Building plywood frame birchbark-like canoes

[Glenn MacGrady]

Hans-Georg Wagner, a sculpturer and wood designer in eastern Germany (Cottbus), has been building beautiful plywood frame canoes since 1994 and paddles since 2004.

First, is an overview video of the maiden voyage of a completed canoe, which Hans-Georg paddles with a combination of "Canadian style," "freestyle" and "Northwoods stroke" techniques.

The next five posts will be videos demonstrating the canoe construction methodology.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

(Edit: Part 0 video, building the gunwale frame and seat, is at post #9 below. You may want to watch that first.)

Part 1: Bending the hull

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Part 2: Stitching the bottom and frame

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Part 3: The ribs, headboard and stems

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Part 4: The ribs and sheathings

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Part 5: The gunwale caps, priming and coating

 

[dutchlennart]

Very nice boats,
His paddles are magic.
Very glad to have met the guy a number of times

 

[MyKneesHurt]

This was fascinating, thank you.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I just found there is a "Part 0" video, with German narration and some English subtitles, which shows how Hans-Georg builds the initial gunwale frame and seat before he attaches the hull (in Part 1).