Wood Strip Canoe

“Anybody ever build a wood strip canoe? I have wanted to do one for years, having bought a book about 20 years ago. I finally got a clean garage, and spousal approval, so I'm going for it in April. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to buy the materials, tips, precautions? Any success stories?”

“There are tons of sites that post individual stories about this...including photos...kits are available from manufacturers, even plans for canoes designed and built from scratch by individuals...check it out...”

“My partner went to a wooden boat building school in Maine last fall. He's going again this spring. I'll see if I can get a link or email. I'll bet they have info. He said the main trick was learning to cut the curves. Once you learn how, it's really not that big of a deal.”

“I have a redwood strip canoe... but I didn't build it, bought it for dirt cheap years ago (before I was born) i mean, my dad bought it - it's been a great canoe though, very pretty, it needs to be refinished - I was planning on doing that this winter, but I don't have the room in my apartment...”

“Suggest that you use tree roots for the ribs of your canoe.

Difficult & time consuming. Know a couple of them & Adirondack guide boats. I tend towards camping, hiking & canoe equipment that can stand enormous levels of abuse.

I'm contenting myself with oak trim, oak screen door & oak kitchen cabinitry. Sanding puts fine dust EVERY WHERE. I used gorilla glue since I couldn't find any of my dozen bottles of wood glue this time. It pushed a third of my wooden oak plugs out of their screw holes because it expands when it dries.”

“That's something I've al;ways wanted to do, too. Please post pics as the process unfolds. I figured I'd do a kit as my first. Maybe I'll get to it someday...”

“I can't add a whole lot to this thread, except that a friend of mine found one in his Dad's garage after his Dad passed away. His Dad started it about 25yrs ago and never finished it. The canoe is not complete and is sitting on sawhorses in the garage. There is a huge pile of redwood nearby...my buddy is the engineering type and builds everything...he said he's gonna finish it.”

“Check out a company in Annapolis called Chesapeake light craft, they make all kinds of kits for canoes, kayaks, etc.
http://www.clcboats.com/index.php[url]”

“Both my dad and my brother are making wood strip canoes. I'll look around for some pictures that I have somewhere. And I'll check with them on how they went about it.”

“

This is my brother Jason's work in progress.”

“Cool, Ruby. How long have they been doing it, and does it involve a divorce? The kit companies say to plan on 120-150 hours. I'd like to take a time lapse video of it coming together. I'll post photos, I promise.”

“Here's some info for you:


My brother bought his kit from Bear Mountain Boat Shop. www.bearmountainboats.com

My dad bought his plans from Green Valley Boats www.greenval.com and his materials from Classic Boat Kits http://www.cyberus.ca/~canoe/


He also recommended this site:

www.noahsmarine.com



No divorces yet, but my mom and sister-in-law have threatened. lol At this point, I think my mom would just be happy if she could park her truck in the garage.
last edited: 2/09/05 3:04:41 PM”

“How long has she been garageless? I better finish mine within a few months or I might be sleeping in the garage. Plus, I want to use it this summer.”

“That's a good question. She's been without a garage longer than she's been with. And they have a big double garage. Let's see...they've lived there for about 20 years now. It was used for storage, then it was the workshop as they stripped and refinished all the molding in the house, then it was my dad's gear storage. He finally built a pole barn, but hasn't gotten around to moving everything over yet. Both canoes are being worked on in that garage currently.

But he's got cool stuff in there. He owns 3 canoes besides the one he's building and some kayaks and more gear than you can shake a stick at. He's got so much gear that he can't find stuff that he knows he has.”

“Do any of the canoeists present have suggestions on what features to look for in canoe design, like tumblehome, rocker, high ends v low, etc. I’m thinking this will be for 2 adults, or possibly one adult and two kids, or 2 adults and 2 kids, or 2 adults and camping gear. I figure 17’ is a minimal length for 2 adults and camping gear. Do you favor one design over another? This will be for calm water, like lakes, but should not be hopeless in a moderate current. Maybe some kind of compromise general purpose design would be best.”

“I actually like the cheaper coleman plastic or grumman aluminum canoe. I like mid wgt canoes. Not too heavy to carry but not fragile. I like a canoe that I can run into the sandy/rocky shore or crash over a beaver dam with. I like 17' wide bodies for gear, but sometimes the shorter ones are easier for the shallower twisting headwaters. I have run whitewater, but will usually portage around the bad spots if I have gear. I usually collect new paddles in the spring in bad whitewater spots. I like a canoe that I can kneel down in without getting my legs trapped by supports under the seats. I like a canoe with foam flotation in the bow & stern (which I have seen get waterlogged & become useless)I like a canoe that I can ratchet lg wheels to for portaging. I don't want an expensive canoe that I'd be afraid to leave in the woods. I don't want a fragile canoe or one that I would be afraid to scratch or damage. Give me the roughest/toughest canoe that I can use & abuse and have fun without worry. I like a canoe with 100' of trailing rope that I can snag if I dump in a fast moving water. I can also use this rope to "line-it" thru rough spots or drag over ice.”

“I know you are making a canoe rather than buying one, but do you get the Piragis Northwoods Company catalog? The don't sell kits, but they do sell everything related to canoeing and kayaking. www.piragis.com”

“Piragis is down the block from my house... I hate that place, everything is too expensive for my taste.
last edited: 2/11/05 6:53:39 PM”

“I'm new to the group and I ran across this thread yesterday. Did you get the information you wanted on your canoe project? I've built a couple of strippers and have started another one (you can't have too many canoes around the house!!). It isn't particularly difficult, it only takes time and a little willingness. If you have any, I'd love to see the photo's.”

“Canoeman: I have done a lot of research, bought a book on ebay, and have been planning the logistics in the garage, butI havent' built anything yet. Our garage is full of old furniture, because we got some new stuff (part of the process of "greasing the skids", if you know what I mean).

We'll sell off the old furniture in early april, then I can launch into the canoe for real. So I'm just biding my time, reading up, getting other projects taken care of. I'll let you know how it goes. Got any photos of your canoes?”

“I'm not sure how to get the pictures uploaded, but I'll try. Here goes...

Nope, didn't work. I'll post them as soon as I figure out how.”