2. Construction starts

The strong back was built on two doors which were meticulously leveled, lined up and nailed together. Ten stations were cut (using paper templates) from 9mm plywood and fixed to the strong back. Using fishing line on the base it was relatively easy to line up the stations along the centre line and assuring that they were vertical and square relative to the strong back.

It seems that strip canoes are largely built without bulkheads but I don’t have the level of confidence that the experts have and it is the intention that every alternative station remains in the hull as a permanent bulkhead. The seat area between stations 4 and 6 will partly be left open (without strips) as I would like to insert a polycarbonate viewing panel on the bottom of the kayak.

I also notched the stations and glued (epoxy) a 20mm wide Meranti strip along the keel line of the kayak to add stability to the stations and provide fixing areas for the inner fore and aft stems.

I managed to obtain clear (knot-free) Western Red Cedar and cutting it in 5mm thick strips on the band saw proved easier than I thought. The photograph shows the first strip being test-fitted.
Excitement grew as the beautiful shape of the Evolution started to emerge

My methods vary probably from the traditional way of building a strip canoe, but then again the shape of the Evolutions differs quite substantially from the “Canadian canoe” shape.

TOTAL HOURS SPEND SO FAR EXCLUDING RESEARCH, SHOPPING, ETC: 16