> . . So, if anyone
> has built a Rob Roy canoe, or just as good, someone who is good at
> calculating averages by size, maybe you could give me some clues on
> materials for this project. 14 1/2' long . . . fiberglass covered ( 4oz.). . . a little hardwood ....etc. . .

> P.S. (if this is F.G. covered will brass screws do ??)

Since you are building a small boat that will be stored out of the water for most of its life -- as opposed to, say, a 40 foot sailboat -- you don't need to be quite so concerned about the ability of the fasteners to resist water.

Don't waste time with brass screws. They are not cheap, and they are not strong. They have a tendency to break when driven into hardwoods. About the only thing worse would be aluminum screws. Bronze screws are much stronger. Stainless would be a good choice, as these are commonly available at hardware stores, in the specialty fasteners area, although the prices can be high.

Plain old zinc-plated steel screws should work just fine. You will be covering the entire structure with at least two coats of resin, which should seal the wood nicely and keep out any damaging moisture or water vapor for decades.

As for estimating your supplies: 14.5 foot long boat (about 15 feet) would be 5 yards long. You need one piece for the outside, and one for the inside. Get an extra yard to allow for sloppy cutting. That comes up to 11 yards.

If you are a real pro with fiberglass work you can use the optimim amount of resin to cloth, which is somewhere around an equal amount of each by weight. To put that another way, you would need 6 ounces of resin (by weight) for each square yard of 6 ounce glass cloth you use. If you use 4 ounce cloth you would need 4 ounces of resin for the same area.

Three things work against your estimating here: the first is that you'll have a real hard time using such a small amount of resin. The second is that you probably don't know exactly how many square yards of fabric it will take to cover the curved surfaces of your boat. (who wants to screw around with the calculus? If you have designed the thing on a computer your CAD program could figure this out in a blink - otherwise ya gotta guess.) The third is that resin suppliers sell their products in *almost* standard sizes. You get your choice of *almost* a quart, or *almost* a gallon. Figure a fluid ounce of resin is almost equal to, but a bit more than, an ounce by weight.

To allow for all the math, I estimate 11 yards of 4 ounce cloth would take at a minimum 44 ounces of resin. That is more than a *quart* and less than the next size up. However, the resin is also used for sealing the wood on the hull, as an adhesive, and as a filleting mix for the seams of stitch and glue. Figure you will buy a nominal gallon size. If you have a pint left over, you can use it to fix things around the house, or you can build a paddle and use it for that.

Measure from gunwale to gunwale for the width of the cloth you need to buy. If you have the plans, measure this from the widest frame ( probably the center) or add it up from the sum of the dimensions of the bottom of the hull and the sides at the centerpoint of the boat.

You can either buy wide fiberglass that will cover the entire width of the boat, and leave you with some excess (waste) from the narrower bow and stern. Or, you can buy narrower glass cloth and use overlapping pieces to cover the widest areas of the boat. The seams are sanded smooth and are not noticeable.

A quart of varnish should do. Putting on more just adds weight. You need this mostly for UV protection, and to restore a glossy finish after your final sanding of the resin. Next year you can put on another coat or two, but from a fresh can. Don't try to save this from year to year. It doesn't keep very well after the can has been partly used.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson