I feel like I’m always singing the praises of Gabe at Tufts & Batson these days. A professional bamboo fly rod maker and all around meticulous crafts person, Gabe purchased our course last year and has been cranking out a couple canoes a month ever since.
The thing that makes our system unique is that it’s not a plan for any specific canoe but rather a formula that lets you build whatever shape you want. Most people play it safe and just follow my recommendations, but Gabe has been blazing new trails pushing the limits of the shaping system in all sorts of directions that I haven’t even tried yet. A couple of Gabe‘s boats are featured in the canoe example sections of the course and I’m actually replicating one of those in my studio right now. (The 14 footer I posted here a few weeks ago).
This latest pair of 15 foot long x 32 inch wide canoes represents the flattest hull shape I’ve seen so far. (If you have a set of my plans this is .38 / 1.44) As usual, I can’t say this is a good idea or not but I’m excited to see how it turns out. I would probably put one more stringer on the sides to round out the shape, and collapse over time is always a risk in very flat skinboats, but if it holds its shape, something like this could be a good option for anyone who favors the far edge of the stability side of the speed vs stability equation.
The sheer blocks at the ends here look great. This is taller than I recommend and will likely necessitate steaming the outwales to match the curve, but if you don’t mind the extra work it looks darn sharp.
Gabe builds these for people under our license outside of St Louis, Missouri. So if you’re looking to buy an expertly crafted skin on frame canoe, check out Tufts & Batson.
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