As mentioned earlier
Quote:
For a tripping canoe with partial covers the NorthStar deserves a center storage cover. I may DIY one from heat sealable Packcloth fabric. Or ask Dan if Cooke Custom Sewing still means custom. I am reluctant to make a purple heat sealable Packcloth cover, simple as it is, a near rectangle 72” long x 39” wide, mostly because the CCS work is far superior to my kludgy DIY attempts.
I don’t portage these days, and with a center storage cover don’t need to schlep paddling gear to a sometimes distant camp; everything from PFD to paddles and sail can stay safe and dry inside the canoe.
P3070814 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
P2180691 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The Penobscot’s center storage cover on the open “cockpit” area comes up several inches short of the drainage baffles on the longer NorthStar.
PA140022 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
I can DIY a longer center storage cover using my crude heat sealable fabric method, basically a rectangle 72” x 39”, but the soloized NorthStar is so strikingly handsome with those green covers on kevlar gold, and the Cooke Custom Sewing stuff is so well made, that a matching green CCS cover would look much nicer than the blue or red heat sealable fabric I have available.
One issue is with the snap stud locations on the hull. The center cover overlaps the partial bow/stern covers by several inches at each end, past the drain baffles which prevent water from running into the hull with the center portion snapped in place.
The corner sockets/studs on the storage cover, overlapping the partial bow & stern covers, need to be positioned further back and below the edge of the existing snapped fabric. Well out of any paddle stroke range those location of those studs does not matter.
But I don’t want the three center studs that low on the sides amidship; I would rasp my knuckles on those exposed-while-paddling studs. Those center studs need to be set higher on the hull, inside the cup of the shoulder.
How easiest to accomplish that was a mystery. A semi bow tie shaped cover could be made, which in heat sealable fabric might be prone to tearing at the angles. A simple rectangle would be easiest to heat seal or sew hems, so maybe with a fabric patch where the higher center sockets seat on “hidden” studs.
First things first, I made a template from clear visqueen plastic, cut at hemmed length on the ends but for starters left heat sealable Packcloth width 58” on the sides. I have rolled lengths of visqueen cut to that heat sealable fabric 58” width; I make enough no-sewing stuff from that material that having clear plastic already cut to fabric width is a help in making templates.
Visqueen taped evenly in place it was easy to Sharpie dot the socket locations, overlapped corners and higher centers, spaced so the thwarts, knee bumpers and etc would not be in the way of installing the stud rivets. Backing up a pop rivet when it is behind a thwart, or under minicel knee bumpers is PITA. An easily avoided PITA; you need not ask how I discovered that spray cover complication.
PB140009 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Then came the easiest part. The more I thought about a making crude heat sealable fabric cover for that beautiful canoe the more apparent the answer became.
“Hello Dan, I need a center storage cover like you made for the Wilderness and Penobsot”, yadda yadda, mentioning the offset center socket locations. A couple of conversations later the cover was made and on the way. Dan must know I am a frugal Scotsman, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
I was so psyched to get that custom CCS center cover that I started tracking the package before it even left Minnosota. Yippie, it actually arrived a day early.
PB140012 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Going the extra design yard Dan cut the center cover with a slight taper to better fit the sheerline, there is a lot more open “cockpit” in front of the seat than behind.
The solution to the snap location conundrum that (duh!) eluded me was quickly apparent to Dan; I had faith in his abilities to problem solve. Although the center snaps needed to higher on the hull, inside the shoulder concavity, the socket locations on a rectangle of fabric were in actuality only ¾” higher than the corners.
It somehow never occurred to me that, while the easiest hemmed storage cover would still be a rectangle, the hull amidships is of course center tapered end to end. With the canoe shape () along the sheerline a wider hem along the sides was all that was needed to seat the center sockets so the snaps would be inside the shouldered “armpit”, out of knuckle bashing range.
Loosely draped over the sheerline to check everything fits perfectly.
PB140010 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The usual spray cover installation methodology; cover taped semi-taut in place on a moderately humid day (65% on the shop hydrometer), multi-layer squib of duct tape to imprint a socket impression, drill a 1/8” hole, pop a rivet through the stud backed up with a washer, do the same on the other side nice and even, do the other end corners also even Steven, drill and pop rivet the centers inside the shoulder.
That center storage cover is perfect. I left a little slack at center sockets/studs so that the back band, straped in place, creates a little arch, and my PFD, kept overnight on the seat out of the bilge adds a bit more bulge amidships.
PB140015 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
PB140019 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The four corner sockets/studs are just below the partials, and protectively well beyond for wind driven rain.
PB140015 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The center studs set knuckle protectively recessed inside the shoulder concavity. (I suspect the bulges and hollows of that Yost-ian shouldered tumblehome have names. Probably not “armpit”)
PB140021 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
With the center cover removed while paddling the exposed studs are protected by the shoulder recess, and by the outwale overhang, and should be out of possible knuckle dragging range.
Only a few holes left to drill. Drain holes in the deck caps, set back of the paw print to avoid the top of the float tank. 3/8” seemed about right on those winkydink end caps. If I ever put stem float bags in the NorthStar – highly unlikely - I could run line from the end of the bag up through those deck plate holes and tie back to the carry handles.
PB140023 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
One more hole. Those two holes will drain the teeny deck caps, but I needed something to help drain the bilge. I didn’t want to screw up on the last hole, so taped and marked for the best bilge drainage location. The tape will help prevent kevlar fuzzies when the hole is drilled.
woodpuppy wrote:
BIG drain holes so they don’t get promptly stopped up.
As you wish. . . .
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PB150026 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Someone call for a wellness check on Woodpuppy. Send EMS with a defibrillator.