It must be five o'clock. Or at least four o'clock.

Canoe: Part 4

Terrific progress has been made this week. By end of day tomorrow, planking will be complete. The canoe came off the form today.

Fairing of the ribs was completed in a couple of hours, then the first planks were laid commencing at the centreline. We were able to lay about four or five planks each side before tapering was required. Since the canoe is fatter in the middle (as are the builders) than the ends, the planks need to be wider in the centre and taper towards the ends. Scott has this nifty marking gauge which determines the shape required at each rib. It’s just a matter of connecting the dots and sawing the shape on the bandsaw. If you get lucky, a few swipes with plane will allow the plank to lay up snugly with its neighbour.

The planking has to be stopped shy of completion so the canoe can be lifted from the form. The ends of the planks can’t be fastened to the stems until removal since the stems have to be able to move in order to clear the form.

After we removed the canoe and set it upright, the  interior was revealed for the first time. I must say it was a beautiful sight. The colour of the cedar and all the lovely curves make you realize how lovely a wooden canoe can be. So, after admiring our work, temporary lashings were put in place to hold the canoe near its final shape and the planks were fastened to the stems. Next, the stem was trimmed to height and bevels cut on the ends of the inwales so they could be screwed  and epoxied together, tying the ends of the canoe together.

Tomorrow, The last planks will be fit and then the boat will be shifted to my shop for fairing, glassing and final fitout and finishing. Great stuff!  (See below for photos.)