new canoe build here.

[Dave Wermuth]

This is what I've been up to lately. It's a 14.5 or so solo canoe. The form started life as an 18' Penn Yan guide. After one 18' canoe I shortened the form and have been tweaking it for each solo canoe. Weight comes in at about 50#.

 

[patrick corry]

Love it! Keep posting pictures along the way please.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Here's an update as of 8/7/25.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Here's an update. As of 8/6/25. I may hold off on canvas until Quiet Water Symposium. I mean Quiet Adventure Symposium in March at MSU.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

And here it is off the form

 

[Gary]

Very nice Dave, and I love your shop, with canoe stuff galore! More pictures please, ha.
Gary

 

[patrick corry]

Yep, more pictures please.

I'm curious to know how the canoe design affects the need for planking gores/fillers at the ends of the canoe. Is it 'full' or 'hollow' cheeks that causes it, or maybe short canoe with wide beam? On my recent build I spent a lot of time shaping the planking to avoid the gaps in the ends. I wonder which takes more time and effort- shaping planks (or perhaps edge-setting them), or making and fitting/gluing gore pieces?

Aside from that... thanks for posting. I like following build threads!

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I don't know why it is that way. Both my forms require the long slivers to fill. I just use the scraps from the middle sections. I don't have full length planking so I have to use two planks and I stagger the joints. I could put pressure on the edge to force things together but that just sets me up for more issues on the next plank. Yes, there is some hollow in the quarters but I don't think that's the reason for needing the filler pieces. I could shape each plank but there would be lots of waste. I don't glue the pieces. I use tacks. The point will end on a rib. The beam is 32". Length is 14' 8". It's a bit deep for the size. The tumble home makes it a chore to remove from the form.

 

[patrick corry]

I can see where the tumblehome makes for a little chore removing from the form, but yours is a really nice shape! My remarks weren't criticism, just curiosity. On my build I found the planking layout to be difficult. I had only a few pieces of planking about 9' long, the rest shorter and many had tiny knotholes. These had to be carefully positioned so that the holes fell on ribs. I'm itching to make planking from some clear Alaskan Yellow Cedar I found. It is a bit heavier than Northern White Cedar, but perhaps stronger so maybe I can make it thinner, 5/32" or so, and end up with a reasonable weight solo canoe. The dimensions of yours seem about right, maybe a tiny bit narrower.

 

[Benson Gray]

On my build I found the planking layout to be difficult.

You are not alone. I have been collecting images of planking patterns over the years as an identification tool and found a huge variety, even from the same builder. Some examples are shown below with the labels on top.

Benson


Old Town with serial number 15450

Thompson

Old Town with serial number 76956

Old Town with serial number 163040

Crandell

Pecaco

Penn Yan

Rushton

Shell Lake

White

 

[Dan Miller]

If you plane away the plank in roughly the area I've circled on your image, you can get a tight seam at the stems without requiring the darts.

Edited as Benson posted whilst I was writing: Benson's photos show many variations on planking schemes, but notice that none of them have darts at the stems.

 

[Todd F]

Boy am I glad you are having this conversation. When I saw Dave's build I thought about the "gaps: but I have never build a canoe from scratch like Dave is crushing. Interested in the various solutions.

Dave, looks great, keep posting pics please.

 

[patrick corry]

Thanks Benson for those planking pattern images. Apologies to Mr. Wermuth for the thread drift.

 

[JustinMead]

@Benson Gray Love those comparative images of plank variations. Is the thought that it changes based on available wood more that really being about engineering the build? Thanks for sharing.

Question for @Dave Wermuth and others, how long or ( I understand its variable ) roughly what block of time does it take to build a boat from scratch, assuming one has already set up all the jigs and bits and steamers and workstations and has all supplies on hand? Part of me, that grows every day... wants to set up a workshop and repair and build as a semi retirement thing not to make bank but break even at least and do something enjoyable.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

How long to build - this might not be fair but, attached is a record of numbers of cnaoe built per year that Joe Seliga built. Note that he did build for a long time and mostly without help, and in the early years, before and after working in the mines.

 

[Worth Gretter]

Benson, who is the maker of the canoe in your second picture, with the really wide planks?

 

[Dave Wermuth]

good info here. The Seliga chart is very cool. When I think of how long it takes it seems that set up of tools and prep work is the most time consuming. Ripping, resawing, planing, sharpening stuff; all that is part of the process. I usually do a boat a year and if I counted hours, I would estimate that it takes 100 hours. Looking for where I set my tool takes the most time =-) I'm going to try fit the planks as Dan suggests next time. The maker of the wide plank canoe... my guess would be Rushton.

 

[Dan Miller]

Benson, who is the maker of the canoe in your second picture, with the really wide planks?

Benson can confirm, but I believe it is a Thompson Brothers. Their planking pattern is unique.

 

[Benson Gray]

Is the thought that it changes based on available wood more that really being about engineering the build?

The wood matters but everyone seems to have their own ideas about the engineering of the build. The pictures in order are: Old Town serial number 15450, Thompson as Dan mentioned, Old Town number 76956, Old Town number 163040, Crandell, Pecaco, Penn Yan, Rushton, Shell Lake, and White. I will go back and add these as labels now for future reference.

Benson