Building the solo canoe

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In 1985 while building a 14' sharpie, of about 110 lbs. I was thinking there had to be a decent boat made with the least material, time, and money that would still be safe going through boat wakes.

I found that one and a half sheets of 1/8" plywood would work out to be 11' long and 28" wide, large enough for the dog or camping gear, and still light weight (25 lbs.) There isn't any building frames or ribs making for a smooth clean interior. The scrap left over is enough to make blades for a double paddle, not just flat blades but spoon blades, a cut , some wire, epoxy, and a closet pole. You're all set.

Here is the building of the canoe step-by-step. First you might want to take a look at the building time.

1. Splice the 4x8 and 4x4 sheets of plywood to make one 4x12 sheet. Scarf each piece 1" and epoxy together with added weight on top while it is drying (put wax paper under glued portion to prevent a mess)

2. Cut this sheet in half long ways

3. Place them on top of each other and mark out measurement and cut lines.

4. Cut out, and with the two pieces still together drill holes for the copper wire about 2-3" apart.

5. Wire the bottom but leave the wires real loose

6. Spread the sides apart (use bricks or cement blocks to hold it in place)

7. Wire the sides together alternating each end (do three or four on the bow then three or four on the stern) As you work put spreaders in to keep the shape

8. Before you finish stitching the sides (leave about 9" on each side) the middle of the sides (vertical cuts) needs to be spliced just like the two sheets of plywood. The reason for not doing this earlier is that there is a possibility of damaging the scarfs. Before epoxying the sides together make sure the shape of the boat is good (that is why you can't tighten up the stitching totally before this step)

9. After the epoxy has dried on both side splices then tighten up the wire stitching and finish stitching up the sides

10. Push the wires down as tight against the wood as you can. Mix epoxy and filler, spread over the wire into the seams (inside seams) Making adjustments as necessary.

11. With the epoxy set turn the boat over. Cut and grind the wire off flush with the wood, trim up any epoxy that has dripped from the seams. Run glass tape over the outside seams and give all bare wood three coats of epoxy inside and out.

12. Turn the boat right side up and trim with the cedar. Install the two braces, use one for the back rest and the other for the foot brace. The back brace should be 14" from the center, measure yourself to place the foot brace correctly.

Materials list

Tools:

Materials:

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