The canoe is a prototype that takes its inspiration from the popular Modern Malecite St. John River Canoe plans. I like the Modern Malecite, but I wanted something with more volume and efficiency for tripping. The canoe needed to turn easily for use on tight rivers, but it also needed to have enough directional stability to paddle across the flats. Additionally, it needed to perform well when heeled in Classic Solo Canoeing style. I wanted a classic look with a modern flare. I didn’t want high end that would catch the wind, but I needed a nice upsweep in the ends. I needed to balance all these considerations to arrive at a canoe that not only I would like, but other canoeists would enjoy, too.

If you’ve been following along on Facebook. You can see pictures from the entire building process. There’s nothing magical or all that hard — maybe sometimes frustrating though — about the process. If you have any do-it-yourself nature, a cedar strip canoe is easy to build and it’s a fun project. Something to consider. You can find lots of free canoe plans here. Eventually, the plans for the Ursa will become available. For this canoe, I used 3/16-inch strips on the bottom, 1/8-inch strips on the side, one layer of 6 oz. fiberglass on the outside, an extra layer of 3 oz. glass on the outside bottom, 6 oz. carbon fiber on the inside. The trim is ash. The decks are cedar and ash.

Launching the Ursa Canoe

We launched the new tandem canoe in the Grand Marais marina, and paddled it on a relatively calm Lake Superior for about 4 miles. It was a short paddle without a load, so although I do have initial impressions, they’re not enough to make any final decisions about changes. The one “big” change that was apparent is that we sort of got our seat placement wrong. We’re planning on using this canoe as a tripper and storing the heavy pack forward the yoke, which means that when unloaded, the bow rises up out of the water. I expected that, but I didn’t expect to get what I got. With another paddler of my same weight in the bow, it’d balance perfectly. In retrospect, I should have mounted the stern seat and the bow seat slightly forward of their current positions. (An argument for sliding bow seats). We also decided that we didn’t like the width of the outwales, which means that I have some hand planing ahead of me (this will also drop a few pounds in weight!). The hull is so stiff because of the carbon fiber, it doesn’t really need the outwales.

As far as initial paddling impressions, the canoe feels stable enough (Ilena thinks less than the Freedom, but I think about the same). It feels more stable than some Prospectors that I’ve used. It turns easily, but isn’t a bear to keep going straight. We took it into some tight quarters in local rock gardens on Lake Superior with about a 1/2-foot or so of swell. We also paddled on some small breaking waves, into slots, etc… We took it where I normally sea kayak. It turned quickly in the tight areas. I feel like I got this right. The next step is to paddle it on windier day to see how it performs. Speed felt fine. I’m not sure it was as fast as my Freedom, but it feels faster than the Prospectors that I’ve paddled (the main competition for this boat). I need to get out the Freedom and paddle it side-by-side to compare the speed. I paddled it Canadian-style solo (I’m really rusty!), and it was super fun paddled that way.

Paddling the Ursa Video

Here’s a video of our first outing with the canoe. At 30 seconds, you can see the weight imbalance caused by the seat placement. When/if I release the plans to the public, I’ll move the seats forward to account for this.

The testing plan originally included paddling it on an October trip from International Falls, Minn. to Grand Portage, Minn., but one person backed out, so now we’re taking a solo canoe instead of this canoe, so it won’t get an overnight test paddle until November (if the weather holds). There’s still lots of work to complete on this boat, such as painting the bottom and varnishing the inside and outside. I need to oil the trim and fill a few fiberglassing bubbles.

It feels great to get it on the water!

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Launching: New Tandem Canoe — the PaddlingLight Ursa Canoe

1910 St. Francis Skin-on-Frame Canoe

Builder: Mike Wootton

Completed: July 2011

This unique version of the 1910 combines the shape of a birch bark canoe with the technology of a skin-on-frame kayak. The colored covering looks like real animal skin and contrasts perfectly with the ribs and stringers. While Mike didn’t detail the building process completely, he gives hints about how he did it. Here’s how I’d do it: Set up a strongback with the center station and two on each side of the center station and the stems. Then bend the gunwales, add stringers, and bend the ribs using the stringers as guides. Skin it and outfit.

Mike wrote:

Here are some pictures of the canoe I built from your plans. I’m sure I used way too much oak… She has cedar stringers, oak ribs, oak bow and stern pieces, ash inwale, mostly ash outfitting (some unknown hardwood scraps). I skinned with 14 oz. polyester from G. Dyson. Coated with tinted spar varnish (I’m not happy with the tinting, but sometimes you just have to try new things). I learned a lot on this project… ideas I’ll use on the next one. Thanks for the plans.

