Customer Reviews

Building a strip canoe

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

About 12 years ago my dad and I built the wabnaki canoe using Mr Gilpatrick's book, and this year I built a Prospector design using Canoecraft, at least in part. I would like to add my opinion abut the relative merits of these books.
Gilpatrick's book is designed, in my opinion, to tell you how to build what used to be referred to in the wood/canvas days as "guide canoes". These were workhorse canoes, without unnecessary decorations, a plain paint job and no frills. Mr Gilpatrick uses his own designs in guiding parties down whitewater rivers in Maine. His book describes how to use 2 layers of fiberglass to strengthen the bottom for whitewater, has complete instructions for caning very comfortable seats, has a good pattern for a portage-comfortable yoke, and has complete plans for all his designs, which only need to be enlarged. He does NOT spend time discussing stems (which are pretty but not necessary and add a lot of work to the construction), scuppered gunwales, accent strips, patterned decks, etc. It is impossible to build a cedar strip canoe which is not pretty, but function takes precedence in this book. His designs are practical and functional and he has proven that his construction methods produce a tough, durable boat. I think a canoe can sometimes be too pretty. If you're afraid to get it scratched up a bit you're not going to be taking it in places you should.
Canoecraft goes into more detail about appearances and has a section on accent strips, shows finely crafted decks with coamings, and uses a construction utilizing stems. The canoe which is illustrated being constructed is the Redbird, and the canoe is absolutely beautiful. The book has very good trouble shooting sections in the chapters. The designs require either a knowledge of lofting or purchasing plans and there is not a lot of discussion on seat construction. A chapter on lofting and on caning seats would add immensely to this book. (Believe me, if you get used to caned seats you'll never have another kind). Also, the canoes are described as being built with a single layer of glass on the outside and inside. I know a fellow who banged such a canoe into a rock on the Madison river and his $3000 investment ended up needing major repair work. My double layered wabnaki has bounced off numerous rocks and ledges in the Big Blackfoot river and has its share of scratches but is structurally intact. I would definitely add a layer of glass if you do any whitewater stuff. You can certainly built a very beautiful canoe with the advice in this book, but I think the two books compliment one another and I used both in building the prospector.

I have built two of canoes described in Mr. Gilpatrick's book (16" laker and 14" puddleduck) and I adapted his building technique to build a 17'6" redbird design from another strip canoe book. I like Gilpatrick's straightforward, no nonsense instructions. Your final product will be a quality boat but not one of such rarified appearance you will cringe at the inevitable scratches and dings that come with canoeing. Once in awhile lightly sand her all over, paint on a new coat of varnish and the boat will look like new. Don't anticipate the final product, just follow his instructions step-by-step and before you know it about 100 hours of work (not counting glue and epoxy curing time) will yield a nice canoe. Less expensive boat builder epoxy will bring your cost down to about $350 - 400 for materials. Shop around.

As a new stripper, I have read ever source I could find. This book offered safety instructions, patterns, and an excellant outline of wood strip canoe construction. The techniques in this book differ from others, but all canoe building books authors seem to agree on the point that there is no perfect system. I intend to use many parts of this excellent guide in the building of my canoes. Experience is the best teacher, and Mr Gilpatrick certainly has the experience. I feel the best use of this classic book would be to combine it with your experience and ability, and what you can learn from all other scources, and build your dream boat. I will. Happy paddling.

Gil Gilpatrick's book on building wood strip canoes is the best I've seen. I liked it so much that I recently ordered a second copy to give to a friend. Several months ago I built an 18 foot wood strip canoe using information found in a different book. I wish I had had Gil's book when I started that project! His book provides a number of effort saving techniques that would have been really handy to know while I was building my first canoe. Now, I'm going to use this book to build a second canoe!

I built an 18.5 ft White Guide model and am in the middle of building a 17 ft version of the same canoe. The first boat turned out well but the fiberglass is cloudy in spots. I layed up the second boat and the same thing occurred. It wasn't until sanding it down to the wood and relaminating (with the help of my brother) that I discovered the cause. Micro-bubbles in the resin were causing the clouding. It can occur when you reuse resin that you squeegee off the boat, but not always. The second boat is absolutely beautiful and will definitely be a head turner. But even the first canoe, with a less than perfect layup, has engendered many compliments on the few outings that I've taken. One more thing, work with a partner when fiberglassing and under-catalize the resin. It will give you more time to work and you'll end up with a better product.

This book lays out the steps to build a strip planked canoe in a straight forward way. It doesn't extoll a special technique or the ego of the author. Of the canoe designs included in the book, the White Guide model has to be one of the most beautiful ever created. It also includes directions on caning canoe seats and a design for one of the best paddles I've ever handled. This book presents the most useful information in a single volume for a new or experienced builder compared to any other canoe building book I've seen.

I built a Guide model canoe from this book for myself and my family. It's hauled us on day floats, extended camping trips, held crowds of kids at birthday parties and spent a summer as a gold plater in a canoe livery over the past 8 years. It's crashed through the surf at the beach and through white water on mountain rivers. The boat still makes me smile when I load it up for a trip or see it in the water. And it still gets tons of compliments. Build one for yourself.

I love this book. I spent 4 months of my spare time savoring every word as I built my 18 foot White Guide canoe. I started the project with no experience in boat building and now I'm dying to start another boat and help my friends build boats of their own. Be prepared to spend $1000, give or take a few hundred, on materials. After that and a bit of patience you'll end up with a boat that will turn heads and perform on moving or flat water like a dream. Included in the book also are instructions on caning (weaving with plastic cane) canoe seats and building some fine paddles.

I bought this book paired with the more advanced Canoecraft book and really couldn't be happier with both of them. Having read the Canoecraft book first I was left with some questions reguarding technical aspects of boatbuilding that this book answered wonderfully. The approach the author takes reflects one of an experienced teacher explaining the task with an eye toward common mistakes and how to avoid them. While the finished product as outlined is a bit heavy and lacking in elegance, as compared to the Canoecraft boat, I plan to utilize both books in the construction of my canoe. (Please note that the heaviness comes from extra fiberglass reinforcement that is a real necessity in the rocky streams of Maine, the author's state, and not so much here in the Midwest.) The real bonus, aside from the caning instructions which are wonderful, is the fact that you are also getting scale plans for eight boats which can be scanned, scaled and printed full size at your local copyshop. The project is easily completed by anyone who is remotely aquainted with woodworking techniques and in many instances the author explains multiple methods of doing the same step with a list of the pros and cons of each method. Excellent book to buy for your first canoebuilding experience.

The theme of this book seems to be "its easier than it looks". and it really is. The book is very helpful and has several plans included. The writer basically says throughout the book, close enough is good enough- in most cases. Very helpful with suppliers and tips etc. If you want to build a canoe this is the must have read.

My 13 year old son and I built the 18 footer. The directions were easy, and my son often did parts of the job when I was not there. We enjoyed 100 hours together and produced a beautiful head turning canoe. Great father and son project. We were in the middle of doing the fiber glassing when I was called away on an emergency. He read the instructions and finished it! We are both very proud of our canoe. Gilpatrick has done a great job on the book and helped bridge the father and son gap. Thanks.