thinking about making a canoe

[willysjeep134]

I have been reading several old Woodcraft manuals lately. From them I have taken an appreciation of those things which are primitive and non-commercialized. Nessmuk wrote in his book “Woodcraft” about his quest for an ultra light canoe. He talks about perusing catalogs and books of manufacturers, and even sends for a tiny dugout from Northern Michigan. He then talks about his custom built cedar plank ultra lights that weighed less than 18 pounds.

I’m thinking a canoe would be really great for exploring the calm rivers and ponds around my locality. I have a fiberglass canoe, and an aluminum john boat as well, but I would like something not only smaller but also more woodsy. I’m thinking of going ultra-primitive and making a dugout. I guess the pirogue of the Mississippi delta evolved from a dugout cypress log; I’m thinking a nice big fat white cedar could be made into a dandy solo canoe. I’m thinking about 11 or 12 feet would be about as long as I would like to make a canoe, and at least 24 inches wide amidships. I’ve been reading about how some native canoes were hollowed out to about ¾ inch thick, which I think would make a pretty light and rugged canoe for one man. Even if it is a tad heavy, it would be better on the occasional river rock.

I think a Thompson’s Water Seal finish would be appropriate too. Most dugouts that I have seen weren’t finished at all.

So anyways, do any of you fellers have any experience with dugout boats, pirogues, or even solo canoes in general?

[Woodbutcher]

I've read about wood frame,covered with painted fabric. Sounds simple to do, inexpensive too. Very lightweight also. Different degrees of sophistication, from sawn frames and paint drop canvass, to kevlar roving and aircraft dacron covering.
 Popular Mechanix had a few such designs way, way back, 50s maybe, that may be available on microfich from the library. Lot's of modern info for that type to be had. Probably the easiest type to build, IMHO.
 I read about Nessmuk's canoe, marvelous piece of work, but rather serious construction methods, steam bent ribs, copper clinch nails, and so forth. I believe he christened it "the Sairy Gamp", after a Dickens character who "never took water". Light weight plywood designs are available that will fit right in with your size requirements, and would be perhaps easier to build than cedar planking.
 May I offer a thought about river rocks? Ya'll be careful now, ya' hear?
 Since you own a couple of boats, you're experienced enough to know your size requirements, and that boats "shrink" when you put 'em in the water.
 It was two years ago, this month, that I was returning home from a long drive, on a rainy windy afternoon. As I was going along, a car turned in behind me, and the two boats strapped to the roof caught my notice, wooden kayaks, uncovered, and in the rain. Wooden boats are made, not sold, so it caught my eye, and I figured he was taking them someplace to store for the winter. After all, no one would go out boating in such weather, at this time of year. I wanted to talk to this person, and find out about his boats, and thought that if he turned off, maybe I might have a chance to stop and ask a few questions.
 He just kept right on going, nice and steady, behind me. Now, ahead, several miles was a lake, that I had to pass on my way home. But, naw, no way, not in this weather! So as the miles went, the suspense built! Sure enough, he turned down the lane to the launch area. I durn near killed myself making a u turn!
 So, we met, he and his wife, and yes, he made the 2 kayaks from kits, and yes, they were indeed going out, they wanted to see what it was like in this kind of weather. The wind blew the hat off my head, and the lady was shivering from the cold wind, and had to go into her car and don her wet suit. I got my questions answered, and watched them go off. I've met them since, so they made it back.
 I gained a new respect for the capabilities of small boats.
                                                                   Woodbutcher

[clodbuster]

Go-Devil  I had a friend who made an eastern red cedar strip canoe willow gunnals and all.  The most beautiful thing I've ever seen on the water but to make it strong enough to survive it had to be fiberglassed and that made it heavy but still purdy.  He glued and stapled the longitudinal strips over the ribs then sanded the whole thing smooth.  Finally the fiberglass cloth was handlaid over the outside and doped.
good luck.  My grandpa built a skiff from 3/4"cyprus.  He used weights hung on the planks to bend them.  Took a long time but worked well.  You could sit in the bow and paddle it backwards like a canoe or sit in the middle and row it.

[Daveinthebush]

Stripers are a work of love.  I suggest you go to the local library and take out CanoeCraft by Ted Moores and Merilyn Mohr ISBN 0-920656-24-4 and Building a Strip Canoe by Gil Gilpatrick ISBN 0-89933-181-1.

