Day 6, Row/sail canoe version 2. Build time: 4hrs.
4 hrs of work, 9 hours of work day. Things always slow wayyy down when the video camera comes out to document new things.
Finally found a seat setting method I like for rowboats. For regular canoes it’s simple, glue some blocks on the gunwales, hang the seat, done. For riser mounted seats however getting everything aligned can melt your brain. What I’m doing now is hanging rails from my temporary spreaders. It gives me a nice level plane I can trust without having to level anything. All riser heights reference off the rails keeping all 3 seats exactly in plane which is handy for strapping down oars and spars.
Using canoe seats on this boat. Same weight as cedar thwarts not that much more expensive, but more comfortable. Working out a system for a movable center seat to adjust foot bracing position. I now have adjustability from 30-34” and I can ditch the seat if desired.
Seeing the boat come together I now wish I’d left it a bit longer. Last canoe was 40.5 x 15’6” this one is 39 x 15’2. To do it again I’d lose the width but keep the length. Moved the center seat 2 inches aft and the aft seat 5 inches aft. Hopefully I didn’t overshoot my intended balance point. Needed to get that seat back far enough so the stern pilot can still paddle it as a canoe. The idea for this boat is you row on flat water, paddle in rapids, and sail when there is wind.
The Doug fir frame is heavy but stiff, I like the stiff but not so much the heavy. Kind of the opposite of the last boat. Somewhere in the middle is where I’ll likely end up. Wish I could get long clear pine or spruce here.
Getting more confident that this system will produce a decent full size canoe. Looking forward to some student build completions and their impressions of the finished result. For this boat I just followed my own plan recommendations (sort of) and I’m really happy with the shape. This is helping me dial in my scantling recommendations for full size boats.
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