Index of Entries, March 2026

  Find a topic of interest in the lefthand column and note the associated date (month/year), then click on the associated year in the righthand column, and you should find your chosen entry nearby.

Planking the Canoe                         02/26

A Small Canoe                                11/25

First Signs of a New Build             11/25

Designing a New Hull Shape          9/25

What should I Build Next?              9/25

Planking the New Kayak                6/25

Putting the Pieces Together             3/25

New Kayak Design, Part 2              1/25

Creating a New Kayak                    12/24

A 'Leaner' Kayak                             12/24

 Boating is more Satisfying....          8/24

What is Next?                                   6/24

Careers and a Hobby                        6/24

A Smaller Kayak                              12/23

Finishing the Planked Hull                7/23

Rules for Developable Hull surfaces 6/23

Finalized kayak Design                      1/23

Starting a New Design: Kayak           1/23

Now I Have a Boat to Look at            8/22

Next Step in Design Evolution          11/21

A Real Sharpie                                    3/21

Another Guide Boat                            2/21

Finishing the Guide Boat                    12/20

Finishing the Planking                        5/20

Creating a Developable Surface         5/20

Solving the Hull Sheathing Conform. 4/20

Planking the Guide Boat                     9/19

Garboard Sheathing                            7/19

Viking Ship Museum, Hull Fairing     6/19

Defining the Shape                              3/19

Creating a Boat 'Skeleton'                    3/19

Starting to Cut Wood                            2/19

First Steps for the New Design            12/18

The Improved Guide Boat                   10/18

Getting Ready to Build                         7/17

Completed New Model                         9/16

New Design Model, Part II                   8/16

Creating a Model for a New Design     8/16

Beautiful Boats of Scandinavia             7/16

Vietnam Memories                                10/15

Along the Adriatic Coast                       10/15

Grand Tetons N.P. Boating                     8/15

Modified 'Next Boat' Design                  4/15

Sail Design                                              2/15

Next Boat?                                              12/14

A Day at the Lake                                    9/14

Resting on its Design Waterline              7/14

At Flaming Gorge, Utah                          7/14

What a Day!                                             5/14

The New Boat Looks Complete               3/14

Why I use Rosin Paper                             3/14

The Boat Windshield                                2/14

Winter Progress                                         2/14

A Voyage to Remember                             11/13

Instrument Panel                                        11/13

Now for the Accessories                            10/13

Sample Developable Design Calculation   7/13

To the Deck and Onward                            7/13

Slow but Steady Progress                           5/13

Finally, the Hull is Turned Over                 1/13

Hull Sheathing                                            7/12

The Origin of Boat Bowls                           4/12

Another Year, Another Boat                        4/12

First Season Report                                     9/11

A Trial Run                                                  6/11

Finally in the Water!                                    5/11

Out of the Shop                                            12/10

Ready to Leave the Shop                             10/10

Finishing the Stern, Onto the Windshield     7/10

Wood Decking                                               7/10

Interior Details                                               6/10

Finally, the Hull is Upright                            4/10

Planking the Hull                                          11/09

Initial Hull Sheathing                                      8/09

The Design Becomes a Reality                       5/09        

Hull Design Using Simple Mathematics       12/08

Design Evolution                                             7/07

New Direction                                                 7/07

Model Lobster Boat                                       11/06

Updated Drawings                                           9/06

Maiden Voyage                                                5/06

A Semi-planing Powerboat                              5/06

Guide Boat Pictures                                         5/06

Adirondack Guide Boat Concept                     5/06

A Real Disappointment                                    5/06

Panama Skiff                                                    5/06

Kayoe or Canak?                                              5/06

Where did this Unusual Interest Originate?     5/06

Planking the Canoe Hull

When fitting each plank, clamps can be spaced at wide intervals, but when doing final bonding, clamps must be closely spaced to get good adaptation of their mating edges.
 

Assuming an upright hull position:  As the topsides curve becomes more vertical toward the sheer, the lower edge for each new plank needs to be tapered (to partial hull length) where it meets the previous plank.  The hull is somewhat rough now.  Adjacent planks seldom meet in a perfectly matching curve due to variations within the wood itself.  It will need to be sanded and filled when the planking is complete.

Planked up to the sheer line.  When you are bonding with epoxy, or any adhesive, use plenty of clamps.  The final length 155.25 inches, width 29 inches, and midships depth 10.5 inches.

Next, the hull will be turned over, and I will begin the process of sanding and filling until a smooth surface is achieved.  Then, the interior needs to be finished but not to such a polished degree.  Last will be completion of the small stem decks and sheer.

You can see the pattern of planks.  Initially, full-length 1 1/2" wide planks were used (for the first projection).  At the initial chine, a narrower 1" wide plank was used due to increased frame curvature.  Partial-length 1 1/2" wide straight planks were used to fill-in remaining frame curvature as the topsides curved upward.  The final two planks were 2" wide because, as the frames approached the sheer level, the frame edges were almost straight.

Realize that this is a mathematically created (mainly algebra) developable surface boat design.  No computer or drafting board were used to create a table of offsets.  The only change is that, after all highly accurate offsets were plotted, the various plotted points on each piece (keel, stems, frames) were connected by smooth curves rather than short straight lines.  Then narrow solid wood planking was used instead of plywood.

  

Three coats of varnish on the inside and two coats of white paint on the exterior.  I ordered white by mistake; I was thinking light blue but didn't recheck my online entry.  Oh well, the small stem decks and interior will be varnished wood, and I'll add an accent stripe at the sheer.