Hello Joel,

I have worked with Dacron covering on aircraft in the past and often
wondered "why couldn't you make a boat with this stuff?" Looks like
someone has done it. This process looks very promising and once I get
my shop space together, I may start one of these designs. One thing I
must mention is that Dacron will degrade when exposed to UV
(sunlight). It must be painted on all surfaces that will be exposed to
the sun or even the reflected light striking the boat above the
waterline. Good quality latex house paint, which should have a high
solids content, works great.

DSN

--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jm_silverman"
<jm_silverman@...> wrote:
>
> Hello to anyone who reads this first post.  My name is Joel and I am
> located in Minneapolis, MN.  I grew up canoeing, sailing and
> windsurfing on the many lakes in Minnesota.  When I was very young,
> my father built a fiberglass canoe using a mold from an Old Town.
> That canoe is still being used today 38 years later.  If that canoe
> could talk, the stories it would tell about trips in the Boundry
> Waters.
>
> Recently I came across the Airolite web site while doing some
> research.  The construction technique was very interesting.  So,
> last week I ordered plans and a DVD from the web site.  Within 3
> days, I had the package in hand.  Now I am itching to build my
> Snowshoe 16.
>
> With a long cold winter ahead, this might be the perfect project to
> work on in the evenings and the weekends.
>
> I also started this group hoping that others would stumble upon it
> and join.  I have not had much luck finding info on the web from
> others who have built these boats.
>
> Anyway, welcome aboard.
>

DSN,

Thanks for the comment.  I know that Platt mentioned that Latex
paint does work well.  I wonder how much weight is added to the boat
if it is painted both inside and out.  Latex appears to work well
because it sits on the surface of the Dacron which allows the Dacron
to stay flexible and strong.

I did have a change to clean out the garage this weekend. So now I
have an empty stall to begin working.  I am in the process of
searching for the right kind of wood for my project.  Also have
watched the Monfort DVD a couple of times to better understand the
construction technique.

Thanks for the input and I look forward to posting my progress to
the group.

Joel
--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "dogspiritnow"
<dogspiritnow@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Joel,
>
> I have worked with Dacron covering on aircraft in the past and
often
> wondered "why couldn't you make a boat with this stuff?" Looks like
> someone has done it. This process looks very promising and once I
get
> my shop space together, I may start one of these designs. One
thing I
> must mention is that Dacron will degrade when exposed to UV
> (sunlight). It must be painted on all surfaces that will be
exposed to
> the sun or even the reflected light striking the boat above the
> waterline. Good quality latex house paint, which should have a high
> solids content, works great.
>
> DSN
>
> --- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jm_silverman"
> <jm_silverman@> wrote:
> >
> > Hello to anyone who reads this first post.  My name is Joel and
I am
> > located in Minneapolis, MN.  I grew up canoeing, sailing and
> > windsurfing on the many lakes in Minnesota.  When I was very
young,
> > my father built a fiberglass canoe using a mold from an Old
Town.
> > That canoe is still being used today 38 years later.  If that
canoe
> > could talk, the stories it would tell about trips in the Boundry
> > Waters.
> >
> > Recently I came across the Airolite web site while doing some
> > research.  The construction technique was very interesting.  So,
> > last week I ordered plans and a DVD from the web site.  Within 3
> > days, I had the package in hand.  Now I am itching to build my
> > Snowshoe 16.
> >
> > With a long cold winter ahead, this might be the perfect project
to
> > work on in the evenings and the weekends.
> >
> > I also started this group hoping that others would stumble upon
it
> > and join.  I have not had much luck finding info on the web from
> > others who have built these boats.
> >
> > Anyway, welcome aboard.
> >
>

Just a quick note that I had sent a note to Bette Monfort letting her
know that we have started this Yahoo Group.  I just received a
response from Ryan Delano, Bette's Grandson and the Web Master for
GABOATS.com, that a link has been placed on the site to our Yahoo
Group.  This should help the group grow at a faster pace.  I hope we
can attract some who have experience building these boats.  I am
excited to learn from others who have build a GA boat.

