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First time Stripper Build (nervous yet excited)

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Jan 30, 2013
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Location
Lockport, NY
Hi All,

I'm looking for cedar striped canoe boat plans. I have e-mailed stripperguy plenty of times, so I wanted to give him a little break. Of course, feel free to chime in again!!! I was sitting at work, all day thinking about this. I was thinking about the BWCA Cruiser,
Length 18' beam 35" waterline 32" depth 11" bow height 18", but I think 18' is more than my garage can handle. This is where the build will take place. I'm interested in a tandem canoe that is very stable and safe. My wife and little guy will be in tow (5 years old). I would also like something that can be taken on solo fishing / exploring trips. So, light weight, stable, and plenty of room for gear. I was thinking the below dimensions might work. Of course, I am as green as they come to boat building. Any information on where I could pick up plans on this future boat build will be much appreciated. (The below dimensions were just taken from an olde town boat that seemed to fit what I was looking for - but I could be way off - I don't know any better)

Length 16' / 4.9 m
Width 35" / 88.9 cm
Width at 4" Waterline 35" / 88.9 cm
Bow Height 20.5" / 52 cm
Depth 12" / 30.4 cm
 
Hi Patchfly,
Here's a guy that's probably not that far from you up there over the 1000 Island Bridge that sells plans and stuff. I have his Jack's Special plans, (it's a 15' Chestnut Chum, tandem canoe, too small for what you wanted but a great little solo and child friendly tandem) (maybe your second build like ScottB said;)), I could send you a set if interested, he has a bunch of different plans and he is very friendly over the phone. Check out his site, lots of interesting stuff for a builder imho.

http://www.carryingplacecanoeworks.on.ca/html/plans_kits.html
 
Thanks Scott!!!
Thank you Robin - I just checked out the website. Is that the same Chesnut Prospector that is at bearmountain boats? That boat caught my attention!!!
 
I don't know if the boats are the same, Carrying Place took the measurements off an original Chestnut Prospector Hull and keeps them the same. A phone call would or wouldn't confirm this.
Me being a biased opinionated lover of all things Chestnut Canoes, if you want a Prospector, you should build one off the original hull measurements.
Of course, I have never built a stripper, never paddled one and am pretty much clueless when it comes to them, so you would probably be better served by those here who know lots more than me, and they are here, hopefully they will chime in, good idea on building your own though, nothing like paddling your own work, be it a custom build or a restoration.
 
Keshequa 17 - another beautiful boat - where are you in the process? Well - I just completed my first step - haha!!! I just ordered "Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded: Full-Sized Plans and Instructions for Eight Easy-To-Build, Field Tested Canoes - by Gil Gilpatrick". Next - decide on a plan!
 
I'm almost finished planking. The Keshequa calls for a stemless build, the method Gil Gilpatrick also uses in his book. I don't like building without an internal and external stem, so I adjusted the forms slightly to add stems into the Keshequa.
 
Think I've posted this one here before...this is a John Winter's design, the 18.5 foot Quetico, built it 13 years ago, it's out of commission now, paddled it into the ground, so to speak.
haslam_2_zpsfa1208d0.jpg
 
I'll add some fuel to the fire with the addy for my stripper build photo album from a couple years ago. It was Bear Mountains Cottage Cruiser and turned out to not only be quite stable but a wonderful boat to paddle either tandem or solo. It came in a little hefty at 57 pounds but wood choices for trim and adding tanks helped up the final weight. This was my first (only) stripper build. http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/Mihun09/library/Cottage Cruiser Solo Project?page=1
 
I'm almost finished planking. The Keshequa calls for a stemless build, the method Gil Gilpatrick also uses in his book. I don't like building without an internal and external stem, so I adjusted the forms slightly to add stems into the Keshequa.

See, I find it fascinating that everyone has such different methods and preferences. Myself, I never used inner or outer stems, except once on a strip built sailboat.
 
Oh man!!! Those pics gave me heart palpitations!!! Haha. Is that nervousness or excitement? I have so many questions! I'm sure I will learn a lot, when I get my book (3 to 4 days), but why build with or without stems? Does the stem add durability and also weight? Great pics, going back in to look at them again!!!
 
Not sure if the general public can see it, but here is a facebook albumn of my build of the Raven.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.342271810053.343227.826425053&type=1&l=2730138469

Hey memaquay,
Nice step by step photos...Patchfly, are you studying those?
And mem, you build inside the house??
That Raven that you built is now known as a Kite...there is a member of another forum that has been under my wing (virtually for a year or so, then actually, a few weeks ago) and is building that very same hull.
I like the sharp edged tumblehome.
Can you describe the way it paddles and how it suits (or doesn't) your favorite type of water?
I'm looking to build another solo, something a bit more maneuverable than my DY Special, and a little shorter too. And a little lighter, my DY is 31 lbs and drags me down on longer (over 2 mile) carries.

And back to Patchfly...c'mon, get crackin'...pick a design and let's get going!!
 
The Kite is actually a slightly smoothed out version of the Osprey. I built an Osprey around 15 years ago and paddled it to death. The Raven is a bigger boat, designed as a river tripper. It has only been made in royalex commercially. People have mixed feelings about it. It's a very large asymmetrical solo with differentiated rocker. As a stripper, I think it is quite a fine canoe, as I usually travel with a very heavy load, and I'm no flyweight myself. It's slighty slower than the Osprey, but still moves quite well on the lakes. I think it's a good all round tripper for people who want to carry a lot of gear, or for bigger people. I'm thinking about selling mine and rebuilding a lighter one, as the wood used in mine was white pine.
 
I studied every pic, and have been watching random you tube vidoes every day during lunch. Saturday morning, I'm going to a lumber yard to check out some Cedar (like I know what I'm looking at - haha). Then, I'm going to my parents house, to pick up a table saw. Sunday - I hope to hit some flea markets, looking for a wood plane and some other tools. Monday - I should have my Gil Gilpatrick book, i want to take a look at the 8 plans that come with the book. After that, I should have decided on my plan. Then - I'll order the wood and start picking splinters out of my fingers! LOL (oh - and I still have to finish the bathroom floor remodel before I'm allowed to begin the boat project - so far, the soonest I can get the tile is the 24th - that's not good). I'll tell my wife, the wood work I'm doing in the garage, is some how related to the bathroom floor!!!
 
Not to steal Patchfly's thread, but all this talk of building has forced me to actually buy plans for a Kite. It seems that design might be just the solo I'm looking for...
Oh, and my nephew is glassing his 17 ft tandem this weekend.
 
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