A few details about the build:

• The process was inwales & thwarts, then ribs, keelson, stringers, and outwales (with much adjusting).
• I made the outwales the same thickness as the stringers, skinned over it, attaching the skin to outwales with monel staples. I finished with oak rub strips. Couldn’t figure out a staple-less way of skinning it.
• The bow and stern are steamed and laminated. I got the idea from the bark canoes, with split and wrapped gunwales.

About its performance Mike writes:

We launched it on Lake Chatcolet in northern Idaho last weekend, and it handled great. It seemed very maneuverable.

More photos on Flickr.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Builders Photos of the 1910 St. Francis Canoe

Required Materials

• Rough-cut ash, 4 feet by 4 inches by 1 inch, straight grained (or other hardwood, such as cherry)
• Four 3-inch stainless steel screws
• Two yoke pads w/ bolts, washers and nuts
• Watco oil
• Printed plans
• Spray adhesive
• Saw
• Router with a round-over bit
• Clamps
• Sandpaper, 80-grit, 120-grit, 220-grit
• Drill with 1/8-inch bit
• Countersink bit

Yoke Building Instructions

Drill pilot holes into each side piece.

Step 2: Cut out the three different parts with a saw. (Please, don’t cut yourself. :)) Block plane or power sand the side pieces into the same shape if your initial cut wasn’t exact.

Step 3: Drill pilot holes into the side pieces and into each edge of the solo canoe yoke. The plans show the drilling locations. On the outside of the side pieces, countersink each hole enough hold a screw head. On the yoke drill holes large enough for your yoke pad hardware.

The hole for one yoke pad. Adjust as desired.

Step 5: Unscrew the pieces, and round over all the edges except the ones that you marked. Use a router bit radius that pleases your eyes. (Please, clamp down the pieces and be careful with the router. It could take a finger off.) You should also just sand a round corner if you don’t have a router.

Step 6: Sand the pieces starting with 80-grit followed by 120-grit and then 220-grit.

Looking at the finished sides of the yoke.

Step 8: Coat everything with three coats of Watco Oil. I like the green can, but it’s hard to find, so I usually use natural in the brown can. Let everything dry according to the instructions.

Step 9: Screw the side pieces to the yoke. Bolt the yoke pads to the yoke.

Step 10: Hook the back of the solo canoe portage yoke around the back of the seat as shown in the picture above. Slide a bungee cord around the seat to hold it on when you pick up the canoe. Portage as required.

Purchase Yoke Plans

The plans for the solo canoe yoke come as a pdf. When you print the plans, you’ll have a full-sized template for cutting out the parts. I’m selling the plans on a pay-what-you-can-afford plan. The standard rate is $15. For students, poor canoe guides, people on fixed income, the unemployed or if you just can’t afford the standard rate, we ask $5 or $10. For people that can afford more than $15, we ask for $25. If you absolutely cannot afford $5, we’ll give you the plans for free. Contact us with a message about why you think you need the plans for free, and we’ll send you the file. No questions asked. If you’re a writer and have something to say, consider a well-written article about lightweight canoe and kayak travel payment.

Pay What You Can Afford Pricing

Standard Pricing $15.00 Broke $5.00 Not so Broke $10.00 Rolling in Cash $25.00

The download will begin immediately after purchase and open in Adobe Reader. You need to save the pdf to your desktop to save it on your computer. If it doesn’t work for you, contact us.

Builder’s Photos

Randy Clough’s brother a furniture maker built this pad out of cherry. He beefed up the plan a bit and joined the pieces together with mortise and tenon joints. The finish is Watco oil and the pads are Chosen Valley. The solo canoe yoke looks so good that Randy’s wife even thought that he ought to use it for a wall decoration.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Solo Canoe Yoke Plans for Portaging

Canoe Seat Position Calculations

Part of canoeing and seamanship is trimming your boat to the conditions. Ideally, you want to balance the canoe so that the original design condition is met, which requires you to evenly balance both paddler’s center of gravity over the boat’s center of buoyancy. Imagine the canoe as a seesaw. The seesaw’s pivot point is the canoe’s center of buoyancy. To balance the seesaw, the heavier person usually sits nearer to the center than the lighter. To balance a canoe, you need to do the same. To find the seat position, use Ted Moores’ formula found in Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip Construction.

