Canoe, like the Indians. Travel Tips

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Canoe, like the Indians. Travel Tips

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"Canoe made of birch bark... the most comfortable and lightest of all means of transportation. The bark of one birch, as a rule, is enough for one canoe; they have such an expedient shape that they float on the water easily, like a cork "(J. Ketlin, 1841).

The boat of the North American Indians can be quite easily made not only from birch bark, but also from hard fibrous plates (for example, hardboard) or thin plywood. The following is a guide to making canoes from such sheets.

The bow and stern of the canoe are practically the same. In terms of shape and size, the boat offered for self-production by the German magazine "Praktik" is very similar in shape to the hunting canoe of the Indians. But the hull of the boat, of course, is not birch bark: it acquires rigidity and reliability through the use of hard fibrous material, and not because of the longitudinal and transverse frames, as is done in the original.

The finished canoe weighs about 30 kg, so it can be transported even on a bicycle trailer, and even more so on the roof of a car. At the same time, the boat itself has an enviable carrying capacity: it can accommodate two adults and three children. The maximum load with an even weight distribution in a canoe is (as it should be for a sports boat with a minimum freeboard of 0,15 m) about 280 kg. oars can be made independently; the oar blade should have a width of about 120 mm and a length of 450 mm.

Fastening of a cross coupler of boards and fabric overlays on board seams. Side seam and lath framing of the edge of the side. The bow rake of a canoe is similar to a hockey stick (they can be used to decorate the bow and stern).

In addition to the drawing, the following remarks must be taken into account.

Chassis

Pattern of half of the hull of the boat. It is formed from sheets of fiberboard (hardboard), on which, according to the drawing, a scale grid and a “pattern” of the body with marking of cross sections are applied. If the hard fiber sheets turn out to be smaller than necessary to mark the full size of the boat, the drawing can be applied on two sheets (mirror on the second of them). After cutting and final formation of the body blanks, the resulting halves of it are somewhat pushed into one another (overlapping) and sewn together with two parallel stitches.

However, before that, it will be necessary to complete all the preparatory operations.

And the main one after cutting out the contour applied to the sheet is the thorough soaking of those sections of it that are subject to subsequent bending. Humidification is carried out, depending on the thickness of the sheet, on its "inner" surface or on both sides, with alternate watering or wrapping them with wet rags.

Stem (click to enlarge): 1 - rib; 2 - cross member (frame)

The bending of the hull blank must be started from the bow (and, accordingly, from the stern) part, bringing its halves together and clamping their edges with overhead strips and clamps. The remaining sections are carefully folded up, as if forming the future sides of the boat, and are fixed with rope ties around them in an annular manner. After that, the blanks are dried until the material acquires its original hardness.

Wood billets

While the hull blanks are drying, you can begin to form the wooden parts of the hull - these are the stems and side rails. Since the canoes have the same bow and stern, their base, that is, the stems, have the same device. They consist of a figured axial part (rib) and a transverse drop-shaped bar with holes and cutouts for connection with the stem rib and side rails of the boat hull. The elements of the stem are cut out of plywood 20 mm thick and have a spike connection between them.

The main dimensions of the canoe (click to enlarge)

The slats of the hull framing fit the pins along the sides of the boat, wrapping around the upper edge of the hull sheets on both sides, as well as covering them with horizontal slats. The length of all these elements can be any, if only together they complement each other for the entire length of the canoe.

In addition to these wooden parts, five more flat bars of different lengths will be required, which act as a side tie along the entire length of the hull.

Before joining, all wooden parts of the canoe must be impregnated with a moisture-proof compound (for example, Pinotex).

Assembly

All elements of the canoe, as in the Indian original, are assembled without nails: they are sewn together. For this, a cord made of artificial fiber about 2 mm thick is used.

Canoe assembly (click to enlarge): 1 - stem rib; 2 - cross member of the stem; 3 - slats framing the side; 4 - framing lath; 5 - fabric pasting of seams; 6 - side tie.

In the dried parts of the case, the places of the side cuts are first sewn together, which are connected with some overlap in the upper part (overlap) and holes are made on both sides of it, through which the cord is passed and tightened in sequence. The bow and stern are pre-connected - temporarily: they will take their final shape after they are mounted together with the stems.

Techniques for stitching the main parts of the boat (click to enlarge): 1-sheets of the hull; 2 - slats side frame; 3 - screed boards.

If, after stitching the side part, its edge turns out to be uneven, the protruding sections are cut off. The finished halves of the body are somewhat pushed into one another (overlapping), glued together and stitched with two parallel stitches (along the edges of each joined half).

A side frame is sewn from two rows of slats, wrapping around the edge of the sides on both sides. They are inserted with glue and the stems are sewn on; the slats of the side framing are brought to them and attached - the shape of the canoe begins to be determined, which is finally fixed by sewing screed bars to the sides. Everything ends with fastening along the sides of overhead horizontal strips, the ends of which rise to the stems and are sewn to them.

Finishing operations

All seams are carefully coated with epoxy glue, and fabric strips, also impregnated with epoxy glue, are applied and pressed onto the side and bottom seams. The wooden parts are covered with waterproof varnish (the so-called yacht varnish).

Canoe assembly (click to enlarge)

The entire body inside and out is carefully treated with drying oil several times. After drying, it is covered three times with a diluted waterproof varnish.

When launching, a "fish" is laid on the bottom of the canoe - a flooring made of plywood strips or boards.

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