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(Finally) starting from scratch.

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It was the best of ideas, it was the worst of ideas. It was an act of excess in an era of economy, a bold and confident move that belied the uncertainty of the outcome. A plan so crazy that it seemed logical and so sacrilegious that it was divinely inspired.

Hmm… Seems like a bit too much hype…

Alternative intro: I’m building a boat (or two or three or four).

Shortly after joining this forum, I became interested in building a stripper (no, not the “wanna lap dance?” kind but the kind that causes you to fuel up BEFORE loading the boat so you don't get held up answering questions at the gas station on your way to the water).

I did all of the things that seem typical of an aspiring builder; I pored through build threads, researched different wood options on wood database and even started a thread here to see what others had experienced using something other than the traditional Cedar (it’s not common in my area and, therefore, very expensive). What I found was that there are many reports of using poplar, sassafras, aspen, pine, etc. but I could find very few pictures anywhere so it was kind of a roll of the dice whether or not the finished boat would be aesthetically pleasing.

To make matters worse, while searching for nicely colored woods, I had an older woodworker introduce me to Sumac and I immediately fell in love. Lightweight (I'm still unsure where wood database got their posted info but it seems to weigh nothing!), absolutely stunning in the sunlight and certainly not available through any sawmills or lumber yards, acquisition of boards can typically be achieved only by searching out “large” trees (max growth seems to be about 8-10 inches in diameter and rarely over 5 feet of trunk length), and cutting them up yourself. That debacle is currently in the works and I hope to post it after a sufficient quantity of lumber has been stickered, stacked & air dried.

Now... due to the amount of effort involved in producing Sumac boards, I want to be certain that the canoe I build will be one I like to paddle and different hull shapes have different handling characteristics. Furthermore, I've found that the more one does something, the better the results tend to be so I figure...

I'll acquire plans for 2-3 canoes, build them with readily available lumber, paddle each to see which I prefer and then build the preferred hull a second time using the dreamy Sumac.

Finally… So many people wonder how long it actually takes, so I’ll be the guinea pig. I’ve never built a canoe and I am not a woodworker. Follow along if you like… I’ll try to work on it as often as possible (trip report style except that you can see me screw up practically in real time.)

Add all of that up and what you wind up with is this...

The first victim is a 15’ 3” Freedom Solo from Bear Mountain. It will be built from Aspen strips with Cherry accents. Hopefully, it will be followed closely by a Raven from Martin Step that will be built with Eastern Larch (aka Tamarac) and Sassafras. I’m hoping to have both done for early summer but we shall see…

The woods I have chosen are all heavier per cubic foot than the traditional Cedar so, to keep weight reasonable, all strips will be 3/16 instead of the standard ¼ inch and I’m still toying with the glass layup. It may be experimentally lightweight (these are not IMO “forever” boats but merely trial runs. If they hold up, that's great but it won't break my heart if the layup proves to be too light... I'll simply beef it up a little for the real boat)

I hope that, in addition to educating myself, I can help others to see what the color combos/different woods look like and I have plans to also build a poplar/butternut combo, and both a pine hull and a catalpa hull accented with something... hemlock?... ash or elm?... perhaps even white oak?

I will also attempt to keep future posts long on pictures and much shorter on prose.

Lumber:

I have a friend that owns a band saw mill and several customers who had trees that needed to be removed. I’ve worked as a sawyer so it seemed reasonable to gather the trees and have my friend saw them up.

A few aspens…
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…some white oak, black willow and some cherry…

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…An afternoon at the sawmill…

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… and the boards were stickered and stacked in the overhead of my Dad’s barn while I sought out (and built) a heated space in which to work during the winter.

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The whole process took a couple of years which was helpful as, by the time I was ready to machine the lumber, the moisture content was down to 8-9 % and there was no need (in my mind) to pay for kiln drying.

I also found a few hundred board feet of 1 inch rough cut Larch that I was able to acquire for 75 cents per board foot and I grabbed that as well as a few Hemlock boards and a couple of Sassafras that were laying around.

Strips:

There’s not a ton of room in the upstairs of my buddy’s garage so I didn’t have room to set up an entire wood shop there. I made do with what was available and cut Aspen and some Cherry strips at the barn this past summer. I understand that Cherry darkens when exposed to UV light but the polyurethane I’ll be using contains UV blockers. My thinking was that, by cutting it early, it would darken sufficiently by the time I sealed it up.

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To cut the strips, I used a circular saw with a guide bolted to the shoe in such a way that it sliced the 1 inch thick boards into 3/16 inch strips. The guide is just a piece of aluminum angle and it worked well as long as I remembered that the guide interferes with the blade guard and the saw needs to be set down on a 5 gallon bucket. Uniformity of strips seemed very good with this method as long as I was careful to pull it toward me in a way that kept the guide tight against the board.