Sternman’s weight x A = Bowman’s weight x B

Where “A” equals the distance between the sternman’s center of gravity and the boat’s center of buoyancy, and “B” equals the distance between the bowman’s center of gravity to the boat’s center of buoyancy. When applying this formula, you can assume that the paddler’s center of gravity equals the front of his seat.

Before you decide seat position consider the following:

• Seats placed near the ends make narrower paddling stations and increase turning leverage.
• Seats placed near the ends reduce stability unless loaded.
• Seats placed near the ends reduce room for the legs of the bowman and width for the sternman.
• Seats placed closer to center provides more lift in the ends.

You need to balance the seat according to your needs. For example, if you’re going to use the canoe for tripping, then move the seats out towards the ends, because the heavier load increases stability and you need the extra leverage to help turn a fully loaded canoe. If it’s a cabin cruiser, then move the seats closer together for more comfort and great stability. If the canoe is extra wide, move the seat towards the ends where it’s narrower, so it’s easier to reach the water with your paddle. If the canoe has skinny ends, move the seats more towards the center.

As an example, let’s say we want to make the Têtes de Boule Two-Fathom Canoe into a cabin canoe with roomy, but not too room paddling stations and plenty of leg room in the front. We first place the bow seat 3 1/2 feet from the bow and 3 feet 10 inches from the canoe’s center of buoyancy. Our bowman weighs 140 lbs., and our sternman weighs 180 lbs.

180 lbs. x A = 140 lbs. x 3.8334 feet
simplifies
A = (140 x 3.8334) / 180
solves
A = 2.982 feet

The distance between the canoe’s center of buoyancy and the sternman’s center of gravity is about 3 feet. That makes his paddling station 2 feet 2 inches wide and the bowman’s is 1 foot 10 inches.

Height of the Canoe Seat

The lower the canoe seats the more stable the canoe becomes. Higher canoe seats give more control and make the boat more responsive. Canoe seats mounted somewhere in the middle give a good balance between stability and responsiveness, because you can kneel when you need extra stability and sit for all other times. When mounting seats for a balanced approach, mount them high enough to get your feet in and out easily. Most paddlers will find about 9 or 10 inches high enough. To make the kneeling position more comfortable, angle the seat slightly forward by raising the seat’s rear 1 inch higher than the seat’s front. Consider knee pads if you plan on kneeling often.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Calculate Canoe Seat Positions

Sample Station and Stem Plans

The free drawings comes with a combined station and stem plan. You can work from this if you only want to print out one piece of paper. Great for framing and placing in the boat house (garage). Sample below.

Nesting Sample

These drawings come with multiple pages of nestings. Each station and stem is drawn separately. Use spray adhesive to fix the paper to your plywood before cutting out the forms. Nestings cost extra. Sample below.

Printed Drawings

Buy printed drawings that include the Station and Stem Plans and a full set of Nestings for $100. Comes printed on 24- by 36-inch paper.

Electronic Nestings

Buy a pdf of the electronic nestings for $30. You can print the file on 24- by 36-inch paper on your own.

Donate

If you build this canoe from the free plans, consider donating $30 for my time and effort. Any donations are appreciated. Whether or not you donate, please, send me a picture of your build–I’ll add it to a builder’s gallery.

Recommended Books to Buy Before Building

• Canoecraft: An Illustrated Guide to Fine Woodstrip Construction: The gold standard for cedar canoe builders. Use this book with the provided free plans and you’ll end up with a great canoe.
• Building a Strip Canoe by Gil Gilpatrick: A great cedar canoe building book that explains excellent shortcuts.
• Strip Built Canoe: How to build a beautiful, lightweight, cedar strip canoe: Well written and easy to follow. Every builder should own this.
• Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own: Paddle building techniques included with canoe and kayak building books are typically crude. Follow the directions in this book and end up with a beautiful and functional paddle to go along with your canoe or kayak.
• Building Strip-Planked Boats: The newest book by kayak and canoe building authority, Nick Schade. A must have.
• The Strip-Built Sea Kayak: Three Rugged, Beautiful Boats You Can Build: The gold standard of kayak building books. Clearly explains all the sets of boat building from tools to epoxy work. There are so many tricks and tips in this book that you’ll be able to save time.
• Kayakcraft: Fine Woodstrip Kayak Construction: Presents a slightly different way to build cedar strip kayaks. Lots of great ideas.
• The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build: If stitch and glue is your thing, then this is the book to get.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Free Canoe Plan: 1898 Passamaquoddy Ocean Canoe

