epoxy on a cypress pirogue bottom only..

[vesper13]

I have rebuilt/refinished a 1962 homemade (fiberglassed)cypress pirogue.
So far ,it has been a real joy to sand the all the fiberglass off ,
and ,get it back to just beautiful cypress wood.
I have repainted the inside duck boat green, and varnished the outside hull with many many coats of varnish..
My question , in the effort to get the fastest bottom on the pirogue
what can i do to the bottom , that will allow me to maybe, finally apply something like a teflon paint such as baltoplate or something. similiar.

THe real reason i want speed is to win the 79th annual Pirogue race on bayou liberty/ bayou bonfouca in south louisiana this summer..
and there will be fast pirogues

Regards,
mike
geaux fast on the bayou

[boylesboats]

Welcome to the Forum

I am sorry... slicking up the bottom is only help ya drag yer pirogue up on banks.. Epoxy and fiberglass was there for reasons... It help to protect the wood, keeping it from splitting,and leakin'
If you want a fast pirogue, narrow the width of bottom a few inches to reduce water drag, and use double paddle with spooned blades..

[Thorne]

Boylesboats should know best.

Seriously, I'd suspect that the boats that will win will be purpose-built for racing. If you really want to win, built an uber-light pirogue of thin ply covered only with paint, no epoxy and glass. And as above, use a racing-style paddle -- and train, train, train.

[vesper13]

I have the paddles and i have the training area, as i live on that bayou and have home field advantage.
The division i will be in, is classic pirogues .
The design of this pirogue is perfect for the race.
My question is a technical one which still exists..

other than varnishing the heck out of the bottom and then waxing it for race day..
can ,i clear coat the bottom with an epoxy..NO CLOTHE, MATTE ,ETC
just treat the wood..
and ,then rough sand that ,and spray on a baltoplate or other teflon bottom paint..that i can burnish and be a really fast bottom..

geaux on the bayou..
mike

[boylesboats]

Epoxy alone cannot be exposed to UV (sunlight) without any paint or varnish protecting it... It will degrade, becomes brittle.. Not a pretty sight to see...
Mixing in some graphite power into epoxy mix, is much easier, tough wearing surface, and cheaper than fooling with teflon type paint..
The downfall in using graphite, it'll put black marks on things that comes in contact with it...
All you have to do is make sure your hull is true and fair, without any ripples, dips, or bumps..
Burnishing or polishing the bottom, really is wasted effort..

About how much of rocker does your pirogue have?

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p182/boylesboats/boylespirogue.jpg

Less the rocker, faster and straighter it can goes..
Rocker is only there to ease handling in tight places among stumps and such..

[outofthenorm]

Mike, you probably already know this, but the trick here will be to get the wood sealed and stabilized enough to allow a really slick paint job. Assuming everything is structurally sound, here's what I'd do. First I'd carefully dry out the cypress bottom. Cypress holds a lot of water and gets distinctly heavier over time. You won't want to dry it out so much that you get open seams ... just try to reduce overall moisture content and weight. Once dry(er), I'd apply either a thinned epoxy or a CPES coating to penetrate and "harden" the surface. One or more applications and lots of sanding/filling/sanding will give you a surface smooth enough to take any slick finish you choose. It's a lot of effort and it will only last for so long, but it's not easy to win, is it? Good luck!

- Norm

[Ian McColgin]

Put the nicest smoothest finish and then wax the boat, just like waxing a surfboard or competition kayak.

[vesper13]

thanks to all of you guys for the info..
i am measuring your angles Boyle, and will give you the layout wed.
i am going to see about the cpes coating and fair the bottom as well as can be done and then decide on the final finish on the bottom.
I will offer pictures asap to consult with the forum.
The waxing idea has been tossed about by many people , as some friends are avid and former surfers..
they said just varnish and wax the bottom..
i feel i can get the best out of several ideas presented..
It is necessary to preserve and protect this old cypress..
I will be in touch as soon as i can get some of these applications in order..
Many regards,
Mike
Geaux fast on the bayou....<______>

[Bob Cleek]

Then, you drill a leetle hole in the bottom up close to the stem and glue a piece of quarter inch plastic hose through it. Connect the hose to a can with a little pet cock on it. Fill the can with medium weight motor oil (or fish oil, if you have it). When you race, you let that can of oil drip out the hose just so. You'll get an oil slick going all around the boat. It'll calm the water and make the boat go fast! Or so they say. LOL

[boylesboats]

Then, you drill a leetle hole in the bottom up close to the stem and glue a piece of quarter inch plastic hose through it. Connect the hose to a can with a little pet cock on it. Fill the can with medium weight motor oil (or fish oil, if you have it). When you race, you let that can of oil drip out the hose just so. You'll get an oil slick going all around the boat. It'll calm the water and make the boat go fast! Or so they say. LOL

Oh my gosh:D
Veggie Oil does wonder to mosquitoes..... Snuffs out their larves

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Oh my gosh:D
Veggie Oil does wonder to mosquitoes..... Snuffs out their larves

Aye, and kills all the fish too.

[Tom Robb]

Cleeked again...

[vesper13]

g'day boyle..
i have the measurements on my pirogue..
looking at the top example..
i have a bottom width at the beam of 21"
the length is 11ft 8' bottom most points fore /aft
looking at the second example it is roughly 1 3/4"
from point to point..
the overall length from top point to point is 12'6"
i have a measurement of 9" from top of the pirogue to the bottom as a gunwhale
It is cypress and very light, perhaps 40lbs or so max..
easy to handle yet rugged and well constructed..
i will poste pics as soon as i get these developed..
and thanks again for the suggestions from you and the manay who are helping me revive a beautiful classic pirogue..
regards,
mike
geaux fast on the bayou.. ~~ <_____>

[boylesboats]

g'day boyle..
i have the measurements on my pirogue..
looking at the top example..
i have a bottom width at the beam of 21"
the length is 11ft 8' bottom most points fore /aft
looking at the second example it is roughly 1 3/4"
from point to point..
the overall length from top point to point is 12'6"
i have a measurement of 9" from top of the pirogue to the bottom as a gunwhale
It is cypress and very light, perhaps 40lbs or so max..
easy to handle yet rugged and well constructed..
i will poste pics as soon as i get these developed..
and thanks again for the suggestions from you and the manay who are helping me revive a beautiful classic pirogue..
regards,
mike
geaux fast on the bayou.. ~~ <_____>

Sound like a good pirogue there.:)..
That'll be great to see some photos..

Here is my first pirogue...
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p182/boylesboats/DCP_0006.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p182/boylesboats/DCP_0007-1.jpg

See more of my pirogue here (http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=74649)