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Hello all

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Some of you may know me from ADK Forum, I'm stripperguy.
I've been traveling the Adirondacks all my life, at first with my father and uncles hunting and fishing...it was serious stuff. We camped and hiked and paddled only to get to the fishing and hunting.
Then, I took a 6 day canoe trip from Old Forge to Tupper Lake with my buddy when we were both 19 years old. From that week on, I was hooked on paddling and the Adirondacks. I paddled Lows when you needed permission from the scouts, camped at Lila when the lodge was still there, saw the demise of the tent platforms, witnessed the crazy Brookies in the West Canada's before acid rain took it's toll.
I've been waiting patiently to get into Follensby Pond since 1965...
Oh, and the name stripperguy? I build boats, lots and lots of strip canoes. And I take a lot of photos.
My favorite paddling is small streams and distant ponds, I carry a lot as a result.

Anyway, hope your site gets lots of traffic...

Good Luck Willis!!
 
.
Oh, and the name stripperguy? I build boats, lots and lots of strip canoes.

Here's a quick look, 2 of those 3 canoes are mine

DSC_8532.JPG



Here's my DY Special solo...

DSC_3717.JPG


And here's a sailboat (also a stripper) that I built

129.JPG


There are/were many, many more....some still around, some gone to the great beyond.
 
They certainly are works of art. I, too, participated in that raffle. Though I didn't win, of course, I did get to see the canoe that day Mike picked it up. I was up on Stillwater res and he showed up later than day with it. And with a big grin on his face.
 
My nephew and I are building the same hull right now.
He's got just 3 strips left to go, then it's time to move it out from my basement and into the boat shop. I supply the experience, advise and an extra pair of hands. He's making all the creative decisions and actually doing all of the work while I watch/help.
When I was much younger, I served an apprenticeship for toolmaking. I spent most of my time hanging with the old guys, learning everything I could. My contemporaries would tease me, but by the end of my apprenticeship, I could make anything, from any material, using any machine or process. The time spent building with my nephew is a sort of apprenticeship for him, (his words, not mine!) and I'm glad to pass along all that I can. BTW, those boats are built to be used and abused, you'd be amazed at the way we treat those boats and how well they hold up! My nephew's boat will end up costing him a little over $500...where else can you get a 17 ft tandem canoe, that handles almost anything, weighs 40 lbs, and looks like that, for that kind of money!? I have toyed with the idea of building and selling boats, but I'm afraid if I need boat building to put food on the table, it might not be so much fun. I have also thought about a teaching program for strip building boats, an apprenticeship for the masses or a small mass, anyway. That might be the best way for me to pass along some of my experience, and help others become more confident and self sufficient...
 
Willis,

We should be glassing the outside of that hull in a couple of weeks. A few weeks after that, we'll be doing the inside.
If you had any plans to travel this way around then, or divert on a trip to the Adirondacks, you could serve a short apprenticeship and quell those fears... feel free to contact me.
 
Hi Stripperguy,
Great looking boats! The tandem looks fast just sitting there. Would you mind sharing the dimensions? Thanks
 
pdr2, Thanks for the kind words,


Length-17'2"
Width-gunwales-30.5"
Width maximum-31.5"
Width 4" water line-29.5"

Sheer line
Bow-15.5"
Stern-14.5"
Midship-12.5"

Rocker-1.25" symmetric

If you are looking at my 18' stripper... same dimensions except 1 foot longer. Other boats in those photos are my 16'8" DY Special and my buddy's 18'6" USCA Comp Cruiser. I helped with the cruiser, others are all mine...
I have step by step photos of the build of a sister 17 foot boat here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tomaszewski.m.i.k.e/NEW17FTCANOE#



 
stripperguy,Thanks for the the specs. I think your pictures contain as much info on building a strip canoe as some books. The workmanship in your boats is outstanding," I kept saying wow, very nice!" I particularly like the bow and stern decks/ float tanks. I would think this really stiffens the the whole boat. The lines are beautiful, the cruise speed for these boats must be quite high. Do you have any trouble with waves coming over the bow? Is the 17 footer based on another canoe or is it your own design?
 
Mr. pdr,
Yeah, those decks and bulkheads greatly stiffen the ends of the hull, so much so that I barely need any thwarts. My B-I-L has suggested installing some hatch covers, to keep valuables like cell phones and wallets dry.
Hull speed for the 17 footer is around 8 mph, 6 is easy to hold all day long. The 17 pitches in waves just a bit, but just enough to keep the bow from going under in big rollers. The 18 footer, unfortunately, slices right through big rollers, resulting in taking waves over the bow. I have been hit at waist level by big rollers on Little Tupper Lake...not so much fun!!
The 17 footer is my design, based on a specific scaling of a USCA comp cruiser. By luck, it turned out to be a nearly ideal combination of speed, manueverability, and seaworthiness.
 
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