How to Make a Canoe Gunnel

Canoe gunnels (or gunwales) refer to the top edge and upper sides of the canoe. You might think of the gunnels as the rim of the canoe. For a wooden canoe, four strips of wood form the gunnels. For each side of the canoe a strip is connected to the inside of the canoe, and a strip is connected to the outside of the canoe. They are attached using wood screws. Aluminum canoes' gunnels consist of one concave aluminum piece that is attached using rivets. Most (if not all) home builders make wooden canoes, and so I will focus on wooden gunnels. Making the gunnels is one of the easiest parts of canoe building.

Things You'll Need

  • Several Spaces (3 inches x ¾ inches x ¾ inches)
  • Wood Screws
  • 4 long strips of wood (1/2 inch x ¾ inch)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Install spacers on the inside of the canoe every 3 inches using wood screws. The spacers are attached at the very edge of the rim. Installing spacers before installing the gunnel will form 3 inch spaces called "scuppers" that make water draining much more efficient.

    • 2

      Install the inner strips to the spacers using screws. These strips can vary in thickness and width, but the width should match the width of the spacers. Generally these strips are around ½ inches thick and 1/3 inches wide. They length of the strip depends entirely upon the length of the canoe. You may want to cut an angle on the ends of each strip so that you have a nice joint at the front and back of the canoe.

    • 3

      Install the outer strips. These strips should be the same thickness and width as the inner strips, but will be slightly longer (2-5 inches depending upon your canoe). As with the inner strips, you may want to cut an angle on the ends of each strips to form pleasing joints on the outside of the canoe.