Our Five Part Construction Process
The Geodesic Airolite Boats construction process isn’t too different from any construction process. You plan your work, build the foundation, construct the components, assemble the final product and finish the project.
The following descriptions are meant only as basic guidelines and a summary. Your plans will include a detailed construction manual and we have many instructional videos on our YouTube channel.
Plan your work
First of all, which boat is right for you? We have detailed specs on our website and are available via email or phone to help you with the decision.
All of our plans include full size cutouts for the forms and critical components, so that part is covered when you purchase them. You’ll also need to consider your space, time, tools and personal proficiency with the tools and processes.
Build the foundation
Very simply, you’ll need a steam box, a strongback and the stations/forms to get started. The stations/form drawings are provided as part of your plans but there are many different ways to build a steam box and a strongback.
Our advice here is to research both of these items on the internet and choose simple designs that utilize materials you are comfortable with and may have around the shop.
Some basic guidelines:
- Our boats are built inverted on the strongback. As a general rule the keel of the boat will be about 18” to 24” above the top of the strongback so consider that when deciding on the height of the strongback.
- With the exception of the Classic boats, all of our ribs are 60 inches or less so the steam box should be built accordingly.
Construct the components
The components for virtually all boats are:
- Ribs
- Stringers
- Keelson
- Gunwales and rub rails
- Stem and stern
- Floorboards
- Thwarts
Don’t let the number of components intimidate you. The stringers, keelson, gunwales, rub rails and thwarts are very similar, the stem and stern are simple plywood construction and the floorboards can be built from any number of materials.
We recommend using a table saw equipped with a thin kerf blade (7 ¼” works fine on a 10” table saw) to build all of the components except the stem and stern. A jig saw or band saw work well for those pieces.
Assemble the final product
The most important part of any construction product is to make sure you start with a level, plumb, square foundation (strongback, forms, stem and stern). If not, you won’t end up with your best product.
All of the steps listed below assume you will be checking for plumb and square as you start the process and will “eyeball” each assembly to ensure you’ll be happy with the results. Fortunately, this is a lot simpler than it may sound.
The assembly process
- Level the strongback in both directions
- Properly position the forms
- Position of the forms on the strongback are listed on your plans
- Forms must be perpendicular to and centered on the strongback
- A speed square works well to get them in position
- Mount the stem and stern to the cleats on the strongback
- Perpendicular to the strongback, secure and plumb
- Screw to the cleat when satisfied
- Mount the keelson to the forms, stem and stern
- Use zip ties on the forms, adjust as necessary and then tighten
- Keelson should be straight and rocker should be correct
- Re-check the stem and stern to confirm they are still plumb
- They should be very close to centered on the width of the keelson
- Epoxy and/or screw (we use both) the keelson in place on the stem and stern after checking
- The keelson should still be straight down the forms at this time
- Zip tie the keelson tightly to the forms, checking the straightness and rocker
- Attach the outer gunwales
- One on each side
- Zip tie to the forms, snug them but do not fully tighten
- Eyeball the curve and adjust if something doesn’t look right (the “eyeballing” process mentioned above)
At this point the process becomes a little more complicated as the outer gunwales and stringers must be trimmed and attached to the stem and stern. See our video How to trim and fair the ends of your SOF boat.
Continue the assembly process (gunwales)
- Trim and fit both outer gunwales to the BOW of the boat first
- If you make a mistake in the trim/fit, just pull a little bit of extra gunwale toward the bow. This is why the zip ties were not fully tightened but learn from your mistakes because there won’t be any excess at the stern of the boat
- Re-check the plumb of the stem
- Epoxy and/or screw the outer gunwales to the bow stem
- Fully tighten the zip ties that attach the outer gunwales to the forms
- Repeat the trimming and fitting process for the stern end of the boat
- Be careful with this process as there is no excess
- Re-check the plumb of the stern stem
- Epoxy and/or screw the outer gunwales to the stern stem
- At this point, confirm you are still satisfied with the plumb, square, level and straightness of all components that you have handled and that the rocker is correct.
