Night Heron Strips

Hi all,

Just purchased the night heron kit during the fall sale and am wondering about the strips.  I understand I will receive a combination of light, medium and dark strips and that I can choose the proportion of each if desired.

Can anyone tell me the type of wood for each type, and the relative weights?  Will changing the relative composition of these components significantly change the final weight of the boat?

Thanks


6 replies:

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RE: Night Heron Strips

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/weigt-wood-d_821.html

is a link with the various types of cedar and their densities.  basically the western red cedar is the lightest species they sell at ~ 23 lbs per cubic foot.  the white -- which is alaskan yellow is about 31 lbs per cubic foot.  peruvian walnut (the dark) is about 37 lbs per cubic foot.

so in the end, the lightest build would be to use the western red species....which depending on the board, can go from red to black to almost white.  there is much less color variation on the other woods.

that said, the wood is only one component in the build and, IMHO, the attention to the epoxy work is where one can really have an impact on keeping it light.

my night heron strip came in at about 37 lbs fully rigged with 1/4 inch thick strips...it is primarily western red with some white accent and careful epoxy work.

this is a really beautiful boat and a fun project.  below is a picture on my night heron.  i stained my western red with a mahogony stain for a deeper color and to bring consistency of color from the underlying variation in the western red.

all the best.

RE: Night Heron Strips

fwiw...if you live close by to annapolis....you can go in an see the stuff prior to making a decision.  you can even get some small samples to play with.  i live close by and they were very accomodating as i sorted through the process of picking my strips.

RE: Night Heron Strips

   Thank you, that was just what I was looking for.  Scott

RE: Night Heron Strips

   How did you stain yet keep the shearline from picking up the  color? ei.  Alaskan Yellow to stay yellow?

RE: Night Heron Strips

its a bit of a process....but i have it pretty refined.

in a nutshell:

i mask around the alaskan yellow (alaskan yellow exposed) with painers tape and then brush the alaskan yellow with epoxy and then remove painters tape.  the alaskan yellow is now 'sealed'.

when the alaskan yellow expoxy over-coat is cured, i then mask over the alaskan yellow with painters tape to protect it from getting stained.  i then stain the surrounding western red and skim coat of epoxy over the stain. remove the painters tape.   the epoxy skim coat over the stained western red is critical as it locks the stain in place on the western red (but not over the alaskan yellow).   if you don't skim coat, the stain will continue to move around when you glass....and mess up your line.

after the skim coat over the stained western red is cured, clean up any stain that ran through on top of the epoxied alaskan yellow with a light sanding protecting the stained/skim coated western red with painters tape.   if you are diligent and use a high grade painters tape on a sanded smooth surface.....you will have very little touch up.

glass.

a couple other tips....1) when staining the adjacent wood to a line, don't get crazy with wet stain along your painters tape lines.  so i usually do the first couple swipes away and then when my staining cloth is a bit dryer....working along the line.  even well masked doesn't hold up to soaking wet stain.  2) use gravity to your advantage.  when protecting a masked piece of alaskan yellow, make sure it is higher than the stained wood...so any excess stain runs away from the mask line, not towards it.

am currently working on a petrel strip with lots of fine lines and can confirm this works very well.  

 

 

 

RE: Night Heron Strips

When I was buildin my strip, I thought of this way that you just described.  Where were you then?  I asked all over and supplied this idea, everyone shot it down saying it wouldn't work.  I took that advice and did a whole different plan and outcome.  Shoot now that I read that it is possible and from someone who has done it, it's too late.  I'm done with my kayak.  O well, thanks for you awesome explaination.  Now I know, next time I will do it.  

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