How to Make a Cedar Canvas Canoe

Canoes are sleek, stable boats that have carried many an adventurer down both treacherous and tranquil streams. Today's canoes are often made of polyurethane plastics or aluminum; however, there are still some canoe manufacturers that hail back to a simpler era for their canvas and cedar canoe designs. Canvas and cedar canoes are works of art from a bygone era, yet today are still being produced by a select few canoe builders and home enthusiasts alike. Canvas canoes are actually a canoe with a solid cedar hull that has canvas stretched over it and painted to create a watertight seal. Cedar canvas canoe construction is an art that cannot be taught in a single article, but the process itself can be explained in detail. If you are interested in building your own cedar canvas canoe, follow the steps below.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cedar stripping, 1 inch by 1 inch Cedar planking, 1 inch by 4 inch Several yards of "marine grade" canvas Paint Sealant Wood glue Sawhorses and open workspace Woodworking clamps Waterproofing stain Woodworking brads

1. Begin by creating your form. This can be accomplished by building a plywood form of the inside of the hull of your canoe or, for a much easier way, you can even use another canoe as the form. Position the form bottom up on two sawhorses in your workspace.

2. 
    
   A canoe being built on the form.

   Cut the keel of the canoe from the 1-by-1-inch cedar strips and secure it to the bottom of the form using woodworking clamps. Secure the gunwales of the canoe to the sides of the canoe form with clamps.

3. Cut the ribs of your canoe from the cedar stripping as well. Cut them all at least four feet long and then begin gluing them in one-foot intervals along the keel. Cut the excess wood that will be extending past the gunwales on either side of the canoe.

4. 
    
   Canvas stretched across the wood frame.

   Cover your newly made "skeleton" with the 1-by-4-inch cedar planking, gluing and tacking each plank to every one of the ribs and gunwales. Use the stain to seal every inch of the wooden canoe.

5. Remove the canoe from the form. Allow the canoe to dry 24 hours and then install seats of your own design (optional) and/or at least two cross braces between the gunwales along the length of the canoe.

6. Stretch the marine canvas tightly over the canoe and tack down with the brads. Glue the edges of the canvas down along the gunwales. Some builders even install a "tack strip" on this step by sandwiching the canvas between the gunwale and a 1-by-1-inch cedar strip and screwing down tight.

7. Paint the canvas your desired color and then seal with the sealant. Allow the apparatus to dry for at least 48 hours before moving it and 72 before putting it in the water.

Tips & Warnings

• There are a variety of canoe-building kits available from numerous manufacturers. Buying a kit ensures you have the right amount and type of materials and access to customer service if you get stuck on a particular step.
• Paint and seal your canoe in a well-ventilated area as fumes from these chemicals can be dangerous.

Resources

• Carrying Place Canoes: Traditional Cedar Canvas Canoe Builders