Project Information
I finished this canoe after finding the shell for sale locally. This is from a kit made by Waters Dancing Boat Kit Company out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. These kits are meant to be assembled using the stitch and glue method. The gentleman I bought the shell from made a strong-back and stations to form and clamp the pieces to so that stitching was not required. The canoe is made from marine grade okoume plywood, making it very light compared to other wood (cedar strip) canoes. There are no ribs needed for strengthening the shell. In keeping with the no-stitch look, as I do not like seeing nail or stitch marks in a finished wood canoe, I assembled the bow and stern decks, gunwales, and seats using forms instead of stitching. The seats are formed like old school tractor seats, are adjustable for balancing load and are super comfortable. The day after I finished it, my wife and I took it on a 116Km canoe trip on the Bowron Lakes canoe circuit in British Columbia, Canada. This canoe is amazingly stable and quick. We have taken it on a number of outings the past few years in Western Canada. The exterior was recently resprayed with a marine spar varnish. Future enhancements will include adding a carbon fibre skid plate to the bottom