greybeard canoes & kayaks

At long last the canoe is at the point of the build called the football. At this point it’s advisable to measure from the edges of the strips to the center of the forms to make sure that everything built up evenly. If something is off, this is the time to adjust for it. Fortunately, this build treated me well and everything was even.

Many builders choose to fill one half of the football with arcing strips, cut along the center line and then fill the other half. The method I prefer, partly because I can’t trust myself to cut a straight line, is to run a pair of strips down the center line and then fill the halves. In the past I’ve used this technique to alternate light and dark strips that run the length of the football. To people who haven’t seen me in a canoe, I call these racing stripes. This time, I’ll try something a little different. Less racing. More zen. Stay tuned.

The following picture shows the pair of strips run along the center line and the use of bungee cords to keep the strips tight against the forms.

Tagged: canoe building, cedar strip canoe, cedar strip canoe building, stripping