To make it more portable, I shortened it from the original 14' version to 12'.  Mike bought the kit and I still used all the frames.  He wanted a deck area, so I added a deck area over the bow and gunwales.  I had built a strip wood canoe before and really like the look, so I used 1/4in thick by 1in wide strips for the decking.  I used a harder wood (red oak) for trim around the inside and outside of the deck. 

The boat sides and bottom was built from 3/8 in marine grade plywood.  I also extended the height from 12in to 14in on the sides.  Everything was glued using a two part marine epoxy.  The decking was attached with bronze ring shank nails and the trim was attached with bronze screws.  The inside was finished with two coats of a marine epoxy and the outside was fiberglassed with a 4 oz cloth and marine epoxy.  I also applied a spar varnish to the inside and outside of the boat for UV protection. 

Mike also liked the seats that you had online so I built two of those as well.  Finally, to make it complete, I built the oars from cypress with some cherry strips for high-lights.  I looked online and found some dimensions, and basically glued 3/4in thick 1-1/2in wide strips together.  I then used a 3/4in radius router bit to shape the shaft to a 1-1/2in radius.  The blades are about 24in long and tapered from 4-1/2in to the shaft.  I also coated it with epoxy and spar varnish.  We also found some cast bronze oar locks and cleats to finish the fitting. 

The photo you have at the beginning of your gallery is of me and my wife Patti. This was its "maiden voyage" at a lake in Dahlonega, GA.  My wife was very patient and understanding. I had a lot of other summer projects and had told her that it would only take me about a month to build and I would have it out of the garage, but it took me more like four months to complete everything. I wanted to make sure she got to go out first.  The other photos are of the boat in the back of Mike's truck and on the lawn at his house when I delivered it.  The next to the last photo is of my youngest son Rick.

 Overall, it was a fun project.  Its stable, maneuvers well, and looks great.  In retrospect, I would have paid more attention to the materials and deck construction because of the weight.  I didn't have anything to weigh it, but would estimated it at about 125 lbs.  I can turn it on its side, lift, it and carry it.  I suggested to Mike to purchase the two-wheeled system for transporting canoes.  Lifting one end is manageable. 

For me, I plan to build the Cajun Pirogue.  Hope to start it next spring. 

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