jbj_bc_ca
Paddler
Hi all,
I wanted to record here for eternal posterity details of a wooden boat I've just built and launched. It's called a pirogue or piragua and is a plywood version of the traditional dugout canoe found in swamps, bayous and other calm tropical waters. It's based on a plan from a book called "Boatbuilding for Beginners" by Jim Michalak (Halcottsville, NY : Breakaway Books, 2002).
Scroll down for specs and pics.
No, it's not as fine a craft as a Pygmy kayak, but it was built in about 30 hours for about $150 and paddles just fine with an adult and child on the calm waters of Boundary Bay, which was the intention. I'm using it to introduce my 7 year old daughter to the pleasures of kayaking. Previously she had me towing her around in a rubber dinghy, but this is more fun for both of us. We spent two hours this past Sunday paddling back and forth across the US-Canada border at Pt Roberts.
Specs
Length: 13'5"
Beam: about 26" at the waterline
Height: 11" from bottom to gunwale
Weight: 55-60 lbs
Interior: 91" long - plenty of room for 2 passengers
With 2 passengers totalling ~270lbs, had about 5" freeboard.
2 sealed compartments fore and aft for flotation if swamped.
Flat bottom with slight rocker and narrow keelstrip; no skeg.
Materials
Two 1/4" fir plywood sheets for hull pieces
a bunch of 8' 1x2" pine sticks for reinforcement
1 bottle Titebond III wood glue
3 small tubes of PL Premium polyurethane construction adhesive to seal all the joints
lots of deck screws
2 litres red latex paint
Built with hand tools and an electric jigsaw, drill and belt sander
Effort: about 30 hours from purchasing materials to launch
Cost: ~$150
I wanted to record here for eternal posterity details of a wooden boat I've just built and launched. It's called a pirogue or piragua and is a plywood version of the traditional dugout canoe found in swamps, bayous and other calm tropical waters. It's based on a plan from a book called "Boatbuilding for Beginners" by Jim Michalak (Halcottsville, NY : Breakaway Books, 2002).
Scroll down for specs and pics.
No, it's not as fine a craft as a Pygmy kayak, but it was built in about 30 hours for about $150 and paddles just fine with an adult and child on the calm waters of Boundary Bay, which was the intention. I'm using it to introduce my 7 year old daughter to the pleasures of kayaking. Previously she had me towing her around in a rubber dinghy, but this is more fun for both of us. We spent two hours this past Sunday paddling back and forth across the US-Canada border at Pt Roberts.
Specs
Length: 13'5"
Beam: about 26" at the waterline
Height: 11" from bottom to gunwale
Weight: 55-60 lbs
Interior: 91" long - plenty of room for 2 passengers
With 2 passengers totalling ~270lbs, had about 5" freeboard.
2 sealed compartments fore and aft for flotation if swamped.
Flat bottom with slight rocker and narrow keelstrip; no skeg.
Materials
Two 1/4" fir plywood sheets for hull pieces
a bunch of 8' 1x2" pine sticks for reinforcement
1 bottle Titebond III wood glue
3 small tubes of PL Premium polyurethane construction adhesive to seal all the joints
lots of deck screws
2 litres red latex paint
Built with hand tools and an electric jigsaw, drill and belt sander
Effort: about 30 hours from purchasing materials to launch
Cost: ~$150