Joel

I see we have a few new members who have recently joined.  First off I
would like to welcome all.  If anyone has build an Airolite, please
let the group know.  I know that I am very interested in hearing
experiences.

I have not built one yet but do have the plans.  My only experience in
building boats was a windsurfer back in approx 1982 with my dad.
Plans came out of Popular Mechanics and was constructed out of wood.

I was able to clean out my garage a couple of weeks ago and now have
space to build.  I am now looking for wood for my project.

I will keep all posted.

Thanks

Joel

Mornin';
      Been looking around. In the listed supplies for the monfort
boats. I don't see a listing for s/s staples. I'm assuming you aren't
using them for this type construction. So, I'm guessing the heat
bonding tape is what holds the dacron to the frame.I have no
expierence with this bonding tape (have used the heat bonding tape
intended for sewing hems in clothes on a few hobby projects with
miserable results) How good is the wood to fabric bond. Looking
forward to a nice board. Good job guys.
Thanks

In reading the instruction and watching the DVD, it appears that it is
important to apply the right amount of heat for the H&B to "join" with
the Dacron.  If done correctly, it appears to hold very well.
Remember, this is not from my experience yet.  I am still in the
planning stages of building my boat.

Joel
--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, Kai Mei <kai@...> wrote:
>
> Heat and Bond is very good as described in the plans.
>

Hello:

I've started building my Classic 12 (just started) and also just found this new
news group.
Spent the last hour or so looking through the links. What a great help this will
be!

I look forward to contributing here and learning from other builders.

Thanks again:

Paul T.

Paul,
Glad to have you on board.  The group is a bit quiet, I don't think we
have many GA builders yet.  I am hoping that this group gets busier as
more people find us and attempt to build a GA boat

--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "second_floor_loft"
<second_floor_loft@...> wrote:
>
> Hello:
>
> I've started building my Classic 12 (just started) and also just
found this new news group.
> Spent the last hour or so looking through the links. What a great
help this will be!
>
> I look forward to contributing here and learning from other builders.
>
> Thanks again:
>
> Paul T.
>

My name is Timo, I live in Finland - and I'm building a Snowshoe 16!

I'm just about to add another coat of varnish, after that I'll start
with the Kevlar. I believe the project will be in floating condition
somewhere in March. Who knows...

In the meantime, I will enjoy the group, will send a few photos of the
progress if I manage to find out how to attach images to a message -
I'm not too familiar with Yahoo yet.



Thanks Joel!


-Timo-

Timo,

Thanks for joining.  Tell us more about your building experience?
How about steaming the wood ribs?

Joel
--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "t_ripatti" <timoripatti@...>
wrote:
>
>
> My name is Timo, I live in Finland - and I'm building a Snowshoe
16!
>
> I'm just about to add another coat of varnish, after that I'll
start
> with the Kevlar. I believe the project will be in floating
condition
> somewhere in March. Who knows...
>
> In the meantime, I will enjoy the group, will send a few photos of
the
> progress if I manage to find out how to attach images to a
message -
> I'm not too familiar with Yahoo yet.
>
>
>
> Thanks Joel!
>
>
> -Timo-
>

Joel, everybody,

I managed to create an album at Photos, with one image already there.
I'll add more, some from my archive and others as I make any progress
with the canoe.
I have very little building experience - I've built a few model
aeroplanes though - 38 years ago. The Snowshoe is remarkably similar
in many counts, so I had the courage to start the project. No regrets.

The wood ribs are ash, and I steamed them with a household steamer
which was made for carpets and upholstery and stonewall seams etc.
I found it too much of an effort to build a steaming box out of wood,
so I used styrofoam tubing, the quality they use with heating pipes.
There are many pros and no cons to this technique - you simply attach
four parts of styrofoam together with bamboo shaslik sticks and make a
simple shelf inside from the same material, after that you load it
with a few ribs (not too many..) and cover one end with a ball made of
old t-shirts. The nozzle of the steamer is just wrapped with a t-shirt
and placed to other end of the tube.
The water container of my steamer was the limiting factor, I got only
30 minutes with one filling which was less than I'd have liked, with
my pace.

