This is an archived message posted to the Kayak Building Bulletin Board. If you would like to ask a question about building kayaks, you can post a new message.
> Hi All- I am about halfway through building the Greenland boat from Bob
> Boucher’s video. It’s now time to do the steam bending of the ribs. I will
> not be able to use an open flame to boil the water for the steam bending,
> and will have to use an electric hot plate. Will a hot plate be able to
> produce enough energy to boil a gallon or so of water? Has anyone used one
> to do this? Also, does anyone know of a place on the ‘net where I could
> shop for one? I hate to go to the stores this time of year... Thanks in
> advance- Jack Gilman
Hi Jack,
To bend the ribs for my Alaska Recovery kayak, I used a set-up pretty much as Mike has explained. It was cheap, fast, and does not take up any space. And when yer done steamin' ribs, you can sit down to a nice cup of tea :)
That pipe will soften up pretty quickly, and give you more problems than that chewing gum that winds up on the bottom of your shoe on a hot day... So, I used a short piece of 2x4 as a base and tacked a few scraps onto the edges to keep that PVC from going anywhere - Trust me, you do not want that thing to be rolling around and folding up on you with 100 degrees (Celcius..I am Canadian, eh) of steam coming out AND your rib inside. It was a very good thing that I had on a pair of thick gloves!
Another thing I learned the hard way, it works best with water in it. I got so pre-occupied with the rib-bending ...well, just remember to check the water level every so often.
Good luck, Kelly
This is an archived message from The Kayak Building Bulletin Board.
Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
