The Canoe Build
I have wanted to build a boat for a long time now. Sometimes I wanted to build a sailboat, and at other times, a rowboat. This time, I decided on a canoe. I figured, if I built something, I needed somewhere to store it, some way to carry it, and some reason to have it. A canoe is really the only realistic option, and it has taken over the whole garage for two months (at the time of writing this blog).
This post will chronicle the building of this canoe. I hope to look back on it fondly when I am out paddling. And maybe serve as guide when I build a second one…
January 12, 2023: The Kit
I chose a 16-foot canoe design from Geodesic Airolite boats. This choice is big enough for me, Liz, camping gear, and one day, a dog. It is a good balance for us and our needs without being too big to fit in the garage once it is complete. The kit I chose came with two sheets of plans, some clamps, and the Dacron skin for the boat.
This is a skin-on-frame design. Unlike most home-built canoes that are cedar strip, mine will be a lightweight frame made of wood that has waterproofed fabric stretched over it. The result is a less durable, but very light boat. In addition to the reduction in weight is a reduction in material cost. Especially when compared to a Kevlar boat of similar weight, mine will be a tenth of the cost.
January 14, 2023: Start
The first weekend of building is a very exciting time, but the progress may not look so thrilling. When you build a boat, you need a foundation to build on. My first project was to gather materials and build a Strongback. A Strongback can be thought of as a specialized workbench for boat building. Mine is built out of 3/4-inch MDF. I tried to make it a straight and flat as possible. I honestly think I did a good job.
Day 2 of my first weekend of building is for the mold frames. These are used to shape the stringers into the shape of a canoe. These are made of 1/2-inch MDF, and came out OK. They look really good, but required a lot of adjustments after the stringers were made to ensure everything fit the way I wanted it to.
This first weekend of work felt really good, though the product is far from a boat.
January 21, 2023: Mounting the Frames
More pre-build this weekend. The mold frames that were made last week were mounted, square and perpendicular, to my Strongback, and the keels were put in as well. It is important to get this right as it will determine the quality and symmetry of the finished boat. I really took my time here to get my measurements right, and make sure everything looked good to the eye.
This is really the first time you can begin to see the lines of the boat and get a sense of scale. It feels bigger than expected, despite knowing the full measurements.
In addition to setting the frames, I also bought the poplar boards that will be the structure of the boat. I also made my first cuts, scarf joint, and glue-up for the keelson. The keelson is a 2-inch x 3/8-inch board that runs the length of the bottom of the boat. Every piece of lumber that runs the length of the boat is glued up from 10-foot pieces with a scarf joint. A scarf joint is a cut across the end grain of the board that is done on both ends to increase the surface area of the glue. Each glue up requires 24 hours to cure, as the working temperature of the epoxy is much higher than I can maintain in the garage.
January 28, 2023: Stringers
Stringers are the boards that run the length of the boat and the two at the top are called the gunnels. This weekend, I cut all the stringers and gunnels from the boards that I purchased, cut the scarf joints, and glued and mounted the gunnels. This part of the project took a long time to do and was exhausting.
Ripping the stock into stringers was the most time-consuming part. There are ten stringers, which means twenty pieces and 10 glue-ups. I made a jig for the table saw to assist with accuracy and speed. My favorite part of this process has been cleaning up the joints with my hand plane. It is very satisfying to use an antique tool that I restored. I did not completely finish my glue-up this weekend. I did, however, finish the gunnels and get them mounted, which gives a nice impression of the boat. Each stage reveals a more boat-like structure. But, as one friend continues to remind, the holes are still far too big, and water will certainly get in.
February 5, 2023: Stringers Mounted
Not much was accomplished this weekend. I really underestimated how long the stringers would take to glue and prepare. They are all mounted, however, and show nice fair lines through the full length of the canoe. The next step is to join the stringers to the keels, which I am going to have to think about before I can take any action.
February 10, 2023: Stringers Finished
The stringers are finally done. I would not have suspected that these would take three weeks to complete, but here we are. The cuts to join the stringers to the keels are very complicated. I got better as I went but they were no easy task. Each stringer is a compound cut that cannot be messed up. Then, I had to find a way to clamp each joint while the epoxy cured, as they are mounted at angles that did not allow my spring clamps to grip. My solution was to drill a hole through the stringers and keels to pin the whole assembly together. The overhang of the pins allowed the clamps to stay in place during the cure. All together, a very complicated process. I owe my success to a pull saw that I bought for this boat and the patience to not make cuts until I was sure that I could make them right.
With the weight of the stringers off my shoulders, I turned my attention to the steam process. I assembled a simple steam box and modified a pressure cooker that I picked up from Goodwill for the purpose. A quick job, but it meets the requirements. Now, I just need to borrow a turkey fryer from Dad.
February 13, 2023: Steam Bending
Two posts this weekend because Liz and I took some time off work.
The ribs that I prepared were soaked overnight and then loaded into the steam chamber for 30 minutes. This turned out to be not as long as I needed, so I will do longer times for the next batch. After steaming, each rib gets clamped into place to dry before it can be glued.
Liz assisted in this part of the build and seems to have caught the bug for crafting. She was a great assistant in the shop, as the wood only remains pliable for a short period.
June 4, 2023: Finally done with the Ribs
The ribs took WAY longer than I expected. In my original timeline, I was finishing up this week. That’s a weak estimate from someone who has never built a boat before, but still. I was very wrong.
The problem is part my fault for taking on yet another hobby while still in the middle of this project. Part of it is to blame on everyone wanting to hang out every weekend now that the weather has improved. Finally, part of the problem is that the epoxy I have requires temperatures over 55 to cure.
Each rib has 13 glue joints. And each glue joint needed to be measured, clamped, cured, and cleaned on all 4 sides. It was an enormous amount of work, but finally it is done.
This weekend Logan came over and helped me to remove the canoe frame from the strongback. And I am very pleased to see the progress at this stage. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.
