Lindy - The canoe

Lindy is a fourteen-foot wood-strip built canoe made of red oak and white maple.

Designing and building this canoe showcases my knowledge of computer design programs, and expertise using all tools and machines in a woodshop.

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Thank you, SCAD, for writing an article about me in the school magazine.

Objective

Create a watercraft using the wood strip method that is buoyant and stable enough to transport two people over a body of water, is light and small enough for one person to carry and paddle smoothly and efficiently, and is beautifully crafted

Hull design

The prospector design inspired the hull because the full-bodied shape holds lots of gear, and the shallow arches maintain stability on rough water without being too tippy on calm days. This hull tracks straight when it is weighted down, but can be easily maneuvered and paddled solo in the leaned position.

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strong-back and rib design

Creating build plans for the strong-back, ribs, and canoe stems guided each step of the construction and ensured that the canoe would be straight and proportionally accurate to the design.

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Strong Back construction

The canoe is the product of the mold; if the strong-back is straight and the ribs are parallel, then the canoe will cut straight through the water. I had the ribs cut with a CNC laser cutter to save time and ensure accuracy.

STEMS

I created a gluing jig to laminate stems that fit the mold exactly. By designing jigs and construction aids first in Rhino, I could make precise parts, like the stems, easily and quickly.

wood strips

I milled the red oak and maple wood into strips by surfacing, ripping, and routing them. I routed the edges of the strips into concave and convex profiles to ensure that each strip has excellent glue adhesion to those next to it.

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hull construction

I trimmed, fit, glued, and tack nailed every strip in place to build the canoe hull.

Sanding and fiberglass

After removing the tack nails and sanding the exterior of the hull, I applied the fiberglass. I draped the fiberglass cloth over the canoe, then poured mixed resin on top. Fiberglass cloth turns transparent when it is soaked with resin. Once the exterior fiberglass cured, I flipped the canoe, sanded the interior and applied fiberglass to it.

Gunwales

Gunwales are the trim pieces that frame the top edges of a canoe. They strengthen the canoe and keep it from twisting or flexing. They also provide a place to mount the seats and the yoke.

Paddles

I designed and created bent lamination shaft wood and fiberglass paddles. I had a lamination jig for the paddle shafts laser cut to make a set of matching paddles.

A mixture of resin and red oak sawdust around the tips of the paddles protects them from rocks.