Building a Selway-Fisher 16 Ft Canadian Canoe (T#####r#y 4#h###)
To get experience building in strip-plank, I decided I would like to build a design found at the Selway Fisher Plan site http://www.selway-fisher.com/Opcanstrip.htm. Their site shows a pink one - a bit 'icky' for me. But it looked like it would hold two heavy people ok. The picture in the title shows my brother and I, both over 110 kilos, not managing to sink the final product. I found it a bit unstable for two to fish, but if one paddled, and one fished, it was fine. Note on loading. Since this picture, we have done another trip in a calm river, with three adults (115, 80 and 100 kilos ) in it ! The third passenger sat on the floor between the two seats. This left about 150 mm of freeboard. The canoe seemed to travel very smoothly, and was easier to steer and manoeuvre with this load. It also seemed easier to paddle. Perhaps the longer waterline helped. It would have been easy to arrange a bit if a backrest for the centre passenger, between the legs of the stern paddler.
The Grand scheme - around April 2005
I didn't expect mine would look nearly as flash as the one on the Selway site, as this is the first time I have ever built a boat to plans. I am also not keen on 'dining table finish' standard boats. The day to day use of a boat around rocks, sharp jettys, concrete etc just makes for a lot of maintenance pain for high grade finishes. This boat is a practice run for a larger boat I have in mind. The building technique for this canoe is to cut out approximately a dozen plywood 'moulds', then cover them with 20mm x 5 mm planks of Western Red Cedar. Then the whole thing is covered in fibreglass and epoxy resin on the outside. Then moulds are then removed, and the inside is covered in fibreglass and Epoxy as well. I also bought Selway-Fishers' booklet called "A Manual of Strip Plank Construction Techniques" by Paul Fisher. It is invaluable, and absolutely necessary for a beginner like me. I just wished they had had a bit more specific information on the Explorer 16 Canoe. Sooo - this web site has a few more hints !!!
See - two big lumps can fit in
Onlookers were waiting to see if we would fall out!. It still easily floats without tipping over..... Questions and Answers catered for Here