The books will give you a lot of insight on the job at hand.  I started a 12' cedar stripper with a square stern. I had it all sanded out, ready to glass and some accidently knocked it over punching a large hole completely through it.  I was pissed to say the least.

[corbanzo]

When we wanted a canoe, we just got some old blocks of foam off the old docks and tied them together    

[Dee]

I have a fiberglass that I bought years ago. It was painted at the factory in Wyoming to look like birch bark. I have sence painted it colman green and battle ship gray. However, this winter I plan to strip it back down and restore it to its original finish. The strip canoes I have read articles on and have picture plans. They truly are beautiful. I think it only takes 7 or 8 boards and a table saw to rip the strips. Then tack them on the ribbs with small tacks and then like the guys said, fiberglass cloth and paint it with fiberglass. It's amazing how the fiberglass disappears and brings the wood grain out. Good luck. By the way if you really like backwoods ways like I do check out Backwoodsman Magazine. I have been taking it for years. Its a how to like FUR FISH & GAME Magazine.

[willysjeep134]

Well, I've got my design. Around my area there is a generic flat bottomed boat with pointed ends. They have been made since the fur trade, and were common as duck hunting boats into the 1940's . They are called Bateaux, Herring Skiffs, or Mississippi Duck Hunting skiffs, variously. Basically it's a simplified flat bottom canoe. The voyageures in my area used large ones along with big canoes to haul furs across the great lakes. They are really sort of the white guys version of the canoe I guess.

My plan is to make a 10.5 footer, as that is the longest board my dad's sawmill can comfortably cut.It will be about 34" at the gunwales in the middle, and about 30" at the bottom, so each side will flare out 2". It will also have 3" of rake to the stem and stern posts. Many herring skiffs and small beteaus were built with more rake to the stem, but some were also built with vertical ends.

The bottom is flat, cross planked, and nailed into the side boards along the edges. I am going to cover mine in canvas and paint it. That way i don't have to carefully fit and caulk every seam. It should be a nice stable solo canoe type boat. If this one works out maybe I'll have some longer boards cut and make a bigger one, or upgrade to a full cedar strip design. Right now I have some planed Northern White Cedar 1/2" lumber drying in my garage. This January I should have time to start building.

[Daveinthebush]

Please keep us posted from time to time with pictures.  The boat you are describing sounds like a "rat boat".  The Athabaskin indians use them to hunt muskrats.  They are very light and can be dragged from small pond to small pond.  Up here, 1/4" plywood is used to construct them now.  They place the seam in the middle of the boat and put a cross support overlapping the two sheet ends.  This support then becomes a place to support the seat. 

Good luck!

[willysjeep134]

Well, I finally made it! I put it together this spring during some down time. It came out to be 11 at the top, 10'6" at the bottom. The width of the bottom is 30" and the top is 34". This makes a sort of straight sided boat, but it has a little noticeable flare. I made it all from 5/8 white cedar for planking. The sides are made of four boards total, nailed into stem and stern posts. The bottom is nailed on cross-planked. I had to put chine strips along the inside bottom edge to make a little more room for nailing on the bottom. I used anodized ringshank nails for almost everything, and put a bead of wood glue along all of the nailed joints. I made a cover from a No 8 canvas drop cloth. I put a 2" wide by 3/4" thick shoe/combination keel on it. The ends are both capped over the canvas with galvanized sheet metal for about 2" as a bump guard. The outwales are made of 3/4" cedar as well. It took about 6 coats of green oil based paint and it still leaks a little. When I get the notion I'll apply another few coats of paint. I should have used some sort of canvas filler, but I think the extra paint weighs about as much as the extra canvas filler would. It is a little tippy for a canoe, it paddles more like a kayak. Without a deck or skirt it can't lean over like a kayak though, so it takes some care to paddle well. As a stunt I was able to stand up in it, but it was very tender. Once I correct the leaks it shoudl be a nice boat. I made the one and only thwart out of a cedar 2X5, carved into a portage yoke. It gets in the way a little, because I must sit almost in the middle to trim the boat. The thwart is right against my abdomen, but that doesn't cause too much of a problem. it weighs about 55lbs, which is a little heavy, but it is still easy to carry. I'm pretty proud of it for a first attempt. Next year a 17' strip canoe maybe.

[WaitsLong]

Where can one get Cedar Strips or comparable wood?
Local sources?

They might be useful in various projects.

[TX-Hunter]

lets see some pics......