Glossary link for the Sticky How-To ?

[rodloos]

Gerald,

Maybe I'm exhibiting my extreme ignorance here, but perhaps it would be useful to have a link in your "Building Tips,Tactics..." links thread, to a glossary of some sort.

I see so many terms that I really don't know what they mean, maybe because I don't have any real wood-working experience, and although I try and learn them through the context, it seems like it could be really useful to have a glossary definition (perhaps with illustrations) for terms like

chine
primary /secondary stability
coming (coaming sp?)
lofting
rub rail
strakes
heel
pirogue/perow vs. canoe differences (and what is a "hot air" perow) vs. Geralds/Strider's "River Fishing" boats
beam (width I guess, but do you measure at the bottom or top or "widest point"?)

and I'm sure there are lots of other boat and woodworking terms I've overlooked or forgotten to list that would be helpful.

Also, do you have a video camera? I'll bet there are a lot of people like me who can understand better by "seeing it done" than by reading. When you do publish your boat-building book, you could have two versions - a regular one, and a higher-priced one that includes a video DVD showing examples described in your book -- I for one would pay extra for that!

Thanks for all your input here, and great meeting you at Inks Lake.

Rodney

[Pogo]

Or maybe add a list of good books on the subject that can get noobs off to an excellent start. Here are a few, I highly recommend as many as you can stand, they're all great fun to shuffle through, and support good people doing neat stuff.

"The Strip-Built Sea Kayak", by Nick Schade (About what it sounds like it's about.)

"Building Strip Planked Boats", by Nick Schade (Can't decide which of Nick's books are better, toss a coin or get both.)

"The New Kayak Shop", by Chris Kulczycki (The CLC book on stitch-n-glue, or S&G, building.)

"Canoecraft"; "Kayakcraft"; "Kayaks You Can Build", by Ted Moores

"Boat Building for Beginners (And Beyond)", by Jim Michalak (Some real classic plywood boat building info and plans.)

Yep, a little reading would be a good start . . . but you're still right, we're going to need a glossary for the more colloquial terms. I know what "goopie" is, but "Hot Air Pirogue"? Hmmm . . . . .

[DarrellS]

When I started building boats I bought the first three books Pogo speaks of. They are a good read and you will learn from them, but do not take anything read read as gosphel. You will learn what works for an author may not work for you. There are a thousand ways to do something so don't marry one idea, until you have tried it and others.
One good example, Gerald has been building boats (and is very good at it) for forty+ years and is still looking for the perfect varnish. See what I mean.

[gerald]

Hey--I'm still looking for a lot of stuff--the perfect boat, perfect design, perfect method, perfect wood, perfect varnish, perfect paddle....man!...the list is endless. I will someday (soon) get around to clarifying a lot of those terms as I use and know them. Others are certainly welcome to chime in.

Books are great! I've read a lot of books. What turned me on to strip boats was a book by David Hazen called "The Strippers Guide to Canoes"...or something like that. I still have it and the plans that came with it. I build my first strip canoe using those plans. That was back in the early 70's. I've read many more books as well. Some of them are good----a surprising number are crap. Many of them I can tell they were written by some guy who read a book about how to build boats. All of the books pogo listed are good, but remember that some methods are easier for some people. So--take what everyone says with a grain of salt. Experiement, study, try things, use common sense. The one thing that irks me is the guy who is a boat building expert because his second cousin on his uncle's side saw a guy build a jon boat one time....AND PEOPLE LISTEN TO HIM.

I will never quit trying things and learning new things. There are usually a dozen good ways of doing anything--and just as many ways to do it wrong. Be wary of those who say there is only ONE right way--and that way is his. I learn something from everybody.

[gerald]

Ok...let's see if I can do some definitions according to the way I know them and use them. Remember--this doesn't make it right. It's just the way I do it.

chine: A ridge or crest. In hard chine boats it would be the junction of 2 panels coming together. Soft chine boats don't really have a definitive chine. We just say that to delineate between the curved or flat panel boats.

primary stability: This is how the boat feels while sitting at rest on a horizontal plain. If it's tippy then it has little initial stability. Tippy in one boat and situation may not be tippy in another boat and situation.

Secondary stability: is how the boat resists tipping as you heel over. Contrary to popular belief you really don't want a LOT of secondary stability. It's best to have just a little better secondary than initial stability and the shape of the boat should be such that the transition is easily anticipated.