Heck, I think I better place a few photos to the album after a couple
of days, reading my own instructions makes me dizzy ;-)


cheers,

-Timo-




--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jm_silverman"
<jm_silverman@...> wrote:
>
> Timo,
>
> Thanks for joining.  Tell us more about your building experience?
> How about steaming the wood ribs?
>
> Joel

--- clip --- clip --- clip ---

Timo,
I took a look at the picture, nice work!!  Your GA boat looks very
well done.  How many hours has it taken you to get to the point
before the Dacron covering?

Thanks

joel
--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "t_ripatti" <timoripatti@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Joel, everybody,
>
> I managed to create an album at Photos, with one image already
there.
> I'll add more, some from my archive and others as I make any
progress
> with the canoe.
> I have very little building experience - I've built a few model
> aeroplanes though - 38 years ago. The Snowshoe is remarkably
similar
> in many counts, so I had the courage to start the project. No
regrets.
>
> The wood ribs are ash, and I steamed them with a household steamer
> which was made for carpets and upholstery and stonewall seams etc.
> I found it too much of an effort to build a steaming box out of
wood,
> so I used styrofoam tubing, the quality they use with heating
pipes.
> There are many pros and no cons to this technique - you simply
attach
> four parts of styrofoam together with bamboo shaslik sticks and
make a
> simple shelf inside from the same material, after that you load it
> with a few ribs (not too many..) and cover one end with a ball
made of
> old t-shirts. The nozzle of the steamer is just wrapped with a t-
shirt
> and placed to other end of the tube.
> The water container of my steamer was the limiting factor, I got
only
> 30 minutes with one filling which was less than I'd have liked,
with
> my pace.
>
> Heck, I think I better place a few photos to the album after a
couple
> of days, reading my own instructions makes me dizzy ;-)
>
>
> cheers,
>
> -Timo-
>
>
>
>
> --- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jm_silverman"
> <jm_silverman@> wrote:
> >
> > Timo,
> >
> > Thanks for joining.  Tell us more about your building
experience?
> > How about steaming the wood ribs?
> >
> > Joel
>
> --- clip --- clip --- clip ---
>

Here's a link to a guy on the Oregon Coast who makes skin-on-frame boats (mostly
kayaks)
and teaches the techniques as well.

He's an entertaining, opinionated writer and it's worth the time to read some of
his adventure
stories. He was featured with the cover article of WoodenBoat magazine a few
months ago for
a skin-on-frame sailboat he built and then trailered it for a sailing trip in
the Sea of Cortez.

I think you'll find some good information, related to Airolite designs. His
skins are heavier-
duty than Airolite and the designs don't need the diagonal Kevlar strings.

http://www.capefalconkayak.com/


Charlie Magee

Joel,

I bought the construction manual and drawings three years ago, but
managed to get started a year later, just for personal reasons.
We have metric system, so it took a little calculating before I was
ready to visit the lumberyard. Most of the drawings are in 1:8 scale,
so I was finally able to get the closest values of all measurements.

The ribs and stringers plus inwales and outwales were machined to the
right thickness by a professional. He makes picture frames, so he had
the right kind of tools. I used a thin Japanese saw for all joints.
The glue I used was not epoxy but urethane, hence the black seams. The
urethane glue sets better if the wooden surfaces are moist, so I was
able to glue the ribs in place right after steaming and fitting them.

After some more personal reasons, the projet was delayed for a number
of months. It has been sort of an on-off situation all the time, it is
  impossible to count the hours the canoe has taken so far.
Anyway, I decided to concentrate for quality and forget about timing
the project for a specific paddling season. I'll use it as a solo
canoe at times, which means that the seats have to be easily removed.
That part needs some attention. I may start with no seats and locate
the best places for a total of three seats by trial-and-error.
Maybe someone has already figured that out?


