Sunday, 28 June 2009

Toroa gets the final treatment in preparation for next season

Toroa is going back in the workshop for the finish coat of paint.
My wife Julie and I recently visited my brother Ron & his partner Annie in Te Anau in the Fiordland region of the South Island of NZ.
Ron runs a Kayak adventure company there called Fiordland Wilderness Experiences
http://www.fiordlandseakayak.co.nz/

I discovered a neat trick he uses on the keels and chines of his fleet of glass kayaks.
They obtain silica flour and carborundum which they mix with epoxy resin. The resulting impervious surface makes a tough rubbing strip.

I've been wondering what to do for a protective surface on the high chafe areas of Toroa's hull so here goes.

Before I apply the last coat of paint I will mask the keel line area after roughing up the surface and then apply a strip of the epoxy abrasion resistant compound. Once it's cured I'll mask that material and paint up to the keel strip with my marine enamel finish.

More work needs to be done on my beach trolley which requires more strengthening in the area of the axles now that Toroa has put on weight.






















My original concept sketch of my beach trolley, 1998
For simplicity I eliminated the wheels under the lee side of the hull.

My new outboard motor shows promise but will need a finer pitch of propeller before it gets used again. After all that the hull graphics will go on and we will be ready for the proa gathering at Arkles Bay.
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1 comment:

  1. Nuclear Free6 July 2009 at 08:53

    Awesome bradda, can't wait to see the old girl in action again. Like the anti abrassive strip, yeah Ron!

    What a country!
    O

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Toroa by Harmen Hielkema & Mike Toy.

Header Photo: Toroa at Rawene by Julie Holton.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my father Roelof Hielkema who instilled in me the willingness to learn.
These pages are intended to inform and add to the growing body of knowledge concerning the Canoe Culture of the Pacific, past, present & future, from the Tupuna, the Ancestors of the Pacific cultures to the people of the world.

These pages contain Images and text relating to our two proas, Toroa & Takapu, some history relating to our experiments & experiences.

The dissertation that I posted on this blog in April 2008 "Takapu The Proa" was written by me in 1997 in response to an assignment that I was set whilst studying for my design degree. The dissertation covers many issues that a proa enthusiast may benefit from reading about.

Waka define culture as culture defines waka

Waka reflect the individuality and uniqueness of a society which in turn is governed by the geography, geology, topography, climate, location, resources, isolation, origin, flora, fauna, flotsam, jetsam, etc.

Waka are our link to the past, they have shaped our present and define our future.

Waka are the vessels of knowledge, physical and mental development, freedom of bondage to the land, key to our inquisitiveness, expressions of our ingenuity and courage, our love of shape and form, the seat of our power.

Waka are the source of our material culture, from which all processes are derived.

Waka are who and what we are.