Build Your Own Ultralight Canoe

Location: International Yacht Restoration School - Newport, Rhode Island
Dates: Jun 8, 2009 - Jun 13, 2009

Instructor:
John C. Harris

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Other Considerations:
Tools and Supplies
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Class Details:

Imagine a boat so light that you can put it on your shoulder and stroll casually down a wooded trail, carry it to a hidden lake or stream, or paddle it with almost no effort. That was the idea behind the original "trapper" or "pack" canoes. Chesapeake Light Craft's Sassafras 12 lapstrake canoe carries on the tradition, but with modern building methods.

Though she can be carried, or paddled by a youngster, the Sassafras 12 will hold a 255-pound load. The canoe tracks well, is easy to turn, and is stable enough for fishing and camping. Like many traditional canoes, the Sassafras has a symmetrical bow and stern. This allows a solo paddler to sit facing "backward" on the forward seat for better trim. Her slightly rounded hull offers more speed and responsiveness than many of the plastic or 'glass boats you may have paddled. Her hull is slightly rockered - not for maneuvering in whitewater, but rather to reduce wetted surface area - making her almost effortless to paddle.



Boatbuilder John Harris will help students build their own canoe using okoume plywood, trimming it with sapele and Spanish cedar, and covering it with fiberglass cloth on the bottom. Watertight flotation compartments will be fitted at the bow and stern. As the boat nears completion, ash thwarts will be added and final details addressed.

As with all of our courses in which students build their own boat, this week will be a busy one with some evening work being required. But the time spent will be well worth it. As students head down the road for home at week's end, they'll be leaving with a beautiful new creation they've built themselves, guaranteed to turn heads and bring years and years of pleasure.