Franklin Cedar Canoes Lives!

Gary Peterson

Curious about Wooden Canoes
Recently I posted a request for plans for a 16' Modified Prospector from Franklin Cedar Canoes. I had bought the plan 20+ ago and built several canoes from it. I assumed the small company was out of business and the owner deceased as I had seen no mention of the company since then.

Lo and behold–Charlie Grosjeans, Franklin Cedar Canoes, CEO–emailed me that he was indeed alive and kicking, and that the news of his death was greatly exaggerated. We had a nice chat about how the Modified Prosector plan came about, and about a long EW White Guide canoe he was getting ready to start. Then he graciously offered to send me a plan set.

I complimented him on the exactitude of the full-size drawings that were dead-nuts accurate to less than 1/32" of a fair curve, and asked him what powerful software program he had used to get such perfectly fair results. He said the program was designed by his father, an engineer, and a computer was unneccessary. The only requisites were a quarter-sheet of plywood on a kitchen table, a large drafting paper with a 1/4" grid taped to the plywood, a dozen of so push pins with plastic heads, a thin wooden batten, and a #2 pencil. His father drew in the kitchen and Charlie built in the shop, and the resultant Modified Prospector emerged. So when the plan became available, I bought a set and cut out the plywood stations and stems.

It became my favorite model and several people came into my shop and used the forms to build their own white cedar canoe. The hull lines flowed smoothly with no concavities so it was easy for a novice to strip.

My son-in-law used the forms to build his Modified Prospector using northrn white cedar strips 9 and 10 feet long. The design was so inherently rigid that only a middle thwart was necessary. You will notice in the close up picture of the deck that his outer gunwales–jiust like cedar/canvas outer gunwales–were rabbeted out to leave a 1/4" extension on top of the gunwale to cover the raw edge of the hull.
 

Attachments

  • White Cedar 16' Prospector canoe.pdf
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  • Deck and brass hardware.pdf
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The Hull looks great Gary !

Can you post info, on purchasing the Modified Prospector plans ?

Thanks !

Jim
 
Jim,
I emailed Charlie Grosjean, the plan developer–with his engineer father– about the MODIFIED PROSPECTOR and alerted him that at least one builder is interested in obtaining the plan. I suggested he join this Stripper forum and post information about selling copies of his plan. I also suggested that if he was willing to sell copies, he might want to place a classified ad in Wooden Canoe.


You can email Charlie directly at: charliesue@hogbay.com
Please respect his privacy, as he doesn't have an actual business selling this plan. I think he just hung onto the plan to honor his father, the co-developer.

As a Senior Citizen with decades off canoeing and canoe-building experience, Charie's the canoeing Energizer Bunny, getting ready to start yet another big EM White 18.6' cedarstrip Guide or maybe even a 20-foot Guide. He's about my age, north of 70, and yet he's talking about building that huge 20-foot EM White Guide and using it for canoe camping in the BWCA. Jeez, I get tired just reading about his plans.
 
Thanks Gary !

I'm 71 looking to build something this Summer. I have BWCA plans too, but will use a Carbon/Kevlar I built a few years ago.

Thanks again for the link !

Jim
 
Jim,
I was not aware that mere mortals could make kevlar canoes without the kind of investment Mike C at Winona Canoes must have made for vacuum bagging, heating rooms, clean rooms, an EPA consultant, etc.

So what's entailed for someone manually illiteratre about high-tech fabrics–and working in a wooden canoe shop using white cedar–to get started making a 30 lb Kevlar canoe for mile-long portages in the BWCA and Quetico?

Gary
 
Dan,
One reviewer of Moran's book from several years ago who was building a Kevlar canoe, cited $600 materials cost per canoe– and that's after he got the one-off male plug made. AND he had been working on it all summer! Put that in today's dollars, and we're probably looking at well north of $1000.

I can make a lightweight 50 lb white cedar 17' tripping can0e like yours for less than one-third that in 2-3 weeks working part-time.

I think I'll stick to wood, fiberglass, and epoxy thank you.

Gary
 
Ya, it depends on what that last 20 lbs is worth to you.
The guy I referenced has made a bunch of them (for BW use) so he probably has the cost and process down pretty good.
 
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