Got the plans, feeling a bit intimidated....

[Kunk35]

Got the plans for the Redbird Bear Mountain canoe today. Looking through them, my first response is fear and intimidation. I know what you're thinking, it's just a canoe. But I really don't want to botch this up. I probably should have picked a design that wasn't as aggressive on the stern and the bow. But I have just always loved the look of this canoe. And when I decide to do something, I figure you just have to jump in go for it.

....I'm gonna need a lot of advice....


Kory

 

[pklonowski]

Here's my advice: be meticulous. Do a better job than you think you're capable of doing. Then, in the long run, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Mark Adams]

As with any new project, especially something that is a new sort of effort, it can be intimidating. However, if you break it down into manageable segments, IE get the materials, build your mold, and so on, you'll do fine. Remember the old adage: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"

I am assuming you have the book "Canoecraft". If not, that is THE book to have IMHO. Run, don't walk, out to get it.

HTH.

 

[Kunk35]

Do a better job than you think you're capable of doing.

I really like this quote, and it goes along with what I was sharing with my boy just a few minutes ago when we were looking over the plans. People that never see hand built wooden crafts will think what we build is great looking, even if we do a mediocre job, but my goal is for a boat person to look at our work and be impressed.

As for breaking it down, here is step one:

Study the plans....

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Consider your reaction pretty normal. If your first reaction was "this first canoe will be a piece of cake" I'd be much more concerned about your work standards. There is another one coming when you eventually find yourself surrounded by a pile of expensive materials that don't yet resemble a canoe in any way, shape or form. The best thing you can do is take it one step at a time and follow the instructions carefully. The worst thing you can do is to get clever, thinking you know more than the designer and start fooling around with the construction details and scantlings, which is the downfall of way too many beginner strip builders. Save any urges for experimentation for future builds - after you have proven that you can get one or two right by just following the plans.

My first was an 18' Hazen double kayak about 1974 or 75. I needed to build two round-sectioned halves, the deck and the hull, and end up with them being the same length and width everywhere, so that they could be glassed together with an invisible seam. It was a pretty scary proposition, but I was driven by the fact that I really wanted the boat and that was the only way to get one. I had Wilderness Boats drop off a pile of strips, a roll of glass and a few gallons of resin when they delivered a load of canoes, Norm Sims had a garage we could work in and we went to work, following the book page by page. It worked quite well and I really don't remember very many problems that came up during the build. I don't think the Redbird will be much harder to build than the other designs and you have the motivation that the Redbird is the boat you chose because you like it. Sweat the details, but not the overall process. It's mostly just a matter of following directions and "Canoecraft" will give you a great set to follow.

 

[pumpkin]

Paul has it right. Get in and do it. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Remember that it's your boat.

 

[charltons]

I built my Redbird about 14 years ago. It was my first foray into woodworking. Take your time and likesomeone else said, look at it as a series of steps. I'm actually proud of the mistakes that show on mine, because I figure that the mistakes show a willingness to take risks and learn. It's my boat, from scratch, flaws and all. Too many people don't try things like this for fear of mistakes.

 

[pklonowski]

I have a sneaking suspicion that nearly everyone on this forum started out exactly where you are right now. Step by step, like everyone's saying, is the key. Take the time to appreciate each little tiny advance that you make. When (not if) you get confused/frustrated/bogged down, here's what you do:

Take a picture of it.
Leave your shop area.
Pour yourself your favorite beverage.
Get on your computer.
Navigate to this forum.
Post the picture, and your question.
Turn on the teevy, watch a ball game or something.
Come back to your computer a while later.
You'll probably have an answer, maybe more than one.
You'll find the encouragement & advice invaluable.

Remember there are no "dumb questions." Even if a hundred people have been there/done that, you haven't, and guidance is readily available. You may run into a situation that seems so weird that nobody could possibly have screwed this up that badly before... but I'll bet someone here has!

On rare occasions, an answer might sound rancorous, or perhaps even testy. Very nearly 100% of that is simply due to the loss of visual & verbal cues that plagues email & forums. Don't ever take it personally... it's certainly not intended that way!

There's no competition here, to get things done fastest, or best. Take your time; in the long run, you'll be glad you did.