Dear Uncle John,

I have finished my pirogue, based on your plans. I did not take the cost and trouble to order your kit from the overseas. On the other hand, I wanted to scale up the boat, so the rib set, and stems would have been useless to buy. Although I came across some pirogue plans here and there around the net, I found yours the most practical, most detailed, and definitely the clearest! Thank you for making public that bunch of quality information! I made my pirogue from 6.5 mm (1/4") birch plywood. Size of sheet was 2,5 m x 1,25 m, so a bit larger, than the standard 8' x 4'. One sheet was ripped up for the sides, another is for the bottom. I modified the layout of the bottom, in order to maximize the width. You might remember me: I was the guy, who asked you about the diagonal cut of the bottom panel, for a more economical layout. You advised me to avoid this way, as the grain orientation of the plywood may cause troubles. Finally I figured out another way (see the drawing below). This way I was able to achieve 80 cm (32") bottom width, so that the boat is stable enough to stand up in, when fishing. I believe that there is another advantage of my arrangement. This way the widest, and most exposed part of the bottom is made from one piece. The bottom joints are far from the center, and not in line with the side joints. Probably it's not a big issue, but it's enough for me to believe so :-) I was a bit afraid, but managed to scarf the plywood pieces successfully, according to your method. Though if I have done it again, I'd rather use glassed butt joint. I tried this method on scrap pieces later, the simplicity and strength was amazing! The stems and ribs are made of hardwood (robinia), and proved to be pretty heavy. I could have spared at least 10 lbs, if I made them lighter. I seamed the chine inside with a 10 cm (4") glass tape, and glassed the whole bottom outside, folding up the glass on the sides up to 10 cm (4") height. I didn't want to throw away the leftover pieces of textile, so that I used them up for reinforcing the bottom inside, after some puzzle game with them. Although I didn't plan to apply glass inside, it proved to be useful, as it makes the bottom really solid, and hopefully will stand for the wear better. The gunwales are from spruce. The inner rail is not only eye-catching, but proved to be very practical when handling the boat. It worth the extra work! I made closed compartments at both ends, for flotation and keeping my stuff dry. The bare wood surfaces were treated with linseed oil-turpentine mixture (I liked the smell :-)), and varnished with 3 layers of boat varnish. The outside is painted with an oil based fence paint. The seats are woven from strap, on wooden frame. The whole thing weighs around 100 lbs. Two person can handle it easily. I feel it a bit "overdone" now, but it's quite sturdy. You know, the beginners, like me, tend to oversize the things, standing on the safe side. If I built next time, it could be 80 lbs or so, without sacrificing the strength and reliability.

I would be happy, if you put my pictures into your gallery.

Thanks a lot again,

Best regards,
Janos Benyhe
Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary