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Cedar Strip Canoe Building

I've always been fascinated by boats. As kid I built a few models some with motor, some even simpler and always thought that one day I will be building one that will take me exploring. Few years ago I came across " Mac"MacCarthy's Featherlight Boat building book and only a month later a began building my first WeeLassie 12.

All my boats start as simple 2x10 cedar planks and everything is done by hand except the strips which are machined one by one in my garage. It took a year before my first WeeLassie was finished and only a week later was sold to a boat collector in New Jersey. After that I built few more WeeLassie boats and one Prospector 16 for my friends.

The feeling and satisfaction of building a boat is absolutely incredible and after the first few I thought I'd get bored. Well, it turns out I was wrong. In fact I am now designing my own solo fishing boat and planning to post the plans out after the first one is built and tested.

Below is the short version of the cedar strip canoe building saga. If you are interested in cedar strip boat building or buying one of my boats, please email me.


It all starts with the strongback and molds	Bending the stems	Attaching the first strips

Hull is almost complete	The last few strips	The hull is completely sanded

The keel is attached	...And the outer stems	Making final corrections

Fiber-glassing the exterior	...And the interior	First epoxy layer

Second epoxy layer	Sanding between epoxy layers	Attaching the gunwales

... The backrest	... And the seat	... The decks are made

The decks are attached..	Building the paddle	My first WeeLassie 12'

Second...	Third...	My first Prospector 16'

		BMW G650X Country Motorcycle Rear Luggage Rack The first design rear luggage rack was designed to fit on the existing pillion handles already supplied with the BMW G650X Country Bike. Unlike the OEM rear luggage rack which requires removal of the pillion handles and the exhaust pipe in order to assemble, this design allowed one to attach this rack in less than 5 minutes by using 4 Allen screws on the clamps that fit on each of the two pillion handles. I stopped making this unit a while ago as my friend Rob who is actually building these for me by hand, could no longer build the machined clamps and finding another place where they can be built with quality and at a decent price was basically impossible given the complicated design of the clamp. Instead, we decided to build a one piece unit that bolts directly to the bike sub-frame and enhance it by adding more strapping options. This rack is build custom in Canada and if you are interested it can be ordered in the Shopping section of my web page. Important Notes: - Vibrations are known for causing screws to become loose and BMW recommends Loctite 243 (thread-locking compound medium strength) on their bikes. Therefore ensure the four bolts are treated with Loctite drop before you mount your rack.

		BMW G650X Series Service Stand If you own a motorcycle it is almost a given that you are doing most of the basic service, if not more, yourself in which case a service stand is a must have. Since BMW does not offer one for G650X series bikes and most lifts on the market either won't fit or will lift by using pads that can scratch the swing-arm, I thought I would come up with a simple one that installs easily, packs small, is very strong and stable and allows future upgrades for using with other bikes. The stand pictured here was designed to be used mainly with BMW G650X series bikes (XCountry, XChallenge and XMoto). The two spring activated retractable black hardened rods fit perfectly into the service eyelets under the BMW G650X series bike pegs and are secured in place by pins as seen in the pictures. The vertical lift arms are adjustable in three preset height positions secured by two INBUS head bolts, making the stand also suitable for lifting other bikes with hollow hub axles by fitting the hardened rods in the front or rear hub axles. The lifting rods are 10mm in diameter at the narrower portion. The four wheels are high quality impact resistant plastic and the lift handle is angled outwards at 5 degrees to easily clear the pegs or the muffler while making this stand suitable for lifting the bike from either the left or right side of the bike. The lift is protected by a strong layer of silver powder coating. This lisft is made in Canada. I am still in process of writing a one pager user manual since lifting the bike using this stand could get a little tricky but with a help of a second person the bike can be lifted easily. The stand was designed to optionally have the handle removed once the bike is up. At the same time the unloading is impossible without the handle in place. This unit can be purchased in the Shopping section of my web page. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for visiting and purchasing any products from my site.


Important Note: Although most people would find that one person can load/unload the bike using this lift, I strongly recommend that you get assistance from a second person especially when securing the rods onto the service eyelets on the opposite side of the lift arm. Failure to do so can cause the bike to drop which could lead to serious injuries and damage. By purchasing one of these units you agree that I cannot be held responsible for any damages caused by using this lift.

BMW G650X Motorcycle Stand Paddocks

My 2009 BMW G650X bike did not come with a center stand nor BMW offers a service stand so I designed and built a simple solution to lift the bike both front and rear by using an ordinary stand which fits on the two Teflon paddocks that fslide on the rod which goes right thru the wheel hub. Oil changes are now a breeze and lifting the bike off the ground in the winter is just as easy.

The 10mm(~3/8") in diameter rod fits on both front and respectively rear wheel hubs and is made of powder coated steel threaded at both ends where two Teflon machined paddocks are secured using two stainless steel wing nuts along with washers. The length of the rod between the two threaded sections is 30mm(~12 inches) while the full length is 40mm(~16 inches) making it suitable for all bikes that have a hollow hub with a diameter larger than 10 mm.