There's one more photo in my album, now you can see the seams in a
better scale. The breast hooks are longer than in the original plan, I
took measurements from my own palm...
The part between the breast plate and stem, where four wooden items
are supposed to meet in perfect symmetry, was too much for my skills,
so I drilled a hole to the critical place and glued a wooden
coverplate in there to conceal the problem.

The varnish is Tonkinois brand, a little tricky to use but gives
superb gloss, three to four coats are needed for the ribs because ash
is so porous - the first coat just disappears into the wood...

I'm anxious to start the Kevlar roving soon, will send more photos
when I get there.

cheers,

-Timo-


--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jm_silverman"
<jm_silverman@...> wrote:
>
> Timo,
> I took a look at the picture, nice work!!  Your GA boat looks very
> well done.  How many hours has it taken you to get to the point
> before the Dacron covering?
>
> Thanks
>
> joel

--- clip --- clip -- clip ---

Hello Group:

I've posted a couple of pics of my newly started Classic 12. It is the often
referred to "built
in the living room" boat. I just had to try it. As you can see, it takes up much
of the little
cabin.

The structure will be of douglas fir and poplar with a mahogany stem and transom
and
perhaps a few mahogany bits here and there. I'm using luan station forms. Due to
the
short wood I am using, there will be a scarf joint on every lengthwise piece.
I"m getting
pretty good at it.

I used a batten to get the shape of the keelson and then used a block plane to
get the final
shape after roughing it in with a jig saw. Scarfed and glued, it's now all one
piece.
I'm putting the gunwales together now. I'll have them finished next week.

Sincerely:
Paul T.

Hello builders,

I have started building the Arrow 14 in my basement. I chose this design for
several reasons,
mostly because the window in my basement is 32" x 18". At least I hope it fits
out when
finished! (the boat will be 28" x 16")

I know I am building it a bit heavy, actually using ash for all the stringers
and ribs. A friend
down the street owns a wood cutting business and called me to look at some ash
he had cut
last summer. I picked out two 2"x12"x16' perfectly clear boards, couldn't help
myself. I
imagine it will add a few pounds to the overall construction, but I thought it
best to build it
strong for my 10 year old. Actually have more than enough left over for a second
boat.

I am having a great time. I have posted some photos in an album called Arrow 14.
Will update
as the project continues.

Tom

Paul,
Thanks for posting those pictures.  Looks like things are
progressing nicely.  I can only imagine what my wife would say if I
built my Airolite in our living room.

Anyway, keep us updated as you move along.

Joel

--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "second_floor_loft"
<second_floor_loft@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Group:
>
> I've posted a couple of pics of my newly started Classic 12. It is
the often referred to "built
> in the living room" boat. I just had to try it. As you can see, it
takes up much of the little
> cabin.
>
> The structure will be of douglas fir and poplar with a mahogany
stem and transom and
> perhaps a few mahogany bits here and there. I'm using luan station
forms. Due to the
> short wood I am using, there will be a scarf joint on every
lengthwise piece. I"m getting
> pretty good at it.
>
> I used a batten to get the shape of the keelson and then used a
block plane to get the final
> shape after roughing it in with a jig saw. Scarfed and glued, it's
now all one piece.
> I'm putting the gunwales together now. I'll have them finished
next week.
>
> Sincerely:
> Paul T.
>

I want to wish all of you on the list a happy and healthy new year. I
hope 2007 gives you time to build a Airolite boat.

Peace

Joel Silverman
Plymouth,MN USA

Tom,

Wow, some great pics of your project.  Looks great!!!  How did the
steaming work out? How much time did you have to work with the wood
before it "sets up"?

