How to Build a Lapstrake Canoe

Most modern wooden canoes are strip-built, but lapstrake canoes are an older style of wooden canoe building. They offer an advantage over many other canoes because they weigh less and are therefore much easier to transport. Depending on their size, a lapstrake canoe can weigh between 28 and 48 pounds. A lapstrake canoe can be expensive to build, and will require some boatbuilding skill. For less experienced builders, lapstrake canoe kits are available.

Things You'll Need

  • Lapstrake canoe plans
  • Jig saw
  • 4 sheets marine grade plywood
  • 16-foot length rough sawn mahogany
  • 1 gallon resin epoxy
  • Slow hardener
  • Colloidal silica adhesive filler
  • 1/2-quart wood flour
  • 200-foot 18-gauge wire
  • Plastic spreaders
  • Glue syringes
  • Paint roller frame
  • Paint rollers
  • Paint brushes
  • 10 yards of 38-inch wide fiberglass cloth
  • Masking tape
  • Latex disposable gloves
  • 220-grit sandpaper sheets
  • 60-grit sandpaper
  • Orbital sander and sanding disks
  • Shop rags
  • Varnish
  • Tack cloths
  • Paint thinner
  • Router
  • Electric drill
  • Clamps
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay out the sheets of plywood. Measure the planks according to your plan's specifications. Cut the plywood into planks using a jig saw or similar saw. Sand the planks using the 60-grit sandpaper. Make sure that the planks are perfectly square. Use a hand plane or a sander to shape the slope of the boards.

    • 2

      Mix up a batch of epoxy and add thickener. Apply the thickened epoxy to the joints and set it in place with clamps. Allow it to dry overnight. Sand off any excess epoxy.

    • 3

      Use a router to rabbet the edges of each board. Use a drill to drill holes in the plank according to your plan's specifications. Plane the ends of the rabbets down to taper.

    • 4

      Stitch the planks together loosely using copper wire. Shape the stitched planks to form a hull. Place boards across the stems to make sure that they are square to the gunwhales. Tighten the stitches to make sure the planks fit firmly together.

    • 5

      Cut out the bulkheads according to your plan's specification. Drill holes through the bulkhead and the hull, then stitch the two parts together using copper wire.

    • 6

      Mix epoxy and thicken it with wood flour. Coat the top of the stems with this mixture. Also spread the mixture over the seams between the bulkhead and the hull. For the visible seams, apply masking tape before applying the epoxy mixture to make sure the seam line is neat.

    • 7

      Mix up a small batch of epoxy with silica powder and slow hardener. Your batch should be no more than two to four ounces. Use a glue syringe to insert this mixture into the seams. Clean out the glue syringe when the batch of epoxy is exhausted and remix a small batch. Repeat this procedure until all the seams are sealed.

    • 8

      Remove the copper stitches. Refill all the seams with the epoxy silica mixture. The small holes left behind by the seam removal can be filled with an epoxy wood flour mix.

    • 9

      Mix up three ounces of epoxy with silica and apply to both gunwhales and the inner surfaces of the hull. Clamp the inner gunwhales in place. Allow to dry overnight, then repeat this process for the outer gunwhales.

    • 10

      Trace the canoe to create a template for cutting the fiberglass. Cut out a piece of fiberglass to cover the bottom edge of the boat. Place it over the overturned boat and coat it with epoxy. Follow the same procedure to apply fiberglass along the hull. When it's dry, turn the boat back over and coat the inside bulkheads with epoxy. Fillet the inside steams of the hull with an epoxy-and-wood-flour mix. After it has dried, sand this smooth. Cut a sheet of fiberglass and apply it to the inside of the hull using epoxy.

    • 11

      Coat any bare wood areas with epoxy. After the epoxy dries, sand down any rough areas and apply a second coat.

    • 12

      Wash the boat thoroughly before applying varnish. Pour the varnish into a plastic cup and apply it to the canoe inside and out.