In Early December 2022 I purchased a plan from Cape Falcon Kayak to build a Skin-onFrame Canoe. After reviewing the course I settled for a Tandem Canoe. Brian suggested the size: 15’8″, 36 wide, 13″3/4 deep depth to beam.37, rib length to beam .40.
The first challenge was finding the right wood, clear and straight grain and of the right dimension 16’. Thankfully I was put on touch with a Japanese woodworker who, in his long career as woodworker, has collected an enormous amount of lumber and is now selling some of it. It took some searching and moving huge logs to get what I needed but eventually I found some very good and hard to find Douglas Fir beam of the right length, clear and straight grain.
Milling the lumber
Getting the right lumber took me a while and it paid off right away. First task was milling the 16′ beam in to gunwales, 10 stringers and the keel. The length and weight made it a bit of a challenge. Thankfully I have access to a wonderful wood shop, and the help of great buddies. The beam was pretty straight and a few well position feathers kept it right snug against the table saw’s fence. In 2.5 hours I milled al the pieces and rounded over the stringers with a SlickPlane
Gunwales layout, measuring the rocker height, and lamination.
Even if still preliminary work I was excited to glue up the gunwale. I was really pleased how easy it turned out.
Cutting the mortises and starting to see the preliminary shape of my canoe
Halving the laminated beam in two gunwales took six hands but went smooth. First I had to clean up the excess glue, it turned out to be pretty easy. Setting up the router to cut the mortises took a while and everything got checked 3 times, I really didn’t want to screw up this one!
Bending in the ribs
This was the day I most fretted but also the day I was mostly looking forward to. Of all the steps of building the canoe bending the ribs was the one that intimidated me the most since I had zero experience bending wood. I understood the principle and knew the steps, but as often is the case it takes me doing something a few times to get the hang of it. To compensate for the fact that I could practice only once and with a limited number of ribs I watched Brian’s videos a dozen time to memorize his move, honing down the timing and figure out which kind of bending technique was needed and where. I followed is advise and had everything I needed well organized. I tested bending just 6 ribs the day before. I bent two ribs for each style. Testing was good, it gave me a sense of what laid ahead and I had a chance to get some valuable feed back from Brian to correct what I was doing, I needed to bend more aggressively. I also came to the conclusion that I needed to shape the bend in my hand within 15 seconds then place the rib and finish up shaping it while the rib was still playable, that made a big difference. I was able to work at the wood shop while no one else was there with the help of my buddies who helped with symmetry and alignment and made my job so much easier. I didn’t break any ribs and I was quite satisfied with the result. The keel pushed up by 1/4 “, totally acceptable according to Brian. After lunch we lashed the stringer, that took much longer!
I bent one rib every 2 minutes, why not enjoy the process? That gave me plenty of time between ribs bending and in 64 minutes I was done. I used half the water tank of the wallpaper steamer and never had to bother with the kettle I had prepared.
The wood shop I have access to is a collective communal project where wood working classes are taught and we often promote the place through photo and movies. A videographer took a time lapse movie of the bending, she made a great job of it:
A few more things that need taking care off before oiling
After bending the ribs and lashing the stingers I took some time off but before oiling the frame. I needed to shape the stems, trim the keel’s end, trim and tie the stringers add sheer blocks.
After sending and oiling I have completed the frame!
Skinning the canoe on a rainy day
I have moved through this project giving myself plenty of time given that my goal is to be done by early June and I have enjoyed every step of the process. This being the first time working with canvas I took my time to familiarize my self with the hot knife. Sewing is also something I have hardly ever done and found it to be challenging at first but I am happy with how it all turned out.
Coating the skin and installing yoke and seats
Finally my work area got warm enough to enable me coat the tandem. I chose to dye the canvas with Earth Pigment Natural which I mixed to the maximum specified dose and followed all instructions such as mixing the dye the night before to part B and stirring it repeatedly. I use Natural Yellow since I wanted a color light enough to show the ribs and stringers when the sun shines through the canvas. Being this a tandem I had to move fast to ensure the polyurethane didn’t dry before I was done with what I mixed. I was able to roll out the first coat on half the hull in just under 10 minutes. It took 15 oz of mixed polyurethane for half hull, on the second coat the same amount covered both hulls, just as par Bryn detailed instructions. Fortunately I managed to roll the coat uniformly and never had to use the plastic spreader to move stuff around or flatten orange peel. I am very pleased with the result. Once dried up I installed the yoke I shaped and seatings. I am now really close to put it in the water!
The very last touches:
I bought two 4′ long brass band predrilled. The maker of the bands, a professional canoe builder, told me that to avoid kinking it while conforming the band to bow and stern I just needed to secure the band by screwing the first screw and then work my way up, or down, the stems avoid bending it where the predrilled hole were. It was easy and a smooth installation.
I created end caps out of Ash to cover to attach hoop for carrying handles being this a tandem it is considerably heavier then a solo canoe and I want to make sure the metal hoop stays put.
The final reward
I have started this project back in Dec 22’ and planned to have it completed by mid June, I was only two weeks off target. The canoe not only is beautiful, it handles smoothly, is steady and steers easily. It is very comfortable. I can load it and unload it from my track on my own if necessary. The building process has been a great adventure. Some of the steps looked daunting and challenging but thanks to Brian detailed instruction and great videos it all want smooth and succesfully.
The specs: Tandem canoe 15’-8” x 36” Center Depth 13”1/4Measured sheer eight at 7”1/4 Rocker 2”1/4 Depth to beam ratio . Rib length to beam .40 Douglas fir gunwales and stringers, White Oak ribs, Port Orford Cedar stems, Western Red Cedar sheer and Ash rub rails, Black Locust seat blocks. Earth Pigment “Natural Yellow” maximum suggested dosage. Copper stems bands.37
Few month have passed ….
since I have built the canoe. Building was a fun and rewarding experience but just the beginning of a rewarding journey. The Canoe has proven to be ideal for where I live on the Puget Sound. All summer and in to early fall I have taken it out alone, with my wife and with friends. I have enjoyed countless ours on the water mesmerized by the views, the sunset, the open space and happy to be able to share the experience with friends and family. The canoe is easy to maneuver and responds well to stirring, handles weaves and wakes from ferries and Coast Guard cutters. Track well and is very stable. I love it.
Fishing at Rich Passage, Puget Sound
Unforgettable moments.
January 19, 2023
How much was just that board?
January 19, 2023
Hi Thomas, I paid $11 per linear foot, the wood is exceptionally good quality and hard to find even here in the PNW. From that board I used a little over a third. I may end up building a kayak form Brian’s plan in the future.
August 22, 2023
Great summary. Thanks for all the pictures and comments about the tricky stages. Enjoy your boat!
August 22, 2023
Thank you!