Help me choose a plan.

You don't know which boat you should build to suit your personal needs? Please post your questions here and our many contributors will surely have some good advice.
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bergen69
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:45 pm

Help me choose a plan.

Post by bergen69 »

Hello,

Well- I'm finally going to do it, I'm going to order plans. I'm thinking about the Freedom 15. I have a family of 4 (wife and two daughters 10 &5). I plan on using the canoe for quite ponds and lakes maybe a slow moving river. Fishing will be a definate use, but more than likely by myself or with a buddy of mine. Any suggetions will help! I look forward to starting...I have a ton of exotic hardwoods I'm looking forward to using or at least experimenting with.

Thanks,

JK in Iowa
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

Congrats! Building a canoe is a rewarding effort!... I assume you have looked at the FAQ on selecting a design. If not it is at http://www.bearmountainboats.com/CanoeTechnical.htm. My thoughts would be that if you have room to build, go for a 17 footer to give you some growing room with a spouse and two young kids. Regardless of which design you choose, I'm sure your canoe will exceed you expectations. Be sure to give yourself some time and get your family involved in its construction if you can...Juneaudave
Jeff in Pembroke
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Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 8:26 am

Post by Jeff in Pembroke »

Hi JK,

I echo Dave's thoughts. I wouldn't build anything under 17' for the purposes you describe. When my kids were the same age, my wife and I took them on lots of canoe trips and found 17' or even 17'6" was an ideal length. It gives the kids a bit of 'separation' room and there will be space for coolers, tackle, minnow pails, etc. I think you would find a 15' canoe quite cramped.
I ended up building a Redbird and while it is a superb tripping canoe, it has a fairly narrow beam and may not suit your needs (I can't believe I just wrote that! :oops: ). You might look at a 17' version of the Prospector or perhaps the Freedom 17' or 17'9". A little extra length will pay huge benefits in terms of comfort and really won't add much time to the building process.

Hope this helps,

Jeff
Rick
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Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 9:23 am
Location: Bancroft, Ontario

Post by Rick »

Bergen69,

It sounds like your boat's going to be a beauty with the exotic woods you've got ready, hope we get to see some pix. There may be a problem with the choice of the Freedom 15 and your intended uses:
Fishing will be a definate use, but more than likely by myself or with a buddy of mine.
The Freedom is an asymmetrical canoe, designed to be paddled in one direction only. So if you intend to spend much time going solo, the Freedom would most likely need an additional seat or kneeling thwart added in just behind the center thwart. Using the stern seat or paddling the canoe backwards when going solo will not give you the efficient paddling characteristics that the hull was designed for.

Some say they are comfortable paddling from a kneeling thwart solo, personally, I find that the center thwart is in too close, and doesn't allow me to sit or stretch out comfortably, with things feeling rather cramped. Here's a page with an asymmetrical fitted with a kneeling thwart, clicking on the image will produce a larger one:

http://www.swiftcanoe.com/canoes/catalogue/kipawa.htm

You can see the kneeling thwart is located very close to the center yoke, for me, it's uncomfortable over long periods of time spent fishing or paddling.

One of the Prospector-type symmetricals might be better suited for your purposes, the 15' Ranger, the 16' Prospector, or the 17' Nomad, depending on how much volume you need or how heavy the boat can be. For solo purposes, 15' is better, with several people in the boat, 17' is roomier, and 16' is good for all-round versatility. These can be paddled backwards going solo with room for comfort, and might be the more versatile boats. The traditional lines also look great in cedarstrip.

Anyway, good luck, your cedarstrip will last many years and it would be nice to have it suit as many needs as you'll find for it during it's lifetime.
Last edited by Rick on Tue Sep 28, 2004 8:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Guest »

Don't worry too much about the length. You will probably be planning your second canoe even before the first is finished, and you can put the wife and kids in it. This will leave the first one for you and your buddy(and the beer).
bergen69
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:45 pm

Thanks, I think.

Post by bergen69 »

Thanks for all your help. I guess it's between the Ranger 15, Prospector and Freedom 17. I have some concerns about trying to find 18' material here though. Any other help you can give, I'll take. I'll let you know what plan I choose...

JK in Iowa
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Glen Smith
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Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

You don't absolutely need 18 foot long boards to build a boat. Some days I consider myself lucky if I find 12 foot lengths. You can scarf together shorter boards or shorter strips or you can join the strips together right on the molds during the stripping process.

As far as choosing a model is concerned you will have to decide which characteristics are the most important to you. No matter which boat you build there will probably be days when the boat will be too much of this or too little of that.

Enjoy your project.
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Juneaudave
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Post by Juneaudave »

I agree wholeheartetly with Glen...18' stock is not essential. Where are you locaed at? The forum members all have good sources for wood, maybe you could get some tips on a local mill near your home!!! Another thought...even if you have to pay a bit more for the stock you purchase...paying premium for the wood for stripping your canoe may be offset a bit in the end by the joy with working with the longer lengths. I find myself more frustrated with the cost of epoxy and fiberglass cloth than I do with the wood. Anyway... the value of building the best design that meets your needs as close as possible will offset the cost of the raw wood used for stripping. ..Juneaudave
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KARKAUAI
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Post by KARKAUAI »

There are a number of suppliers that will ship you milled strips, if you're not going to mill them yourself. I got 20 ft. B&C WRC from Newfound Boatworks in NH. They were shipped in a crate that I used as the strongback with the addition of a 3/4" plywood top. The strips were clear and milled to perfection. Cost is considerably more than buying raw lumber, but even if I'd had a place to mill 20ft boards, I think I'd have bought the milled strips anyway. Big time savings and no lumber wasted. Try http://www.newfound.com
A hui ho,
Kent
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