What Goes into Building a Cedar Strip Canoe?

Building a cedar strip canoe is an entire process, but if you choose the right builder, it will deal with the project from start to finish and, as a customer, you will be allowed to request customized features.

There is a lot going into building a cedar strip canoe, from materials and tools to technical operations.

Materials required include: cedar planking, hardwood (for the seats, gunnels, decks, etc.), epoxy resin and hardener, wood glue, masking and packing tape, staples, bolts, marine varnish, etc.

Tools that are going to be used by the builder include a table saw or circular saw with a jig, a thin kerf saw blade, staple gun, paint scraper, random orbital sander, sandpaper (a lot of it!), drill, C-clamps and more.

The process of building a cedar strip canoe requires technical knowledge and starts by selecting a design, based on what the boat will be used for (camping, tripping, decorating, etc.). Next, the builder will make the plans and free the construction platform, which typically consists of a long thin table, suitable for assembling the canoe, and start cutting out the forms.

The setup process takes up to about 10-15 hours, planking takes about 25 hours, and epoxy application and sanding is a wild variable and may take a while, depending on each builder.