- Let the epoxy dry overnight before moving on to the stringers
- The next day, you will have the foundation of a very solid hull that shouldn’t change shape at all during the next steps.
Continue the assembly process (stringers)
- Fitting and attaching the stringers is very similar to the gunwales
- Your boat patterns will show the correct location of each stringer on the forms and on the stems
- Snugly attach the stringers to each form using zip ties, leaving a slight overhang on the bow
- The stringers closest to the gunwales are the easiest to fit and trim so begin there
- After fitting, check the square of the stem and screw (but do not glue) the stringers to the stem
- Work your way up the stem for each set of stringers. They will get a little tougher to fit as you go along
- If you make a mistake, just pull a little extra bit of the stringer forward and continue
- When all stringers are done on both sides of the bow, step back and check your hull for a fair curve, both along the length and around the cross section
- Pull any looseness out of the stringers and tighten the zip ties, except for those closest to the stern
- At this point, on a boat with a square stern the stringers will fit into the notches on the stern. This process is obvious and won’t be address in this brief summary
- On a boat with a pointed stern, the process will be identical to the bow. You must carefully apply what you learned on the bow when fitting the stringers to the stern. Take your time and it will go well. Even after 13 years of boat building, these two steps take me an hour and a half
- Check to ensure the stringers are correctly positioned on the stems and in relation to each other. They should be gently screwed in at this point
- Securely tighten all the zip ties and epoxy all the stringers to the stems. Let dry overnight
Install ribs
- The rib installation process is much easier to understand with pictures so please watch our video Installing Ribs.
- Let the ribs dry into shape overnight and epoxy them into place the next day. Again, this is much easier to understand by watching Cutwaters and Ribs.
The Geodesic construction of the frame is considered “finished” at this point because it can be removed from the molds.
The remaining frame components, installed before skinning the boat, are standard parts of any canoe
Install remaining frame components
- The last frame components are the inner gunwales, decks, thwarts and floorboards
- The installation of these components is very straightforward and performed after the frame is removed from the molds. Their installation is covered in the Build Guide that comes with your plans
- Before removing the frame from the molds, measure and mark the width of the boat at the outer gunwales in three locations: one in the center and one each midway between the center and the end. This will ensure that the shape of the boat is correct when you install the thwarts
Finish the Project
Stain, paint or varnish all of the wood parts of the frame before attaching the skin
- Tape off all parts of the boat that will be getting Heat n Bond
- Outer gunwales, stems, keelson
- Paint or varnish the entire wooden frame to achieve the look you want
- Take your time to get all of the “intersections” between the stringers and ribs
- At least two coats will be needed
Install the Kevlar roving
Install the Polyester skin
- As with the ribs and roving, these are not difficult processes but are much easier to understand by watching these videos Skinning the Boat, Part 1: Attaching the Dacron, Skinning the Boat, Part 2: Finishing the Stem, Skinning the Boat, Part 3: Shrinking the Dacron
- The skin is shrunk using a clothes iron, normally on its highest temperature, but all irons are different
- You will have some excess fabric from the ends of the boat. Use it to practice shrinking the fabric and adjust your iron
- Go over the fabric with the iron slowly, making sure you get every inch
- Let the fabric cool for a couple hours and then iron it completely and slowly again
- Let it cool for an hour then iron again, this time using your hand to push down lightly over the entire boat, feeling for any spots that aren’t as taut. Go over those spots with the iron for the last time
Coating/sealing the fabric
- There are many, many options for coating the outside of your boat, depending on the look you want
- We can’t test all of the options but our favorites are shown on the video Hull Finishing
- Keep in mind that people have used many other sealants and you have some excess material you can use to test your options if you so choose
Attach final trim pieces
- There are three or four exterior trim pieces still remaining
- Cutwater (one or two), rub rails (one on each side) and the optional keel
- These pieces should have been fitted and finished off the boat and simply glued and screwed to the boat in their correct location
Your boat is now ready to enjoy!!
To give you an idea how tough your new boat is, please watch our video Destroying a Boat.