Thanks

Joel

--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "guyt36" <dodd@...> wrote:
>
> Hello builders,
>
> I have started building the Arrow 14 in my basement. I chose this
design for several reasons,
> mostly because the window in my basement is 32" x 18". At least I
hope it fits out when
> finished! (the boat will be 28" x 16")
>
> I know I am building it a bit heavy, actually using ash for all
the stringers and ribs. A friend
> down the street owns a wood cutting business and called me to look
at some ash he had cut
> last summer. I picked out two 2"x12"x16' perfectly clear boards,
couldn't help myself. I
> imagine it will add a few pounds to the overall construction, but
I thought it best to build it
> strong for my 10 year old. Actually have more than enough left
over for a second boat.
>
> I am having a great time. I have posted some photos in an album
called Arrow 14. Will update
> as the project continues.
>
> Tom
>

Joel:

Ah, yes...the wife... I work 100 miles from our home
and I stay there during the week. We have a small
lakeside cabin there and since she is 100 miles
away... It's an incentive to get it done quickly. :)
Also, it is taking up a lot of room in a very small
house.

Sincerely:
Paul
--- jm_silverman <jm_silverman@...> wrote:

> Paul,
> Thanks for posting those pictures.  Looks like
> things are
> progressing nicely.  I can only imagine what my wife
> would say if I
> built my Airolite in our living room.
>
> Anyway, keep us updated as you move along.
>
> Joel
>
> --- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com,
> "second_floor_loft"
> <second_floor_loft@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hello Group:
> >
> > I've posted a couple of pics of my newly started
> Classic 12. It is
> the often referred to "built
> > in the living room" boat. I just had to try it. As
> you can see, it
> takes up much of the little
> > cabin.
> >
> > The structure will be of douglas fir and poplar
> with a mahogany
> stem and transom and
> > perhaps a few mahogany bits here and there. I'm
> using luan station
> forms. Due to the
> > short wood I am using, there will be a scarf joint
> on every
> lengthwise piece. I"m getting
> > pretty good at it.
> >
> > I used a batten to get the shape of the keelson
> and then used a
> block plane to get the final
> > shape after roughing it in with a jig saw. Scarfed
> and glued, it's
> now all one piece.
> > I'm putting the gunwales together now. I'll have
> them finished
> next week.
> >
> > Sincerely:
> > Paul T.
> >
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Hi Joel,

The ash ribs spent 20 minutes in the steam, once out of the box I had about 2
minutes to
move and bend them into position. Remember, this was green ash, never dried
other than
a few months on the basement floor. The ribs probably would have been fine with
a water
soak, but for the tight bends I wanted to try the steam. Only the very last ribs
on each end
needed to be cut at the keelson, so the ash bent to 180 degrees in a span of
about 3
inches for the next tightest bend-the second rib.  Glueing the ribs has taken
longer than I
anticipated, mostly because I only purchased one set of Clamp-Its. They work
great, but I
could only glue up 5 or 6 ribs at a time, as I needed about 10 per rib. Next
time I will order
another set. I am looking forward to getting the boat off the strongback
tomorrow.

The steam box was made per instructions in the back of the construction packet.
Foam
core insulation cut on a table saw, taped together with duct tape, a plug on
each end. I
used some wet towels to block off any leaks. It worked great. I am looking
around the
house now to see what else I can "bend", perhaps the supports for the shelf on
which the
boat will be stored on the front porch.

Happy new year.

Tom


>
> Tom,
>
> Wow, some great pics of your project.  Looks great!!!  How did the
> steaming work out? How much time did you have to work with the wood
> before it "sets up"?
>
> Thanks
>
> Joel
>
> --- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "guyt36" <dodd@> wrote:
> >
> > Hello builders,
> >
> > I have started building the Arrow 14 in my basement. I chose this
> design for several reasons,
> > mostly because the window in my basement is 32" x 18". At least I
> hope it fits out when
> > finished! (the boat will be 28" x 16")
> >
> > I know I am building it a bit heavy, actually using ash for all
> the stringers and ribs. A friend
> > down the street owns a wood cutting business and called me to look
> at some ash he had cut
> > last summer. I picked out two 2"x12"x16' perfectly clear boards,
> couldn't help myself. I
> > imagine it will add a few pounds to the overall construction, but
> I thought it best to build it
> > strong for my 10 year old. Actually have more than enough left
> over for a second boat.
> >
> > I am having a great time. I have posted some photos in an album
> called Arrow 14. Will update
> > as the project continues.
> >
> > Tom
> >
>

Hello group:

I've added a couple more photos to my folder. They deal with scarfing and
glueing the
gunwales and (mostly) stringers. It's slow going right now scarfing and glueing
everything
that runs the length of the boat. And in a rather curious way, fun. I'm enjoying
using my
block plane to scarf the pieces, figuring put how to scarf and glue up more than
one set of
pieces at the time. It's great form of relaxation.

