need suggestions for plans

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hooligan971
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Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:07 pm

need suggestions for plans

Post by hooligan971 »

Hi guys,
I'm new here and hoping some of you could help me find plans that might suit me.
When I was a teen, an old friend of the family came for a visit with his canoe and took me on one of the best camping trips ever. We spent a week exploring the creeks and rivers near my home on the Chesapeake bay in Va. He passed away years ago and I have tried to find info on that canoe and it's whereabouts to no avail. I recently moved inland near Charlottesville and there are numerous rivers and lakes nearby that I would like to check out and do a little camping and fishing on and would like to build a boat to do this in. I have built several small sailboats from plans purchased thru Duckworks, but I have never built a canoe. The canoe that Buck took me in all those years ago was different from any I had seen and I'm not sure it would suit the rivers I want to cruise but I would like something as close to it as possible. To me at that age it seemed huge but it was probably somewhere between 17' to 20'. The crazy thing was, it had a sail. We didn't use the sail on the trip but I like the idea. We did use the boom for a canvas tent that snapped to the canoe with the mast running thru and supported at each end with brackets that slid into the decking. There was also enough room to lay long ways between seat and storage trunk while anchored for the night ,something that would be nice to do but which I havn't found on any plans I've seen so far. There was also a 4 hp outboard that we did use alot which , I was told acted as the rudder under sail.
I don't know if this type of canoe would work for me on the rivers near here but I would like to think there are plans similar that I could use. The idea is for a canoe two people could use for camping on the mountain rivers and also be taken out on the bay and lakes, not too heavy for short portage but large enough to sleep in if need be (by the way, I'm 6'4" so this I know might be hard to find)that paddles fairly easy but can use a small outboard. I have searched many plans and seen a few possible contenders but would like your input.
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks,
Patrick
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Glen Smith
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Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

Could you post links to the possible contenders so we have a better idea of what you are looking for?
hooligan971
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:07 pm

Post by hooligan971 »

Glen,
After going thru the plans I've bookmarked, this is the canoe that comes closest to what I am looking for.
http://makeacanoe.com/motorcanoes.htm
Today I went by to see a friend who builds small boats and told him about this and after looking thru back issues of old magazines I came across what I think is the same boat that buck owned. The 22' Chestnut freighter canoe from Woodenboat #208.
Now, just to clarify things a bit, I'm not trying to build an exact replica of a boat ,I just want something similar and am not even sure if a canoe like this can be used for what I want to do. For example, The closest river and probably the one I will be traveling most of the time, is the James River. I would like to load up a weeks worth of supplies and put in at a western point on the James,head towards the bay and then maybe head south for a few weeks. Then possibly head to Greensboro and head down cape fear.
I'm not sure if this type of boat would be practical .I'm sure I sound like a newbie, but that's because I am. I'm just trying to get input on what more experienced paddlers think would be a good boat to build for my intended use. Here I'll try to list my goals.

fairly stable
light enough for two to carry,but durable.
able to mount small ob without having too much drag when paddling without ob mounted
enough room to stretch out to sleep
able to traverse class 3 rapids (is this overly optimistic ?)
fairly responsive and maneuverable

Is this not doable ?
Patrick
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Glen Smith
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Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

Patrick, the link takes me to a website but not to a particular canoe model, which one is it?
hooligan971
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Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:07 pm

Post by hooligan971 »

Sorry, it's the 12-16 strip plank ob
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Glen Smith
Posts: 3719
Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

A 16 foot canoe will not give you the room and capacity you are looking for. There are not very many plans available for square sterned stripper canoes. You can try doing a search for something like the "grand lake canoe" or the "white guide" which may be closer to your requirements.
hooligan971
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:07 pm

Post by hooligan971 »

I'll check them out. I was only using that canoe for a visual to show the decking and transom. I am still trying to decide the construction method to use . I was hoping to get suggestions on this. Would strip plank be the way to go for my purposes?

Thanks
hooligan971
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:07 pm

Post by hooligan971 »

What about this one http://www.common-sense-boats.com/columbia_canoe.htm

Would it work with a few mods?
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Glen Smith
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Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

I would hate to lead you on a false path so I think you should wait for some input from builders more experienced with motorized freighters.
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