The second boat is a canoe/kayak hybrid called the Canak. The boat is a decked Prism solo canoe with a kayak seat and a built-in holder for a portage yoke. The large hatches are covered by fabric hatch covers. It’s definately geared towards canoe destinations like the Boundary Waters where boats need to be portaged between lakes to move on. Normal kayak hatches make packing and unpacking so many times in one day a hassle. The thought here is by using large fabric covered hatches, the paddler can drop a pack into the boat and only pack it in the morning and unpack at night. I can’t imagine using it on anything but calm days elsewhere. I actually saw a prototype of something similar being built in wood by a guy in Grand Marais, MN. Interesting that the concept is being produced by Wenonah.

Video from RapidMedia TV below:

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: New 2011 Wenonah Canoes

The first two ultralites weigh in at 45 lbs and 43lbs for the Explorer 16 KX Ultralite and the Malecite KX Ultralite, respectively. They range in price from $2,749 to $3,089 depending on the options, like wood gunwales. Both feature resin-infusion w/ something called custom MRC core system. If the MRC core system features a molded-in bunny, like shown in the picture, we hope it doesn’t make it into production boats. Resin-infusion results in a layup with a high fiber/resin ration, which means lighter and stronger. It’s also healthier for the canoe builders. The builders seal the laminate in a vacuum bag and pull the vacuum. Then the resin comes in via feeder tubes and runners. It evenly impregnates the laminate delivering a controlled amount of resin.

Jim Henry designed two triple layer plastic canoes for Mad River. The new Journey 158 and 169 models will put you on the water in something backbreaking for under $950. If that’s all you can afford, then these look like good options.

For canoeists looking for something longer, the Expedition 176 looks promising. When compared to the BWCA standards, like the We-no-nah Minnesota II, the Bell Canoe Works Northwind and the Souris River Quetico II, it’s a bit weighty at 57 lbs. But for the extra weight you get curvy seats, a shaped yoke (hopefully, yoke pads will work on it), and a molded in Mad River rabbit on the floor. I love the Bell-like shouldered tumblehome.

More info on the Confluence Watersports OR Blog.

The Explorer Ultralight looks to be a nice BWCA canoe.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: New 2011 Mad River Canoe Models

In a kayak, bungee cords crisscross the deck in front of the paddler. It’s easy to stash maps, bottles, and miscellaneous gear under the bungee cords, and it’s easy to get to that gear when needed. A map stored there allows you to watch the terrain as you travel. To duplicate the functionality of a kayak’s deck lines, I decided to outfit my canoe’s thwarts with bungee cord. Outfitting your canoe’s thwarts is an easy project.

You’ll need:

• 3/16″ or 1/4″ bungee cord
• A drill with a bit to match the bungee

Step One: Drill a hole through each end of the thwart. Center it on the thwart and drill about 3/4″ away from the canoe’s gunwale.

Step Two: Set your map case on the thwart situated about 1/2″ away from one of the holes. On the opposite side and about 1/2″ away from the map case’s edge, drill another hole.

Step Three: Run a bungee between the two holes and over the map case. Secure each end of the bungee cord with an overhand knot on the underside of the thwart.

Step Four: Decide what else you want to carry on your thwart and drill corresponding holes for more bungee. I like to mount my compass to my thwarts (see the picture).

Step Five: If you want to carry a water bottle, tie a loop of bungee around the thwart. Size it so that it securely holds the bottle to your thwart (see the picture).

Additional Ideas

On a solo canoe, I like to run a bungee completely across the rear thwart. A longer bungee makes a great place to store my coat.

On the portage, running a paddle’s blade under the seat and the grip under the bungee keeps the paddle secure until you reach the other side.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Outfitting Your Canoe’s Thwarts

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 – You Can Tell

I woke up early this morning. It was dark and I was in bed, but I was already in my canoe. Fall is here. It will be unusually warm today, maybe 15 or 20 degrees above normal. The thermometer will say summer. The simplest and easiest measurement will lead one astray, as simple and easy information often does, in all things. It is fall and while at the scientific level there are dozens of measurements that say so, it is the qualitative that tells me so. The light has changed. Gone is the harsh washed out scenery of summer days when my photographs were all about timing and the tricks of nature; early light or dramatic clouds that filter rays and cast shadows. The fall light brings deep rich tones and contrasts. In fall, my photographs are about composition first, and keeping the shots with good light. The air has changed as well. The nights are longer, cooler and damper and day seems to struggle to return summer’s warmth. The longer nights bring unplanned but orchestrated smells and flavors. It’s not of showy flowers, but of the hidden deepness that sustains life. Summer air was tinned spices while fall is fresh cardamom seeds crushed this very second under my rolling pin. Winter will change all that, deadening the spices, but it will bring its own beauty in an even trade. Observations – the lily pads are browning at the edges. They show a summer’s wear with chunks missing and deep tears. A flock of 100 coots has returned to the bay. Cormorants are sitting on the new dirtbergs that have hit the surface in mid-bay. I spot two green backed herons, some great blue herons, wood ducks, and two horned grebes.

