Finally done

[nickb]

Finally done with my first canoe

After a long (long) time, and much invaluable advice and encouragement from this community, canoe #1 is complete. For someone who prior to this, really didn't have any woodworking skills to speak of, this is a very very big deal. Still has a bunch of sawdust on it even. I have a feeling I'll always want to be cleaning things up and touching up the paint (that didn't come out so well - I think I posted about this earlier - I painted too cold - got a little orange peel) but regardless I'm putting it in the lake later today (perhaps I'll put up pictures of the launch). It's certainly far from perfect, and as I peruse others first time builds here on the forum, I realize I have a long way to go. But as a good friend has told me, "It's not nothing." In other words the boat exists, it is something I made instead of only thinking about it, or stopping when things didn't come out as good as most other boats I've seen.

Thank you to everyone who offered a kind word of assistance over these many months and years. Hopefully I'll have a better product to show for all your input the second time around. I truly would not have gotten to this point without the WCHA.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Hi Nick

Looks pretty good from here. Better than my first one, or second, or third. enjoy it.

 

[Greg Nolan]

Quite something!

Your pictures show a canoe that is several notches better than just "not nothing." I'd say, rather, that the canoe is quite something -- something to be proud of.

Lot's of us have watched the posts of the building this canoe and I, for one, am impressed by the finished product.

Looking forward to some pictures of it on the water.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Hi Nick,

Congrates on finishing your canoe, it looks great.
I wish I was back to see you in it on the water.

Are you going to make the June 17th paddle?
I don't know if it will work out but I'm going to try to go.

Dan

 

[Jerry Fruetel]

Nick, congratulations! I just finished my first one, too, so I know the sense of accomplishment you're feeling. I built mine near Shafer, just a few miles down the road from you, and I drove through Lindstrom every day to get there.

Jerry