The Bear Mountain Boat Shop

What craft are you going to build. Boat versus canoe. A Rice Lake skiff forms well with 1 1/8 strips because there are no severe bands while most canoes take 3/4 for the most part.
Cyril

Thanks Dennis.Witk your comments at least I know I am on the right track.My son tends to be tall and lean and I think the young lad will follow suite making the Endeavour the right unit.I will keep an eye out for kayaks, around here there are not too many. I am in Sicamous BC which is at the bottom ...

Hi Folks In the last few years I have built three canoes and a Rice Lake Skiff.During that time I have benefitted greatly from the suggestions and advice from this forum.I am now about to start a new build ,this time a kayak for my grandson. He won't be using it for a few years but at my age it woul...

Peter Depending on how much you are prepared to pay, I would suggest a General 10in saw.New they are around $2000.00. They are accurate and quiet and are sometimes available at sales and auctions. If not a General, look on line at the Busy Bee Tools selection. They have some nice saws from 1.5 hp an...

For what it is worth, I have built three 16ft canoes following the David Hasen method of construction. This calls for a football shaped piece of cloth covered with a complete piece.I have been using 6oz. cloth and have not experienced any problems. Maybe because I had no idea what I was doing at the...

Matthew In building three 16ft canoes I have followed David Hazen's book "Strippers Guide to Canoe Building'. These were before I became aquainted with the Bear Mountain site. All these units have a straight stripped foofball and neither strength nor oil canning has been a problem.Two of these ...

Dawne I have been keeping track of your progress during your build. You have done a beautiful job and I can assure you that those "imperfections" will mostly disappear during the finishing.You will find like most of us that only you will see those imperfections, everyone else will see a be...

Glen During my last canoe build , I was passed seat mounting kits which had been aquired from Mountain Equipment CoOp. Each kit consisted of four bolts and four wooden spacers that fit between the seat and the inwale. Can't remember the exact length but the spacers were oak. On previous units I had ...

Couldn't help but notice that you received no replys on your question of row boats. There have been a few fellows on the site who have built row boats but for the most part these have been the Rice Lake skiff. If you are looking for a sharp looking boat with really good stability I wouldn't hesitate...

I have built three 16ft canoes, all following the David Hasan Strippers guide. All the seats have been mounted using cleats fitted to the hull and epoxied in position. Two of these canoes have taken a real beating over the years but the rigid seats haven't been a problem. The cleats heve been across...

Hi David
Sounds like this epoxy is a winner. I have used the West System on several canoes and a Rice Lake skiff and the big draw back is the ever increasing cost. I will be visiting the site. TKs
Cyril

I just received my HIN for the Rice Lake Skiff. From start to finish look a couple of months and I received an interim reply which was to be used until the application had been processed. The HIN is part of the single vessle label which is required on all boats capable of being motor driven. My unde...

I would suggest deciding on the width of strips that you want, cut pieces that width of the 2 X then cut your 1/4 strips from those. I use the thin kurf 10 in saw blades and waste very little of the wood. Depending on how the 2 x was sawn you end up with some (i think) nice grain patterns. Both the ...

I agree with Glen's comments on David Hazen's canoes. I have three in the water now under a range of conditions.The 16 ft Abermaki has a nice recurve bow and stern which when coupled with a generous deck sheds water nicely. My son runs the Bow River in Alberta while it is in flood and his unit handl...

Hi Folks After all this time I have finially got around to weighing the finished Rice Lake Skiff. With all seats installed, two brass handles on the transom and a metal rope ring installed through the stem the unit weighs in at approximately 98 lbs.. I have used it several times fishing and it handl...