Introduction
Even though this project was done a few years ago, it has been the biggest project I've worked on and one that I've enjoyed a great deal since.
I decided several years ago that I wanted to get more serious about woodworking and to try something that I perceived as out of my league. The idea for the canoe was one that had bounced around in my head for a while. I finally chose to make the leap after seeing a magazine article showing someone in the Toronto area who had a large workshop where he built boats and taught people the art/skill of small boatbuilding.
After doing some research, I found that this was not a unique thing. I found another, smaller, workshop closer to my home run by a guy named Dave Fisher. I went out to his shop one night, looked at the canoes and kayaks being built and was hooked. I signed up for his next opening.
The project began early in 2004 and was completed over several months, working an average 3-4 hours per week. Dave was an excellent teacher (his regular vocation as it turns out) and with the help of my friend Adam, each week gave a great sense of accomplishment as we saw the project grow from a pile of cedar strips into a beautiful canoe.
This is the final product, ready for her maiden voyage.
My lovely wife suggested that we needed to name her and brimming with confidence, we christened her 'Hope it Floats'.
It does float…rather well in fact!
More to come in the days ahead, I'll take things back to day one.
Even though this project was done a few years ago, it has been the biggest project I've worked on and one that I've enjoyed a great deal since.
I decided several years ago that I wanted to get more serious about woodworking and to try something that I perceived as out of my league. The idea for the canoe was one that had bounced around in my head for a while. I finally chose to make the leap after seeing a magazine article showing someone in the Toronto area who had a large workshop where he built boats and taught people the art/skill of small boatbuilding.
After doing some research, I found that this was not a unique thing. I found another, smaller, workshop closer to my home run by a guy named Dave Fisher. I went out to his shop one night, looked at the canoes and kayaks being built and was hooked. I signed up for his next opening.
The project began early in 2004 and was completed over several months, working an average 3-4 hours per week. Dave was an excellent teacher (his regular vocation as it turns out) and with the help of my friend Adam, each week gave a great sense of accomplishment as we saw the project grow from a pile of cedar strips into a beautiful canoe.
This is the final product, ready for her maiden voyage.
My lovely wife suggested that we needed to name her and brimming with confidence, we christened her 'Hope it Floats'.
It does float…rather well in fact!
More to come in the days ahead, I'll take things back to day one.