How to Make a Birch Bark Canoe

One of the oldest canoes known, the birch bark canoe was originally made by Native Americans. One surviving birch bark canoe is displayed at the Old Town Canoe Company in Old Town, Maine. It is thought to be 100 years old. Make a bit of history for yourself. Make a birch bark canoe. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Harvest birch bark from birch trees.
2. Soak the birch bark until pliable.
3. Cut out a pattern for your canoe, leaving the "woody" side of the bark intact.
4. Cut four slits in the bark: two on either side of the bow's center, 2 on either side of the stern's center.
5. Bend the bark in half lengthwise. Keep the "woody" side out.
6. Create a small tab by pinching one end and folding it up. Do the same with the other end.
7. Whip stitch the seam on either end. Stitch up first, then down. Make certain that at least one stitch secures the tab on the bow and stern. See Step 6.
8. Whip stitch a basket splint to reinforce the gunwale of the canoe.
9. Open the canoe at the center to create a boat.
10. Form a water-tight seal by filling in any cracks with waterproof glue or pitch.