About the View from the Canoe Project

‘The View from the Canoe’ is an art project that has followed a two-year long evolution that started with my getting back into canoeing.  Seattle is primarily a sea kayak area, but even after 20 years, I just never connected with kayaks in the way that I do with canoes.  In 2008, I bought a used canoe and a few months later started blogging my 3 to 4 day a week trips in and around Seattle, writing my observations of the natural changes throughout the year and reflections on how people see and use the water, both in the present and in the past.  Recently, I started recording my better writings in my own voice, which lead to adding photographs, which lead to taking video and recording background sound effects.  Still a work in progress, The View from the Canoe may end up being a short documentary film, art video or “book on DVD”.  As often happens with an art project, I am just along for the ride.

On the surface, the project documents and reflects on nature and man’s use and abuse of water.  Underlying that, the work also shows how I have managed to find a sense of wilderness while in the midst of a major urban area.  Most of the writing happens in the canoe, as does the photography, film and sound effect work.

Scott Schuldt’s Bio –

Scott Schuldt is a Seattle based artist working in content- and concept-driven art (non-fiction, detailed and often narrative).  Born and raised in Minnesota and schooled in engineering, Scott dropped the engineering career in 2005 to pursue artwork on a full time basis.  His primary medium is hand-sewn beadwork, but has increasingly moved towards working with whatever medium will get the story across.  ‘The View from the Canoe’ is his first step into writing and film work.

The View from the Canoe Blog is found at- canoepost.blogspot.com

Scott’s website – www.scottschuldt.com

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: The View from the Canoe Project

Steve Pyne’s Māori paddle is a carved masterpiece far beyond my woodworking abilities, so I decided to try to wood-burn the pattern onto my paddle. I had never wood-burned before, and, although not as skillfully burned as Murat’s paddles, I found the process of wood-burning a simple pattern easy and fun–well within the skill level of most paddlers.

For this design, I went through a little trial and error as I worked through the following process (pictures below).

Required Tools

• Flexible curve drafting tool
• Wood-burning tool- I used this Dremel.

Steps:

1. I outlined the design I wanted on my paddle based on Steve Pyne’s design. Although I didn’t follow his design exactly, I followed it closely. For outlining I used a flexible curve drafting tool, which I formed into the shape of the curves and then outlined with a pencil. I tried to mirror the design on each side of the paddle.
2. I burned the outline using a wood-burning tool. I found keeping a constant slow but steady speed prevented deep burn marks that look like ink blots. Also, pulling the burning tool towards me worked easier than moving it other directions.
3. Filled the space between the outlines with a set of curved burnt lines. I wanted to capture the look of Pyne’s carving, but I thought the wood burnt curves didn’t look very good.
4. I burnt the area between the outlines into a solid black. This made the pattern stand out.
5. Finished the paddle with heated tung oil. I heated the oil to just below the boiling point and then wiped it onto the paddle. I watched over the paddle as it dried and reapplied oil to areas that were drying out quickly. After about two hours, I wiped off the excess oil. I applied a second unheated coat in the morning and wiped it off after a few minutes.

After finishing the paddle, I took it into the Boundary Waters on my Hunt for the Viking Dolmen. The paddle still performs great and now it looks great. The orderly design contrasts with the chaos of nature and really stands out. Using it seems to impart a greater meaning into what was a simple paddle; the paddle becomes both a way to propel the canoe and a means to injecting meaning into each stroke. I don’t know why many Native American tribes decorated their paddles, but after decorating one myself, I see the attraction.  I will decorate future paddles I build. I’ve been eyeing the Malecite design recorded in Adney and Chapelle’s The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America.

Additional Resources

• Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own – Fantastic book about paddle building.
• The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America – All canoeists should own this book.
• Wood Burning Starter Kit- A high-end alternative to the Dremel.

WQWG7SNDM8ED

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Decorate a Canoe Paddle