Looking for large (20'-23') cedar strip plans

[Big-Ev]

Greetings all -

First time post, and my apologies if it's been asked before in one way or another.

I'm going to build a cedar stripper and frankly, I want it to be big. My wife and I got along just fine when I used my solo canoe and she was in her kayak, but now that we'll be paddling with two young kids and, most likely, a dog (on day trips anyway), we want to move up to something that can haul all of us together.

A couple years ago we paddled a Wenonah Minnesota 4 and it was a huge boat - 23' - but it would be perfect these days. The 4 is no longer in production, so I am looking for options in the cedar strip realm.

Does anyone know of plans for strippers that are 20'-23'? I have found one for a 20-footer with a beam of 42"... Seems reasonable. But I would like to know if there are other options in this size range.

Thanks!
- evan

[Glen Smith]

You could contact Martin Step about his North Canoe design, he can even modify the plans to suit your needs: http://www.greenval.com/#North%20Canoe

[sedges]

While your children are small they are not going to offer consistent help in paddling the canoe. Don't go too large, or to beamy. Both weight and width will be more to overcome.

While your kids are small a large tandem will serve well. Something like the Freedom 17'9". By the time the kids are interested in, and can consistently contribute to, propelling the canoe you can build a second and paddle two canoes with an adult and child in each. This way none of the canoes is going to hurt your back trying to get them off the car.

Some other plans to look at.

Guide Canoe E.M. White 20' x 41" x 13" strip Gilpatrick
This is in Gilpatricks book "building a strip canoe". It has a lot of rocker, which is nice in a long canoe. Long hulls tend to go straight really easy, but the are hard to turn. The rocker helps a lot with that. This hull looks more like a big Chestnut prospector then an EMWhite. It will be a bear to get off the car(need a big car to carry it too-or a trailer)

Chaa expedition on this website. This was designed for three adults, so should work well AND be fast and fun!

My recommendation, for what its worth, is the Chaa expedition if you really want just one canoe or the freedom 17'9" for the next few years, then build a second tandem(you'll know what you want by then!).

[Big-Ev]

Excellent input on the fact that the kids won't be major contributors for a while. I guess I am not looking far enough down the road - perhaps because I don't want the kids to grow up!

The thought of building two canoes is a great one. When I can get away (nap time, after bed time) I am always out in my shop, so the opportunity to build two canoes would be welcomed.

I suppose that there are many more plans in the 17-19 foot range than the larger one I originally posted with so that might be worth looking at.

And thinking back to my childhood, I recall long canoe trips in a 17' canoe with my parents and sister, so it's obviously easy to do.

So, revising my search, I think I'll try to find plans for a 17-19 canoe that offers good overall stability.

Thanks for the thoughts!

[sedges]

on this site is one of the best big boats, IMHO. Great stability, even with kids moving around in the boat. Flare the whole length for seaworthiness in rough water/weather.

For a second canoe you could consider something smaller that maybe could double as a solo now and then.

[pawistik]

I concur with the notion of going with the more typical large tandem canoe. With 2 kids & a dog, this summer we tripped (not a great distance) with my wife in the cedar-strip kayak, and me with 2 kids (5 & 2 years old), plus the 65 lb dog in the 17' canoe. Each boat had all available space loaded with our gear. The girls are no help whatsoever in managing the canoe (nor is the dog but she makes good ballast *if* she sits where you want her to) and this mode is susceptible to wind. But, the older girl will grow (better weighting the bow and keeping the canoe trim) and in another couple years will contribute rather than hinder with her paddle.

On my list of boats to build is a canoe that I could use as the second canoe so that my wife and elder daughter can paddle tandem while I paddle with the younger daughter (as sedges mentions, it would be something I could paddle solo now & again). On the other end of the spectrum, I have also thought of building the E.M. White Guide, or perhaps the Green Valley Quetico.

By the way, on that trip I referred to in the first paragraph, the last stretch of about 4 km was completed with me paddling in a cross wind and a downpour with the over-tired 2 year old in my lap. She fell asleep lying on my lap in the rain. I paddled hard and fast, all the while trying not to disturb the finally-peaceful little girl.

Cheers,
Bryan

[sluggo]

Another vote for the ideas above. I don't have any direct experience but that's what I'm planning on doing. I'm building a Freedom 15 stretched to 16' that will be in the water this summer with me, my wife, and my two kids (5 and 3). No dog. When the kids get bigger and if we all want to be on the water together, we can combine the canoe with kayaks or maybe another canoe.

cheers

[canoeblderinmt]

Evan,
You HAVE to give the White Guide in 20 foot a build!! I absolutely LOVE mine! I easily schlep myself (220), my wife (115), and 3-4 kids in it plus coolers, blankets, etc. I've had 10 adults in it at once, though of course we had only about 2" of freeboard, and I paddle it solo all the time. I built the 18.5 first, then the big boat, which I modified a bit to suit my needs. I added rocker, and pulled the sides in about 5", adding some tumblehome, and less whetted surface, as well as rounding the hull making it much more rigid. I put in an adjustable front seat. I didn't really watch the weight, and she came in at a manageable 94 lbs. She could be built quite a bit lighter, I think. The balance is great, and I can carry her quite a distance, as well as load her on my Ford Explorer solo.

See my pics on the build and some of her in the water here: http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/canoeblderinmt/

E-mail me anytime for the sales pitch

Greg

[strip guy]

I too built the 20' E.M. White Guide. Stretched it 6", and took 1/2" of rocker out of it. Used a double thickness of 6 oz cloth on the inside / bottom. Never weighed it, but suspect it's right around 100 lbs. Put a full-width bench seat in the middle, and caned all the seats using plastic cane. The bench got a cross strut, and a post underneath stuck to a rib to keep from flexing too much. Built it with 3 yokes, because I don't want to have to portage it by myself too often, but can if I HAVE to. If you wanted an even BIGGER canoe than that, you could up size the plans what ever percentage you wanted for more width and depth, and stretch it out even more with the distances between the forms. Just make sure you use thicker wood, and more fiberglass though. All total, it was about a 275-300 hour project.

Very stable. Good for squirrely kids, lots and lots of gear. Got that "big car ride". Like a suburban. Down side is that the high stems DO catch a fair amount of wind.