First Canoe

[WoodsNWaters]

Really. I've paddled many canoes but never owned one.

Chesapeake Light Craft makes cedar-strip kits for several canoe and kayak designs by Nick Schade. CLC is known for plywood boat kits: kayaks, rowing craft, sailing, other.

This kit is the "Mystic River Tandem".

Length	17' 2"
WL length	17'
Beam	34"
WL beam	33"
Weight	42 Lbs
Max payload	450 Lbs
Draft	4.5"
Surface area	60 sq ft
Wetted area	31.7 sq ft

Not a lot of rocker; about 2.25" difference between center and the last form.

Weight was one big reason for choosing this design. Many designs and kits for 16' and longer canoes are heavier by 10 or 15 pounds. This kit uses 1/4" strips and 6-oz cloth so the weight savings aren't ultralight materials.

I opted for the "complete" kit. CNC-cut forms, CNC-cut strongback, strips, glass, epoxy, decks, seats and a piece of ash for a yoke.

I see zero mentions of this design on canoetripping.net. Zero mentions of cedar-strip kits from CLC. Of course CLC could look around and see zero mentions of me or my abilities so we could be even.




To the basement!

 

[Sedges]

An interesting hull. It has a shallow-vee bottom, much like a Mad River Malecite. I think it has more rocker than a Malecite and I like that. The shallow-vee will give a little twitchy feel that you will get used to in the first few minutes of paddling. It gives it excellent secondary stability. It will track well, too.

I would be absolutely amazed if you end up with a 42# boat. Maybe 52# would be more realistic. I can't believe that CLC advertises that at 42#. I think it is misleading.

 

[WoodsNWaters]

Thanks, @Sedges , for those details. Since ordering the kit on July 2, I've been wondering if this design is the right choice. Your comments on the design are reassuring.

Your comment about weight seems reasonable but less reassuring. My weight goal has been 44#. That's 2/3 the weight of my only current boat, a 17' ocean k*y*k. Fifty-two would be a disappointment but still better than 66#.

 

[Cruiser]

You won't regret building your own canoe, it is a vastly illuminating, terrifying, exhilarating and satisfying endeavor ... try to enjoy every step.

Building lighter has sort of become "my thing" in the last few builds. IMO a lighter boat is not one decision, it is every decision you make, at every step. Obviously, going with a kit means a lot of those decisions have been made for you already, but not all of them, there are still some ways to try and build lighter IMO.

Things to consider:
- check your epoxy instructions carefully, understand how it can be used, if you can use a precoat (seal coat) and maintain a chemical bond, you will save a nice chunk of weight.
- look at the gunnel sizing, if it is standard 3/4" x 3/4" ash (or similar) you can reasonably halve that to 3/8" x 3/8" and save quite a few pounds
- check the deck weights, they don't need to weigh over a few ounces each, it is a small project to redo them and save weight
- laminate that "chunk of ash" and minimize the yoke design, it needs to work, but anytime you use hardwood, it is easy to pack on weight
- unless you do a lot of scraping on the inside, you can forego the flood coats and save a pound or two on the inside
- you can also safely trim ~3/4" from the sheer, gives a better finish to the edge and saves a pound or so as well

Each of these areas are still available to you for weight considerations and you may be surprised by how much weight you can save doing them.

IMO, you should be able to make 42#s by not adding unnecessary weight during the build, however, if you just follow the directions, I suspect 55+ would be the likely result.

Brian

 

[Jim Dodd]

WoodsNWaters

A great kit. to start with. A Big Plus, is the strips are Bead and Coved. Makes assembly a lot easier.
Will you build in the Basement ? Dust will be your biggest enemy.

Does the kit include stems ?

As others have said 42# is light.

I'm repairing a tandem stripper right now. Two big cracks down the middle.
Had the original builder, double layered the bottom ? I doubt I'd be fixing it !
Yes, extra weight. but worth the durability in my view.

Keep us posted on your progress, and don't be afraid to ask questions !

Jim