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Today, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm February weather to gather up the Aspen & Cherry strips from the barn and move them to the upstairs of the garage. I needed to haul them about 8 miles so I tied the strips to an intact board and tied them to the roof of the Ranger.

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I didn’t pay much attention to how long it took to rip the Aspen but, as I was in the groove, I stopped by my yard & cut up some Larch & made a dozen or so strips of Sassafras. It took about 4 hours to cut up 25 or so board feet of lumber. I’m not sure that will be enough but it’s a pretty good start and the Larch is for the second boat anyway. I was impressed with the color and grain of the Larch and I’m thinking it will rival Cedar for aesthetics and maybe the weight penalty won’t be unbearable.

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One aspect of Larch is the abundance of small knots and I’ll try to leave as many in as can be easily worked around. There were 3 times when the knot was loose in the strip but the strip did not break so I popped out the knot, applied a little glue, clamped it with a spring clamp and let it set up. Might not work but we’ll see…

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I cut strips until the light started to fade then tied the strips to boards & threw them on the Ranger with the Aspen / Cherry. You have to use your imagination a little but there should be 2 canoes on the roof racks.

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I hauled all of this to by buddy’s place & carried it upstairs. This week, I need to paint the back half of the area (front drywall isn’t finished yet and it won’t be for awhile) and move everything already up there to the rear (painted) area. I’ll grab some plywood this week and, hopefully, have the strongback & forms completed this Saturday.

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To date: Time estimate is 12 hrs (not including acquisition of lumber), cost estimate is $52.50 (60 brd ft of Aspen & Cherry at 50 cents/ brd ft & 30 brd ft of Larch & Sassafras at 75 cents a foot)
 
That’s some fine looking material you got there! I have had good luck glueing knots for what it’s worth.

I am looking forward to following along.

Bob
 
Sounds like it will be fun. I have worked with tamarac before, the only thing that would worry me is it is very resinous, not sure if that will be a problem or not. Poplar is a great choice, I've used it, when sanded and glassed, it almost becomes maple-y looking.
 
You mean you've been concocting this idea and preparing the lumber for years? A SECRET PLAN?
Not terribly secret as I posted some exploratory threads in (I think) 2018 and Stripperguy (IIRC) suggested I build one when he responded to my introduction as we have very similar backgrounds and he's enjoyed building them.

The lumber has been stored (mostly in the barn but the Larch is tarped and in my yard) since 2020. I had no intention of waiting this long but I always have too many irons in the fire. For that reason, I'm hoping to work fast, take chances and "get 'er done" before other responsibilities become too pressing.

I'm also hopeful that I'll have the 1st 2 done in time for the WPA Solo Canoe Rendezvous in June (if anyone wants to see them in person)
 
Steve,
I bet you've been itching to get going for a while now...
Nice plan, building a few different designs from other woods before using that interesting Sumac.
I'll be watching closely, looks like you've got a great start already!
 
Freedom Solo is a great choice, it was my first boat and it is awesome on the water, although I would suggest you consider the 16' 3" version, to date I have 2 of them and find the longer version a bit better.

Consider making some narrower strips for the tumblehome area, those are pretty sharp curves. Also on that tumble home area, I would soften that sharp corner (on the molds) to more of a rounded curve (think about 3/16" radius) this will tame that corner and make stripping and shaping a lot easier.

Cherry is one of my favourite woods, predarkening isn't really a thing, it isn't just UV that darkens it, it's light in general and the varnish will not appreciably impact it's ability to darken. I have done some mods to cherry gunnels, the sanding and fresh wood are obvious, but after the first few trips, they blend.
 
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I'm looking forward to following this... I like the idea of using all the less common woods. Will be interesting to see the result. My buddy built an Adirondack Guideboat using only ripped down 2x4's from a lumberyard. Strip built, edge glued with rolling bevels, laminated ribs shaped on individual forms, then fiberglassed. A little heavier than cedar construction, but 20 years on its still going strong.
 
Consider making some narrower strips for the tumblehome area, those are pretty sharp curves.
I've already thought of that (I've had time to plan lol). Getting a bit ahead of the thread but I'll be reducing the width of several strips to about 5/8 in to make the turns easier and reduce the chances of sanding through.

I bet you've been itching to get going for a while now...
yep Mike, you're right. Feels good to (finally) be at a point where I can commit to it. Might wind up being quick & dirty so I can get done before things get stupid around here again but at least it's off the ground.

I like the idea of using all the less common woods.
Me too. I recently got a line on some huge Arborvitae and a nice sized Holly that are likely to become available. I'll probably have my buddy slice those up for a future build. (yeah, this is unlikely to end anytime soon)
 
Epic. Can’t wait to see your progress!!

