The Making of a Cedar Dugout Canoe

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Then, to check the full slope of the sides, lay a leveled board across the middle of the canoe's bottom (as shown in Fig. 5) and drop a plumb line from the plank at a measured distance from the keel. Mark the point where the plumb bob touches the hull . . . and then repeat the process on the other side, using the same keel-to-string span and the same amount of plumb cord. The spots marked on both sides should be equidistant . . . if they're not, remove some wood from the side that is protruding and check the slope again. Once the measurements are equal, move the string farther out on the board, and lengthen the plumb line so that the bob touches the hull just an inch or so below the sheer. Compare (and, if necessary, correct) the contour of each side at that point, too.

When you've finished rounding off this entire middle section to the curvature you want, make a template of the contour to use as a guide for the rest of the canoe: Rive out an inch-thick cedar board about 2 feet long and 6 inches wide, and-with your adz-carve a concave curve into it that matches that of the hull from one side edge to the sheer. Then sculpt the rest of the canoe's body to mimic this pattern. For a really precise "fit", you can coat the curve of the template with a graphite lumber crayon dipped in water, and then run the board on the part of the hull you're working. The graphite will rub off on any high spots, which then can be chipped away.

HOLLOWING THE HULL

After you've rough-shaped the exterior, roll the canoe right side up and resume hollowing out the inside. Remove large chunks with your ax and chain saw, and then use the round-bladed cooper's adz to form the curved interior walls. 

When you've worked the sides down to a thickness of about 3 or 4 inches, you'll be ready to establish depth guides. Turn the boat upside down and—starting at the exact center of the bottom (see Fig. 6)—drill 1/4"-diameter holes, 2 inches deep and one hand (about 4 inches) apart, into the wood all along the keel. Then bore another row of holes (using the same depth and spacing) on each side of the drilled line, one hand away from—and parallel to—the keel. 

Now, still utilizing the one-hand measure, continue boring rows of holes up the sides of the canoe (see Fig. 7) . . . but decrease the depth of the cavities in the third line out from the keel on each side to 1-1/2 inches, and in subsequent rows to only 1 inch.

Once all the depth guides have been established, turn the vessel right side up again and use your adzes to hollow out the interior until you work down far enough to expose all of the holes . . . the result will be an almost finished hull that tapers gradually from a 2-inch thickness on the bottom to 1-1/2 inches at the bilge line and 1 inch up the side.

Of course, this process also produces a very leaky boat! I have to confess that when Tait and Carter started sinking a drill into the exterior of their beautiful, masterfully shaped canoe-and then chopped the inside away until (gasp) the cavities ran all the way through—I could barely contain my shock. But they assured me that the technique is a traditional way to create a hull with a uniformly graduated thickness, and that they'd eventually plug the openings permanently to restore the canoe's seaworthiness.

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