The Canoe

[Moses Yoder]

I built a wooden canoe one time out of cherry using instructions in the "Canoecraft" book. It was a beauty. I put it on top of my rusted out Subaru station wagon and headed north. Every gas station I stopped at took half an hour. The men oohed and aahed over it, and when I told them I built it the questions began. It was a lot of fun. I explored the Manistee, Little Manistee, Pierre Marquette, and the AuSable. Man those were the days. One time I went to the Grayling Canoe race, not to race but just to watch. I had no idea what size that party would be. I floated a portion of the AuSable that morning then at 9 in the evening watched the racers take a running leap into the river, their paddles dipping before the canoe hit the water. They went for broke all night and I met them on the bridge in Oscoda the next morning , about 10:30 am.

Over the years the sun did a number on the fiberglass that covered the cherry canoe. The ends split open and leaked a bit and the wood started to rot. I had no place to store it inside so it set out in the sun most of the time. It's a flower bed now, a neat accent piece in our yard. I don't even know where my pictures are. I bought the updated version of "Canoecraft" and someday I would like to build another canoe.

[Mac McQuinn]

Since Epoxy doesn't contain UV inhibitors, did you top coat the canoe with a high solids, quality marine varnish? Even sitting in the sun, this should have been sufficient protection. Perhaps every (3) years give it a good sanding and fresh top-coat.
Mac

I built a wooden canoe one time out of cherry using instructions in the "Canoecraft" book. It was a beauty. I put it on top of my rusted out Subaru station wagon and headed north. Every gas station I stopped at took half an hour. The men oohed and aahed over it, and when I told them I built it the questions began. It was a lot of fun. I explored the Manistee, Little Manistee, Pierre Marquette, and the AuSable. Man those were the days. One time I went to the Grayling Canoe race, not to race but just to watch. I had no idea what size that party would be. I floated a portion of the AuSable that morning then at 9 in the evening watched the racers take a running leap into the river, their paddles dipping before the canoe hit the water. They went for broke all night and I met them on the bridge in Oscoda the next morning , about 10:30 am.

Over the years the sun did a number on the fiberglass that covered the cherry canoe. The ends split open and leaked a bit and the wood started to rot. I had no place to store it inside so it set out in the sun most of the time. It's a flower bed now, a neat accent piece in our yard. I don't even know where my pictures are. I bought the updated version of "Canoecraft" and someday I would like to build another canoe.