More Clamps!!! I need MORE CLAMPS!!!

Sincerely:
Paul T

Just planning for the future, and wondering about how the rubrails terminate at
the stem.
Does anyone have any photos of how they did it?

Thanks,
Tom

Good idea you have here. I was just looking at Monforts' site and saw
this.
I have two geodesic boats. A nimrod 12 that I built four years ago. I
use it to fish small ponds and lakes. Unfortunitly I tried to use it as
an ice breaker this year. Time for a new covering.
I built a snowshoe traveler 18 last year. Really smooth lake canoe. We
can pack a weeks worth of supplies and watch the water go by through
the hull. I added a rowing position in the middle of the summer. Works
just like a guide boat!
I'm not the best boat builder but I can answer questions.
John Longwell

John,
Thanks for joining.  The list has been a bit quiet as of late but we
are all new to this.  Glad to have you onboard and as a resource.  I
am interested to hear how durable these boats are.

I do some canoeing in the Boundry Waters of Minnesota and Canada.
We have many a hidden rock just waiting to pop up and hit you.  So I
am interested to learn if the Airolite could hold up to those kinds
of conditions.

Thanks

Joel
--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "jhn_longwell" <johncl2@...>
wrote:
>
> Good idea you have here. I was just looking at Monforts' site and
saw
> this.
> I have two geodesic boats. A nimrod 12 that I built four years
ago. I
> use it to fish small ponds and lakes. Unfortunitly I tried to use
it as
> an ice breaker this year. Time for a new covering.
> I built a snowshoe traveler 18 last year. Really smooth lake
canoe. We
> can pack a weeks worth of supplies and watch the water go by
through
> the hull. I added a rowing position in the middle of the summer.
Works
> just like a guide boat!
> I'm not the best boat builder but I can answer questions.
> John Longwell
>

I'm building 2 Wee Lassie IIs ala "Mac" Mccarty. They are strip built
out of cedar and covered with fiberglass and epoxy inside and out.

I'm definately going to build one of these Airolite boats when I finish
my current projects.

I like all these boats.
I think I'd like to build the Snowshoe 14.

--- In Airolite_Boats@yahoogroups.com, "Bill Gaba" <w.gaba@...> wrote:
>
> I'm building 2 Wee Lassie IIs ala "Mac" Mccarty. They are strip built
> out of cedar and covered with fiberglass and epoxy inside and out.
>
> I'm definately going to build one of these Airolite boats when I finish
> my current projects.
>
> I like all these boats.
> I think I'd like to build the Snowshoe 14.
>
I built a Snowshoe 16 and have been very happy with its performance.
Light weight was the primary reason for the build but the ability to
withstand fairly rugged use has been a bonus. The boat has been to
Isle Royale twice and after being dropped (several times), run
aground, slid over rocks, and generally knocked about I have to say
that it exceeded my most optimistic predictions. The only repair it
has required after all the (unintentional) mistreatment was a patch on
a small (less than a half inch) area next to the keel (refer to the
above "slid over rocks" statement). The damage (a small slit) actually
only involved the outer layer and had not penetrated the inner layer
of dacron, it never leaked a drop which I can be thankful for since I
was in Lake Superior at the time.
Platt was an invaluable resource while I was building and patiently
answered all of my emailed questions. It is truly a loss that he is no
longer with us, but his designs will be around for a long time. The
boat are strikingly artistic pieces with a practical use and if you
build one and use it you will spend a lot of time talking to others
who see it and are fascinated by it.
Barry