Coaming: is what you see on sea kayaks and other boats that have the lip incorporated around the cockpit to hold a sprayskirt. The complete assembly is the coaming.

Loft: simply means to transfer the lines of a boat from a small sheet of paper to the actual size on the material (wood) you have chosen to build the boat.

Rub rail: is just what it says--a rail to rub against. Supposedly to keep your boat from being damaged when you slam into the dock. I really don't use rub rails as such. Bigger boats may effectively use rub rails, but a kayak really shouldn't need them. That's just my opinion.

Strake: is a single plank that reaches from the stern to the bow. What I call panels on the panel boats--like the pirogue, 4 panels, 5 panels, etc.. I started using that term some years ago after I bought an old (modern at that time) dos program for plywood boat design. Plyboats is the name and it is still sold today. Anyway--this guy used "strake" for the panels. I looked it up, liked it, and try to use it now.

Heel: is to lean your boat, regardless of how much. You can lean 10, 20, or more degrees until you flat tip over--then if you're pogo in his rolling boats you can roll back up. While paddling you can heel a boat to counter wind, waves, current, etc.

Pirogue: is just a 3 panel boat. The traditional pirogue used in the swamp in Lousiana is what most of us think about but these little boats can be made to do so much for so little. It's really difficult to compare a 3 panel boat with a canoe. Each has good points and bad points. While a pirogue is the most boat for the least money and work--and canoe can be the best, single, general purpose boat you can have. All this is relative to design.

Hot air perow: Haaa...well, you know Ron. He's just a good old central Texas boy. He can blow a lot of hot air. I think this was just one of his back country euphemisms for something or the other. I just love some of the things he comes up with. I try to remember them.

Beam: Yes...the widest part of the boat measured at the sheer (top--at the widest point).

Brazos River Fishing Boat: Ok...I believe I'm starting a new term for an entire "style" of boat. This is more of a way the boat is rigged out with the open cockpit, hatches, seats, etc.. This style can be applied to 3, 5, possibly 6, definately 7 panel boats. At present I do this style only with the 3 and 5 panel design. There is a 7 panel in the future.

[bowgarguide]

Gerald is close on the hot air perow,this was the first boat I built out of my head,with some good advice from Gerald, its the dark boat I took to Geralds Bash. I posted it on another forum and one of the guys ask where I got the plans . well I popped of and said they were from the hot air boat company. he looked all over the internet before I finally told him it came from all the hot air in between my ears.
Ron

[Pogo]

Coaming: is what you see on sea kayaks and other boats that have the lip incorporated around the cockpit to hold a sprayskirt. The complete assembly is the coaming.

If I may add a little . . . . Some other (non-sea) kayaks and/or decked canoes have coamings added to deflect splash that's otherwise going into the paddler's lap; a he or she who would never be caught dead in a skirt, spray or otherwise. Small sailboats often have coamings around their cockpits too, for the same purpose: to deflect splashin' action. Old biplanes that have leather padding around the cockpit holes? Those are also called coamings.

[rodloos]

Excellent replies, thank you all so very much. Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks!

I'm hoping others will find these definitions useful also.

I do also intend to pick of several of those books Pogo recommended also. I need to spend a lot more time figuring out what would really appeal to me, and how I would use it. It's not like I don't have a boat to use now (a canoe and three kayaks, including a Native Ultimate 14.5 which I do really like), but maybe a wood boat that might complement the ones I have.

My one regret about the Inks Lake gathering, was that I only paddled Gerald's marathon boat a short while, I let the weather dissuade me from trying out any of the others. I'm definitely planning on attending the next one!

[rodloos]

"The New Kayak Shop", by Chris Kulczycki (The CLC book on stitch-n-glue, or S&G, building.)

Pogo,

Any idea how "Stitch-and-Glue Boatbuilding: How to Build Kayaks and Other Small Boats" by the same author compares? I forgot that last week I ordered a knife from Amazon and ordered this book as well to get the free shipping (I remembered the author's name from discussion with you and Turner but couldn't remember the title). Is one book just a newer version, or additional information? I'm sure I'll wind up purchasing multiple books before it is all over with and probably invite myself over to Turner's house to watch when he starts his build.

[Pogo]

Why, I never knew that book even existed. Just ordered a copy.