VERY DETAILED How to Build a Cedar Strip Canoe PLANS

Cedar-Strip Canoe

One of the most beautiful and desired canoes is the cedar-strip canoe. Until now you either had to pay someone upwards of $3000 to build you one, or wrestle your way through 300 pages of plans to build your own. These plans are just as in-depth as the more difficult plans, the difference is we have eliminated all of the duplicate information you really do not need to know to build one of these canoes.

If you are like me, I know what you're probably thinking: 'I want a canoe just like that, and I'd love to build one, but this is just too big and too difficult a project for me."

I think you're in for a pleasant surprise. This

This canoe is 18 ft. long, 12 inches deep, 34 inches across, and is designed as a general-purpose family touring craft for camping and general flatwater paddling. It is not designed to run class 5 rapids. It's stable, moderately fast, carries plenty of weight, has no keel, and is easy to portage. This canoe will weigh in at about 55 lbs. when completed.  This would be a great idea for a Father and Son project.

The plans are presented in 3 logical steps

Part 1: Building the form on which to build your canoe

Part 2: Stripping the canoe with cedar strips

Part 3: Fiberglassing and finishing the canoe.

Each step includes a shopping list and a cutting list, directions and illustrations. It is suggested that you read the entire sequence of steps and familiarize yourself with the process before beginning your canoe. Make sure you have a source of materials, the knowledge to put them together, the tools for the job, and the room to accommodate your efforts.

When finished, you will be the proud owner of one of the most beautiful canoes ever designed. Follow the directions and illustrations for an easily built canoe you can enjoy for years to come.

is a large project, and it is time-consuming. But it’s like painting your house - lots of time and lots of work, but not all that difficult if you approach it properly. Unlike most forms of boat-building, a cedar-strip canoe is very forgiving in its construction. A first-time canoe builder with modest tool skills can build an excellent craft. This would be an excellent project to involve your teenage in.

 

WHAT IS A CEDAR-STRIP CANOE, ANYWAY? The basic idea behind a cedar-strip canoe is to make a hull of narrow wood strips, each one glued to the next with ordinary carpenter's glue, and then cover the hull with fiberglass, inside and out. The wooden hull by itself is weak, but the two layers of fiberglass make the canoe extremely strong, lightweight and

waterproof. No ribs are needed, no canvas covering, and no caulking.

This "sandwich" construction, with the fiberglass as bread and wood as the filling, is also why this type of canoe is very forgiving to a novice builder - the wooden strips don't have to be fitted very exactly, because the fiberglass covers all the gaps.

As we start to build the canoe, we begin by assembling the "strongback," which is basically a long sawhorse on which to work. We then attach the molds, which are curved plywood pieces that the hull will be built on. The plans show clearly what the strongback and molds look like.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD

You don't need the skills of an expert woodworker to make a cedar-strip canoe. If you can operate a table saw or radial arm saw, you can do it. You do need patience and persistence, however. There are a lot of wooden strips to put on, and there's plenty of surface area to sand. You should count on it taking about 150 - 175 hours to finish the canoe. In addition, the materials will cost around $450 - $500. A garage or covered patio is the best place for building, because you need 12 - 16 ft. of clearance in front of and behind your saw for cutting the long strips. Furthermore, sanding the glued-up hull produces clouds of sawdust, and applying the fiberglass produces noxious fumes. You could work in a basement shop, but be sure you can get the finished canoe out, and install a powerful fan to exhaust dust and fumes.