Greece Helmut

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