How to Build a Cedar Strip Boat

Finally we were ready to go On its own, each type is stable but when mixed together in the proportions recommended by the manufacturer they react and start to 'go off', becoming an immensely strong bonding agent, or glue. To this concoction we added a high density structural filler and mixed it thoroughly. The result was a very sticky 'gloop' which would bond the planks together and fill any voids. Talking of which, avoid getting this stuff on your skin; it's not good - you should always wear disposable rubber gloves when mixing and applying it.

The hull was built upside down, with the first plank - the one at the top of the hull - permanently screwed and epoxy glued to the mahogany stem and temporarily screwed to each frame through to the one at the transom. The next and subsequent planks are epoxied to the one preceding it, and secured to the plank below it with a dowel pin. These were cut to length from wooden barbecue skewers, and were driven into holes drilled vertically into the planks between the frames. As the planking progressed and the curvature of the hull became more pronounced, so we used 1" x 1" 25mm x 25mm planks to make bending them into position easier.

The edges of the temporary chipboard frames are covered with a strip of polythene to prevent the epoxy doing what epoxy does best. Now with the planking complete and the screw holes plugged with epoxy, we ready for the next stage of cedar strip boat building; fairing the hull and sheathing it with epoxy and woven glass rovings. Take the video tours around the boat On deck;'Windward Lady', a centre cockpit, fin keel, monohull sloop, was launched in We a family with two kids bought Falkor in spring from the first owner.

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The Cedar Strip Boat Building Technique Explained in Words & Pictures

Ready to live the dream? A circular saw with a guide jig for cutting the strips is shown in the photo. Make a few test cuts and adjust your set up. Using a thin kerf blade like the Diablo, cut more than enough strips since some will break or have large knots or other problems. They do not need to be the total length of the boat, they can be scarf jointed or butt jointed on the hull.

The strength of the hull comes from the wood core laminated with fiberglass not from using continuous strips. Cut the bead first since the cove is more delicate. Once again make some test runs to adjust your set up.

Building a Cedar-Strip Canoe: The Basics

Cut shorter strips of softwood and hardwood to laminate for the stems. The strips used for the stems need to be steamed and clamped onto the stem forms then allowed to dry before gluing them together. Typically 3 or 4 strips are used for each inner and outer stem. I used a 6-foot piece of PVC drain pipe plugged at each end with a piece of wood.

One end had a large hole drilled in it. An old percolator style coffee pot on a camp stove was used to create the steam. A short piece of copper pipe replaced the glass bubbler on the coffee pot. The PVC pipe was hung above the stove. The secret to good bending is HOT steam.

Use epoxy thickened with sanding dust for glue. When gluing the stem strips together do not glue the inner stem to the outer stem. Once the glue for the inner stems has firmly set up, they can be attached to the stem mold with a screw through the last hull form into the end of the stem and a screw through the other end of the stem into the stem from.

Now comes the fun part. Start attaching strips to the forms at the part of the form closest to the strong back and work towards the center of the hull. Attach with cove side up to hold a bead of glue. Glue and staple the ends of the strip to the stems, allowing the strip to run past the stem a little.

Press the bead of next strip firmly into the cove of the previous strip and staple through both strips into the form.

The reference book I used

About 3 or 4 strips per side can be attached. Let the glue set before attaching more. Where the strips seem to pull apart between the forms, masking tape can be used to hold them together. Once the hull is stripped up to the flatter bottom section the strips will have to cut and fitted neatly together. Once the hull is completely stripped it is time to trim the strips flush with the bow and stern stems.

The outer stem is then mortised into the hull bottom and glued to the inner stem with thickened epoxy.

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Screws coated with wax are used to hold the outer stem in place. They will be removed when the glue sets and the holes will be plugged. Now all the staples are pulled, being careful not to dent the soft cedar. If a few staples are forgotten they will be found in the next step for sure.

The joint where strips meet at curves in the hull is a little squared off. These joints need to be planed to make the hull smooth. The Random Orbital Sander works well for this step. Before the final sanding, the hull should be wetted down and allowed to dry to raise the wood grain. Fiberglass cloth is laid over the hull so that it extends just past the stems, then smoothed with a soft bristle brush.

Epoxy resin and hardener are then applied to the cloth in small batches, working from side to side, in about 2 to 3 foot long sections. It is important that the temperature of the workshop is warm enough as that will affect the curing time and the rate of flow. Each coating should carefully squeegeed with a plastic scraper and only applied once the previous coat has become tacky. This step is intimidating but not real difficult if you are careful. Proper mixing of the resin and hardener are very important.

A cradle must be constructed to hold the upright hull. Carpet scraps suspended from brackets attached to the strong back will work. The screws holding the stems to the last form should now be removed and then the hull can be lifted from the forms. It may be necessary to loosen some of the forms and tap them as some glue residue may be holding them to the hull. Now it is time for more sanding and scraping. Glue beads can be scraped away. Sandpaper wrapped around a plastic bottle will help fit the curves of the hull. Here again, start with coarse and finish with fine and sand until you are done….

Fiberglass cloth is laid inside the hull and held in place with clothes pins, then smoothed with a soft bristle brush. The cloth is just short of the inside stems. Epoxy is applied the same as was done on the exterior.

Any runs on either side of the hull can be taken down with a paint scraper once the epoxy has firmed up sufficiently. Gunnels are long strips of wood which are attached inside and outside to the top edge of the hull to give it rigidity when combined with the thwart. Scuppers or slots can be cut into the inside gunnels to allow water drainage when the canoe is turned over. The gunnels can be attached with thickened epoxy and screws or thickened epoxy alone. The decks are then attached between the gunnels at the bow and stern. The thwart is attached between the gunnels in the center of the canoe.