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Skin on frame 16' solo canoe finished

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I just finished a 16'3' solo canoe for a trip I had planned in the Adirondacks in August. It turns out I won't be making the trip due to rotator cuff surgery 8 weeks ago but that's another story. Some SOF canoes can be made extremely light but a bit fragile,. Since I wanted a tripping canoe I used scantlings that would give it strength and be reasonably light. I was shooting for under 40 lbs and it actually weighs in at 41 lbs, so that's not too bad. Portage weight with yoke, paddles and a couple pieces of gear will be 48 lbs. Here is a link to the building process as well as pics of the finished canoe (yes! another red canoe!!) Enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/101178211036772879744/CanoeBuildSpring2012#

Dave
 

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Thanks. I was pleased at how it turned out. To paraphrase Donald Southerland's character in the Dirty Dozen," It is very pretty General, but how does it paddle?"
It hasn't been in the water yet so how well it paddles is yet to be determined.
 
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How well does a skin on frame boat handle the normal wear and tear of paddling. Will it bounce off that rock I didn't see, or is there a greater chance of puncture?
 
Willis,
The construction is pretty tough. There is some give to the frame so it absorbs hits pretty well. I have had skins last 7 years before reskinning and have never puntured one yet in 9 years of paddling sof kayaks. It is the coating that cracks and chips after a while and not the cloth that prompts the need for a new skin. I have had sof kayaks in surf and rubbing up on barnacles with no punctures. You can beat on it with a hammer but don't stab it with a knife. It will puncture but not easily. As with most kayaks and canoes duct tape is the emergency repair.(I like gorilla tape). Having said that, I have skinned all the other frames I have built with 9 oz ballistic nylon which stretches and also helps absorb impacts. This canoe is skinned with 8 oz polyester which doesn't stretch, a bit of an experiment for me.
I still have to add strips of oak to the stems to hide the staples and provide abrasion protection to those high wear areas.
 
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Too bad about the surgery. Nice photo album on Picasa with the captions, really helped to understand how the canoe is made.
Very nice looking canoe. Thanks for sharing.
 
Dave,

Thanks for sharing! My son built a type of sof canoe a few years ago, it has held up well.
I have been considering this construction technique as well, as I continue to age I just get smaller and smaller...and I keep building lighter and lighter boats. I believe I've reached a practical limit with my strippers...
Have you considered different material for the ribs and stringers? What if those parts were made of carbon fiber wrapped foam? From your photo descriptions (which really help) it seems 80% of the weight is in the frame. I need a solo boat (not a kayak!!) that can handle big water and that I can handle in the woods. I was thinking a sof guideboat with modern materials might be the answer.

Anyway, thanks for sharing the build photos. Oh, one last question. How many hours for that red canoe build?
 
I didn't keep track of hours. It was 4 months of a little time here, a little time there. My kayaks take about 100 hrs, so if I were to guess I'd say 200 to 250 hours. I also did this in the backyard so there were weather constraints as well.
I could have made this one lighter but I wanted the strength for carrying 350 to 400 lbs. I won't use glass or resin but there is no reason it can't be done. Fewer stringers would make it lighter but with a less refined shape to the hull. A solo canoe of 14 or 14.5 feet would save weight also. Each coat of paint was about 1/2 pound. There are ways to get the weight down. The 11 foot Wee lassie style canoe I built was 23 lbs.
See my friend Brian's website. He has built SOF guide boats.
http://capefalconkayak.com/adirondackguideboat2.0.html

Your strippers are gorgeous, by the way.
Regards,
Dave
 
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Dave,
Thanks for the response and the compliments. I checked out your bud Brian's site and the one that he references...I had studied that other site before. I need another tandem stripper, the last one bravely gave its all, and as a result is no more.
And my DY Special is not ideal for my favorite type of paddling, a slightly shorter, more maneuverable stripper of my own design will replace it.
Then I'll try my hand at a composite framed SOF something or another, as a practice piece in preparation for a SOF guide boat.
If only I had just a little more time...

Mike T.
 
What a work of art. I am very envious of all you boat building guys. Your captions definitely help explain the process and steps involved.
 
Finally got to paddle it!

Finally got to paddle it!

This weekend I finally paddled the new canoe! I finished with 4 months of physical therapy for the shoulder surgery and couldn't wait any longer. Tested it with 100 pounds of gear for an overnight camping trip ( I do know how to pack lighter but this was a test!) It balanced perfectly, paddled well with hardly any water disturbance on entry and exit, and was so quiet I couldn't hear any gurgling (something that often happens with multichine hulls if you don't get them right). Here are some photos of my son paddling it.
 

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Dave,

That sure looks nice on the water, I like the bow and stern shapes too!!
So what happened to the shoulder that required surgery?
 
Have a partially torn rotator cuff that didn't respond to PT so it needed surgery on 4 June and 4 months of PT . I think I tore it paddling but it could have been years of wear and tear from various activities and then on a Christmas day 12 mile kayak paddle last year on Chesapeke Bay it went! I didn't think I was going to make it the last 3 miles back to the launch it hurt so badly. Since paddling is what I do it was a long summer without a blade (or blades) in my hand. I'll be gradually building up distance over the winter in canoe and kayaks to be ready for next summer. I missed a 2 week Baha trip, a trip to Land Between the Lakes in TN/KY and 3 potential ADK trips this year.
 
Another tale of the new canoe: I entered it in the judging at the 30th annual Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival held on Columbus Day weekend at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD along with a Greenland qajaq and an Aleutian baidarka that I had built in 2004. My canoe took First place in the paddling division (canoes and kayaks). Second place went to a perfectly restored 100 year old Chestnut canoe owned (and restored) by my friend Claude Lawrence. I would have chosen Claude's Chestnut for 1st place personally. My Greenland qajaq was awarded 1st place in the "traditional craft built traditionally" class. It stood out because it was rigged with a complete seal hunting outfit which you don't see everyday. My baidarka took 3rd place in the same class. I was pretty jazzed about the 3 ribbons for 3 boats entered and, even though I build for fun and to have different boats to paddle, it was nice to get some recognition for the effort.
 
Congratulations! Are you going to have an entry in next year's competition?
 
Hey Willis,
I don't have any new builds planned at this point so who knows. It was a great weekend just being there. There were folks from NY, Ohio, and from far away so it is pretty well known and has been held for 30 years.
 
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