In a almost local Craigs list add is a wood strip canoe made with Basswood. Has any one tried Basswood? Alternative wood source for building strip canoes? Would it be lighter?
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Basswood instead of Cedar?
- Thread starter cflcanoe
- Start date
Basswood has a density of between 20-37 lb/ft[SUP]3[/SUP] . Western Red Cedar is 23 lb/ft[SUP]3[/SUP]*
You can build a canoe out of many woods depending on what you want and cost is a big factor these days. I'll be using some Aspen and WRC and possibly local cedar if I can find clear.
*http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html
You can build a canoe out of many woods depending on what you want and cost is a big factor these days. I'll be using some Aspen and WRC and possibly local cedar if I can find clear.
*http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-density-d_40.html
I've worked with basswood. It is easy to work, and quite light, but would probably be heavier than cedar in the end. It's also pretty uniform in it's lack of colour, white is what you would get.
Trump_lion I have even seen one. Only one. Wood and Canvas canoes are very rare around here. Any one who wishes can bring one by for me to drool on. I promise it will just wipe off.
Bass wood is known to me as for paddles only. So Bass Wood for planks might be considered an heritage material like spruce is for gunwales?
Mihun09 please share with us the build process and end results as you build with aspen. As you state cost is a factor. Although aspen would not be inexpensive for me. What happens when using other woods is very interesting to me. May be some day will build another strip canoe.
Bass wood is known to me as for paddles only. So Bass Wood for planks might be considered an heritage material like spruce is for gunwales?
Mihun09 please share with us the build process and end results as you build with aspen. As you state cost is a factor. Although aspen would not be inexpensive for me. What happens when using other woods is very interesting to me. May be some day will build another strip canoe.
wood canvas are pretty common around here -- i know of at least three within about fifty feet of me 
but they were the 'working-class' of the peterborough boats -- loose-tolerance wooden boats in canvas working overalls -- the all wood board and batten and longitudinal strip boats were their hallmark, and the best were made of clear basswood.
but they were the 'working-class' of the peterborough boats -- loose-tolerance wooden boats in canvas working overalls -- the all wood board and batten and longitudinal strip boats were their hallmark, and the best were made of clear basswood.
We cut the Aspen into strips today and found it to be quite dense. It is heavier than the cedar for sure, more than the 4% density difference, but what may kill the idea of Aspen is it seems fairly unwilling to bend down it's length. Won't know for sure until I start stripping in a few weeks.
I forget where I read it, but one of the old timey guys (might be Pinkerton, in "Canoe: care and selection" or some such) said cedar was lighter, but basswood was "tougher", and used when a canoe might be used more roughly (whitewater?)
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