Books

The Stripper's Guide to Canoe-Building

by David Hazen

Still considered the "bible" of woodstrip boat construction, this book is now in its sixth edition. It comes with six full size patterns from which at least nine different canoes and kayaks can be made. The drawings are basic designs for recreational, cargo, and faster downriver canoes, as well as a recreational two-person kayak and a "grand turismo" speed demon.

The introduction deals with the rationale for building your own boat. Then, step-by-step, the text covers choosing and locating materials; choosing a design or creating your own: making a simple and reusable jig; assembling the hull; sanding; fiberglassing; and finishing the hull. Appendices cover cartop carriers, canoe covers, safety, maintenance and repairs. The author estimates the project would take an amateur about 150 hours. "It's an extravagant way to get something that floats," he says, "but perhaps the most satisfying way to get a canoe." Even mediocre craftsmanship can produce a boat superior to most factory made boats.

About the Author

David Hazen built his first boat while in college--a canvas-covered kayak from Popular Mechanics. Then he discovered it was too small for him and gave it away to a cousin.

The next summer, inspired by a museum collection of Arctic artifacts, David designed and built his own version of an Eskimo baidarka, a two-cockpit kayak. It was 20 feet long and 24 inches wide, a real needle in the water. He took that kayak on a solo paddle from Lake of the Woods to Lake Superior along the old voyageur routes, and collected some great memories.

In the early 70s, after teaching Industrial Arts at the Dalles High School in Oregon, David began building woodstrip boats for a living. "I advertised to build a wood-strip canoe for less money than it cost to buy the cheapest aluminum canoe available, and I got my first paying customer," David said. "I worked about 200 hours on that boat and earned about 50 cents an hour, but while I was building it, I landed two more customers. I was off and running. I became more efficient with each boat, and after some 30 boats or so I had my man-hours per boat down to about 40 hours."

Four years and 60 boats later, David decided "selling wood-strip canoes was much more difficult than building them." He left his shop and the farmhouse where he had been living for a new life closer to the city.

He currently works part-time producing kits for drift-boats and is building a new 20-foot canoe in his spare time.

David welcomes boat building questions. E-mail him at innercom@peak.org or visit his web site http://www.peak.org/~innercom/Canoe/boatsphot.html.