Deck Length Question

[sparetime]

I am at the stage in my wood canvas canoe construction where I need to add the decks. What I don’t know is how long to make them. Is there a standard length, or is it more a matter of personal preference? I’m thinking of using cherry for the decks.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

hi

If you're building from scratch you can make them any length you want. Use your own eye and judgement and choose what seems the right proportion to you. Some strippers are built with no deck, just a hand thwart. What I usually do is make it as wide as the width of my board will allow. Nothing wrong with shorter tho. Various manufacturers had various lengths.

If you are restoring a canoe, you would most likely want to stay with the same thing. I'd never change the deck of an old canoe I am rebuilding. i did once add a single replacement deck to a canoe and i bought it direct from Old Town. It was the same length but a slightly different profile. Almost the same but different. Most people did not notice. I was ok with that as it was a genuine OT replacement deck.