Day 4, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 7 hrs. 15’6 x 40.5”x 15” Late last night I realized that my canoe formula probably still works at this size, I just hadn’t scaled the central ratio up quite far enough. So today I gave it another go with fresh oak and a new base number, and...
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Day 3: Skin-on-frame rower-sailer
Day 3, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Build time: 7hrs. Decided to back up and rework the boat today. A little narrower a little shallower. 40.5/15 It looks nicer and now I can get all of the ribs out of an 8 foot plank, with the shortest ribs being just below the length of the falloff for...
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Day 2: Skin-on-frame rower-sailer
Day 2, Skin on frame rower-sailer. Build time: 6hrs. Made stems, set up the keel, milled ribs, built a new steam box. The hardest part about prototyping new boats is the gnawing uncertainty that is constantly begging me to stop mid-build and change course. Like right now, I’m damn near certain that I’d be...
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Day 1: Skin-on-frame rower-sailer
This week I’m taking a wild stab at putting together a little rowing/sailing canoe using the fast easy system that I developed last year for building pack canoes. My hope is to eventually develop a nice little rower that is a lot easier to build than my beloved skin-on-frame Adirondack Guide boats. This boat...
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All the ribs that didn’t become boats last year…
All the ribs that didn’t become boats last year......
Building steam bent kayak cockpit coamings
We all have that one work thing we absolutely hate. You know what I mean, that thing that isn’t really that hard but for whatever reason you just dread. For me it’s making steam bent keyhole kayak cockpit coamings. One of the biggest challenges when I first started designing skin on frame kayaks was...
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A 1/2-scale model canoe
Just finished this 1/2 scale model canoe to use as a teaching tool. I absolutely love these little guys but I rarely make them because it’s actually faster to make a full size boat!...
Charlie’s West Greenland kayak
A gorgeous Greenland kayak built from our plans. Nice work Charlie!...
Processing some of the nicest bending oak I’ve ever seen
The Beast with brand new carbide blades chowing down on some of the nicest bending oak I’ve ever seen. This latest batch of oak from Zena Forest Products is just unreal....
Starting to see photos come in from builders around the world
Starting to see photos come in from builders around the globe working off our new plans. Check out this freshly ribbed frame @rvfoucher is working on....
Tom and Kyle from The Weight We Carry are starting their journey hiking 120 miles to Everest base camp carrying canoes on their heads
My friends Tom and Kyle, from The Weight We Carry are starting their epic journey hiking 120 miles up to the Mount Everest base camp at 18,000 feet carrying all their gear and canoes on their heads, to raise money for the construction of a new women’s shelter in Kathmandu, Nepal. Check out the...
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White oak from Zena Forest Products
Fellow boat builders and woodworkers: my friend Ben Deumling of Zena Forest Products has some of the nicest white oak logs we’ve ever seen right now. (make sure you look at the second video showing the cut boards) Ben owns a small sustainably harvested forest here in Oregon and is dedicated to finding the...
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Just to be 1000% clear, I am in no way endorsing this madness. But it does work….
Just to be 1000% clear, I am in no way endorsing this madness. But it does work.......
Progress on the guideboat oars
Progress on the guideboat oars. I’m actually putting these on a St. Lawrence River skiff because I’m just addicted to perfect flex and feel of well built guideboat oars. The downside is that there’s just no room for even 1/16th errors in the shaping which makes them somewhat nerve-racking to build. I’ll probably leave...
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The ash oar prayer
The ash oar prayer: “Dear lord, although I am definitely a sinner and I never says hi unless I need something or I’m in trouble, I humbly request that you bless these oars and use your almighty Magic Powers to smite the hidden tensile forces of Satan that lie hidden in every ash board...
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