A number of years back I was able to work with a group of students to build what we called a "voyageur canoe". In reality it was just a regular canoe... but a lot bigger!
We took a standard canoe pattern, increased the width and added a few feet of length.
Because it was so long we built it in two sections using a bulkhead on each end so we could bolt it together. We didn't have enough space to work on it in one piece.
The boat was made out of basswood which probably was a bad idea because though it is very light, it is also very soft. We couldn't afford to buy cedar which would have been better.
We had some old redwood planks that we planed and used for an accent strip the length of the boat.
My little brother was one of the students!
Here is the first half taking shape.
Once all the strips were on we fiberglassed and epoxied the hull.
Preparing the seats.
It turned from winter to spring so we could move the boat into a larger (unheated) building to continue work.
Before applying finish to the seats we applied the decals from the organization we were building for.
Installing seats using hickory braces.
All the seats installed!
The maiden voyage! Unfortunately I was gone for this but someone shared photos with me.
It works! It holds somewhere between 24-30 people.
The camp uses the canoe to shuttle people across the lake for a special voyageur's breakfast.
When shown next to a normal sized canoe... this thing is large.