This unit can be purchased in the Shopping section of my web page.

Inflatable Boat Launcher

If you own a inflatable boat then you certainly know the pain of launching it alone if you decide to go for an afternoon solo fishing. And even though products to help in that direction are available as expensive OEM launching wheels from your boat vendor or aftermarket, they all require basic installation skills and something that really I was not willing to do: drilling the boat transom. In addition, most of these products require that the wheels or the wheel mounting guides are left on. And while the lifted wheel steal the beauty of your boat, the guides in some cases prevent the installation of other equipment such as the planning flaps.

My solution is based on few principles:

easy to install and store in the boat or in the car
less expensive than currently offered solutions
reliable and effective.

With these in mind, I came up with the Inflatable Boat Quick Launcher. The product is designed for inflatable boats that range from 2.6-3.6m in length and maximum 100Kg at the transom with the motor installed. I tested the product on a Zodiac FR340 equipped with a Yamaha 9.9 motor with amazing results.

Inflatable Boat Quick Launcher instructions

	Kayak Carrier If you own a canoe or a kayak then you certainly know the pain of launching it alone if you decide to go for an afternoon solo paddling. In addition, most of these products require that the wheels or the wheel mounting guides are left on. My solution is based on a few principles: simple, easy to install and store in the boat or in the car less expensive than currently offered solutions reliable and effective With these in mind, I came up with the Canoe/Kayak Quick Launcher. The maximum load is 150kg. The Quick Launcher axle assembly is comprised of a combination of two different aluminum alloys 6063 for the main axle and respectively 6061 for the machined wheel hub that are press fitted into an amazingly light, yet strong unit. The axle by itself weighs les than 1Kg but will support a kayak or a Canoe loaded with full camping gear weighing up to 150Kg. Once the pneumatic, corrosion free wheels are attached, the whole assembly can actually float eliminating costly mistakes during in water attaching. One strap firmly secures the axle to the boat in matter of moments. When not in use, the axle can be decoupled at its center and the two wheels can be removed by simply detaching the pins. Kayak Carrier Instructions

In Works - Current projects I am working on

BMW G650X series side pannier frame

This project proved a little more complicated than I thought mainly due to the sub-frame geometry of the K15 BMW bike and also availability of my friend Rob who is the only one I trust welding and making these units perfectly. The prototype and the design is complete and tested. Will be making few further cosmetic changes mostly eliminating some unsightly plates and bolts shown on this prototype and it should be done by mid June/10. The package includes a tail rack (the laser cut stainless steel top plate is no shown on the pictures below but included) and I am planning to sell to those interested and only as a custom order including any customization one would want to add for approx. $400-450 +shipping which is still lower than other units on the market, considering what it includes. The assembly will be powder coated in black. The unit can be taken off the bike by unbolting only 7 Allen type stainless steel bolts leaving just the tail rack which also can be taken off by unbolting 4 other bolts if required.

Automatic Garage Closer

If you ever left your garage door open overnight, and experience the thought of "what if someone wanted to borrow some of your stuff inside"... then you would appreciate this simple gizmo.

The automatic garage closer I designed can be adapted to any motor/remote operated garage door opener today with little modifications. My design can be adapted either on a spare remote or on the actual garage opener button. The door will close within (adjustable) 0-5minutes after one opened the garage door and will be automatically disabled when the door is closed to prevent any accidental opening. At the same time, it can be disabled altogether in case one needs to work in the garage and keep the door open. If you are savvy with the soldering iron and/or handling electronic parts and interested in the schematic, please email me. I can also provide a parts kit or the whole unit assembled and ready to go along with full instructions on how to built it or install it respectively.

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I stopped making this unit a while ago as my friend Rob who is actually building these for me by hand, could no longer build the machined clamps and finding another place where they can be built with quality and at a decent price was basically impossible given the complicated design of the clamp.

Instead, we decided to build a one piece unit that bolts directly to the bike sub-frame and enhance it by adding more strapping options.

This rack is build custom in Canada and if you are interested it can be ordered in the Shopping section of my web page.

- Vibrations are known for causing screws to become loose and BMW recommends Loctite 243 (thread-locking compound medium strength) on their bikes. Therefore ensure the four bolts are treated with Loctite drop before you mount your rack.

BMW G650X Series Service Stand

If you own a motorcycle it is almost a given that you are doing most of the basic service, if not more, yourself in which case a service stand is a must have.

The lifting rods are 10mm in diameter at the narrower portion.

The four wheels are high quality impact resistant plastic and the lift handle is angled outwards at 5 degrees to easily clear the pegs or the muffler while making this stand suitable for lifting the bike from either the left or right side of the bike.

The lift is protected by a strong layer of silver powder coating.

This lisft is made in Canada.

This unit can be purchased in the Shopping section of my web page. Be sure to read the terms and conditions for visiting and purchasing any products from my site.