Solo stripper...for the man who has everything....

Todd Bradshaw

Sailmaker
...and plans to take it with him.

Norm Sims and I built this 22' stripper back about 1977 in his garage, mostly because I wanted to know what it felt like to paddle one, and wondered how a fur trade canoe would handle from the back seat. Back in those days, we were young enough that that alone was sufficient motivation just to go ahead and do it. It's been up in the loft above my garage the last few years getting some clean-up and a new paint job (partially to protect the resin and partially because I always wondered if I could do a decent fake bark paint job). I finally got it back in the water over the fourth of July holiday, tandem with my wife, solo in light winds, and later with a crew of five. To answer the question, it handles pretty much like any other canoe.

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Wow! I wouldn't want to paddle that solo in the wind or portage it solo anywhere, but it looks fantastic!
 
I picked up once and moved it from the front yard to the back yard. I doubt I could do it today. I also cartopped it across town once on top of a '65 Chevelle, which looked pretty funny. When we moved here, my wife and I put it on the Yakima bars on top of our van by ourselves - but neither of us can remember how we ever did it. This year I was just happy to get it out of the loft above my garage where I was working on it - before I got too old to do it.
 

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