For me in-depth research into a topic can help spend my interest and save me a bunch of money, or it reveals that I really am interested enough to spend the money! That has just happened with a guitar… I started researching a first guitar for my 7-yo son and 3 weeks on I now have a 2018 build date Taylor 717 that I found NOS for a fantastic price. Still looking for my son’s though 🤣
 
Wow! 3 "practice" boats. I'm impressed. I picked one, and went with it. I didn't get far in, and realized it would be followed by another.... Hoping to start the prep work (seats, gunwales, yoke, strips, etc.) started in the next week or so, while I narrow down my design choice. Looking forward to following this one.

I'm surprised you can't get cedar at your local big box store. Not saying there's anything wrong with your wood choice.
 
I'm surprised you can't get cedar at your local big box store
The big boxes have it but they charge an arm & a leg for it, I'd have to hunt through a pile of it to get nice boards, I try to buy local to the point of exclusivity and there are still a lot of small sawmills in this area (hey, the little guys gotta eat too).

Besides, I like the idea of seeing what the different woods look like, the challenge of keeping the weight reasonable w/ heavier (potentially stronger) woods and, in the end, it might have a unique look.

120 hours at the "regular" job in the past 10 days, I have to play catch-up on errands today and slap some shoes on a few horses. Hopefully, I'll make it upstairs this evening to see about building a strongback & getting the shaper set up to mill strips. I've gotta get rolling on this... I've got 4 trips planned.
 
20+ years ago I worked in a woodshop. I recall intentionally darkening some cherry. I think drain cleaner was used???

Anyway, looking forward to following along.

I too have too many irons in the fire, but am interested in building a wood strip canoe.
 
I have to caution against making "a paddle". I made one, then two, then two more, and now I've got four more started. Can't seem to stop. It's a lot like making a canoe, in that you get the opportunity to practice and/or "show off" your craftsmanship and end up with something beautiful, with a much smaller committment of time, space, or resources. I see paddle making as a natural extension of canoe building. Perhaps even a way to dip your toe in the water so to speak.
 
Are you going to make a paddle too, if you haven't made one already? Sassafras makes good ones.
I see paddle making as a natural extension of canoe building
I've actually already got some paddles planned (gotta match one to the canoe, right?) but I'm more concerned with getting the canoe done at this point. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this weekend... I've got a trip planned for Memorial Day and I'm probably going to have to call in dead to work in order to get this done in time.
 
It was the best of ideas, it was the worst of ideas. It was an act of excess in an era of economy, a bold and confident move that belied the uncertainty of the outcome. A plan so crazy that it seemed logical and so sacrilegious that it was divinely inspired.

Hmm… Seems like a bit too much hype…

Alternative intro: I’m building a boat (or two or three or four).

Shortly after joining this forum, I became interested in building a stripper (no, not the “wanna lap dance?” kind but the kind that causes you to fuel up BEFORE loading the boat so you don't get held up answering questions at the gas station on your way to the water).

I did all of the things that seem typical of an aspiring builder; I pored through build threads, researched different wood options on wood database and even started a thread here to see what others had experienced using something other than the traditional Cedar (it’s not common in my area and, therefore, very expensive). What I found was that there are many reports of using poplar, sassafras, aspen, pine, etc. but I could find very few pictures anywhere so it was kind of a roll of the dice whether or not the finished boat would be aesthetically pleasing.

To make matters worse, while searching for nicely colored woods, I had an older woodworker introduce me to Sumac and I immediately fell in love. Lightweight (I'm still unsure where wood database got their posted info but it seems to weigh nothing!), absolutely stunning in the sunlight and certainly not available through any sawmills or lumber yards, acquisition of boards can typically be achieved only by searching out “large” trees (max growth seems to be about 8-10 inches in diameter and rarely over 5 feet of trunk length), and cutting them up yourself. That debacle is currently in the works and I hope to post it after a sufficient quantity of lumber has been stickered, stacked & air dried.

Now... due to the amount of effort involved in producing Sumac boards, I want to be certain that the canoe I build will be one I like to paddle and different hull shapes have different handling characteristics. Furthermore, I've found that the more one does something, the better the results tend to be so I figure...

I'll acquire plans for 2-3 canoes, build them with readily available lumber, paddle each to see which I prefer and then build the preferred hull a second time using the dreamy Sumac.

Finally… So many people wonder how long it actually takes, so I’ll be the guinea pig. I’ve never built a canoe and I am not a woodworker. Follow along if you like… I’ll try to work on it as often as possible (trip report style except that you can see me screw up practically in real time.)

Add all of that up and what you wind up with is this...

