Building the Taiga
When the gunwales were complete I carefully sanded all of the surfaces and applied two coats of epoxy. It is amazing how much more lovely the hull looks now that the gunwales are complete.
I then did the real mounting of all the furnishings and was finally able to admire a complete canoe.
Although not included in the directions, I decided to do an end pour at the bow and stern so that I could drill holes for the attachment of lines. I took the Taiga outside for the first time (it actually made it!!) and positioned it such that I could pour a cup full of thickened epoxy into the point. It sets up very quickly when the heat can build up. After repeating the process on the other end I drilled a half inch hole through the pour and sealed the inside with a coat of epoxy. It is now ready to launch.
Launch did not come until we went on vacation in the Adirondacks primarily because I was also building the Coho for my son at the same time. Here you see the Coho, the Osprey Std. and the Taiga ready to go. After a champaign toast Nancy and I went for the maiden voyage. Later in the day, I loaded some ballast into the bow and made a solo voyage.
I'll keep you posted...
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