The first victim is a 15’ 3” Freedom Solo from Bear Mountain. It will be built from Aspen strips with Cherry accents. Hopefully, it will be followed closely by a Raven from Martin Step that will be built with Eastern Larch (aka Tamarac) and Sassafras. I’m hoping to have both done for early summer but we shall see…

The woods I have chosen are all heavier per cubic foot than the traditional Cedar so, to keep weight reasonable, all strips will be 3/16 instead of the standard ¼ inch and I’m still toying with the glass layup. It may be experimentally lightweight (these are not IMO “forever” boats but merely trial runs. If they hold up, that's great but it won't break my heart if the layup proves to be too light... I'll simply beef it up a little for the real boat)

I hope that, in addition to educating myself, I can help others to see what the color combos/different woods look like and I have plans to also build a poplar/butternut combo, and both a pine hull and a catalpa hull accented with something... hemlock?... ash or elm?... perhaps even white oak?

I will also attempt to keep future posts long on pictures and much shorter on prose.

Lumber:

I have a friend that owns a band saw mill and several customers who had trees that needed to be removed. I’ve worked as a sawyer so it seemed reasonable to gather the trees and have my friend saw them up.

A few aspens…
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…some white oak, black willow and some cherry…

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…An afternoon at the sawmill…

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… and the boards were stickered and stacked in the overhead of my Dad’s barn while I sought out (and built) a heated space in which to work during the winter.

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The whole process took a couple of years which was helpful as, by the time I was ready to machine the lumber, the moisture content was down to 8-9 % and there was no need (in my mind) to pay for kiln drying.

I also found a few hundred board feet of 1 inch rough cut Larch that I was able to acquire for 75 cents per board foot and I grabbed that as well as a few Hemlock boards and a couple of Sassafras that were laying around.

Strips:

There’s not a ton of room in the upstairs of my buddy’s garage so I didn’t have room to set up an entire wood shop there. I made do with what was available and cut Aspen and some Cherry strips at the barn this past summer. I understand that Cherry darkens when exposed to UV light but the polyurethane I’ll be using contains UV blockers. My thinking was that, by cutting it early, it would darken sufficiently by the time I sealed it up.

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To cut the strips, I used a circular saw with a guide bolted to the shoe in such a way that it sliced the 1 inch thick boards into 3/16 inch strips. The guide is just a piece of aluminum angle and it worked well as long as I remembered that the guide interferes with the blade guard and the saw needs to be set down on a 5 gallon bucket. Uniformity of strips seemed very good with this method as long as I was careful to pull it toward me in a way that kept the guide tight against the board.

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Today, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm February weather to gather up the Aspen & Cherry strips from the barn and move them to the upstairs of the garage. I needed to haul them about 8 miles so I tied the strips to an intact board and tied them to the roof of the Ranger.

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I didn’t pay much attention to how long it took to rip the Aspen but, as I was in the groove, I stopped by my yard & cut up some Larch & made a dozen or so strips of Sassafras. It took about 4 hours to cut up 25 or so board feet of lumber. I’m not sure that will be enough but it’s a pretty good start and the Larch is for the second boat anyway. I was impressed with the color and grain of the Larch and I’m thinking it will rival Cedar for aesthetics and maybe the weight penalty won’t be unbearable.

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One aspect of Larch is the abundance of small knots and I’ll try to leave as many in as can be easily worked around. There were 3 times when the knot was loose in the strip but the strip did not break so I popped out the knot, applied a little glue, clamped it with a spring clamp and let it set up. Might not work but we’ll see…

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I cut strips until the light started to fade then tied the strips to boards & threw them on the Ranger with the Aspen / Cherry. You have to use your imagination a little but there should be 2 canoes on the roof racks.

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I hauled all of this to by buddy’s place & carried it upstairs. This week, I need to paint the back half of the area (front drywall isn’t finished yet and it won’t be for awhile) and move everything already up there to the rear (painted) area. I’ll grab some plywood this week and, hopefully, have the strongback & forms completed this Saturday.

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To date: Time estimate is 12 hrs (not including acquisition of lumber), cost estimate is $52.50 (60 brd ft of Aspen & Cherry at 50 cents/ brd ft & 30 brd ft of Larch & Sassafras at 75 cents a foot)
Boy, that really is starting from scratch.
I built a boat once, to prove a point.
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't.
In my view there are only two good reasons to build a boat.
One- you want something that you can't buy.
Two- the satisfaction of paddling (or rowing, or whatever) a boat that you built with your own hands, especially if you also designed it, can be great.
 
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't.
Interesting... what went wrong?

As for my motivations: I like working with my hands and have always been reasonably good at it, I love the look of wood, like to save money, I have no idea where to buy any of these hulls and I'm really looking forward to saying "I built it" (even if it breaks in 1/2 on the first rock... but it won't)
 
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