Side Decks.

I removed the final clamps from the newly raised sides with some satisfaction and imagined how the canoe would handle under oars and sail: not very well it told me. The sides were fragile and would be too easily submerged when the canoe heeled under sail. I knew all about this because sailing my dory involved keeping a delicate balance between letting her sail on her chine, which she preferred, and having water pour over the gunwales. For an expedition boat I needed a more stable platform: I needed side decks. These would also give rigidity to the sides and add more buoyancy if the canoe heeled right down. It is so satisfying when a solution to one problem solves others as well.

By attaching another full length cedar strip to the inside of the ribs terminating in the Vs of the bow and stern I created a narrow surface to which I could glue curved strips of quarter inch plywood. A bow cambered deck flowed naturally from these plans and I needed to solve how the stern would develop as well: a small triangular hatch fitted well into this section: a perfect place for an anchor rode, as the canoe could just as easily be anchored from the stern as from the bow - easier in fact, because with masts and camping gear in the way it would be difficult to reach the bows.

Tillikum from the stern

Before fitting and gluing the deck pieces, I cut small blocks of foam insulation and placed them on the inside of the raised side decks to augment the flotation (First coating the wooden surfaces with a thinned epoxy to seal them from moisture) if the canoe should be completely swamped. Then the bow and stern decks were glued into place followed piece by piece by the side decks. All pieces were cut oversize and trimmed to fit later. I used copper brads to hold the plywood into place until the epoxy had set. To protect the side/deck edge, I glued a hardwood strip that tapered toward the ends. This widened the sides another inch! I was step by step creating a ledge under which I could place another section of foam flotation.

The blocks of foam flotation.

I had been looking at photos of the sailing canoes of a hundred years ago that were also partially decked in and decided to build a combing along the inside edge of the deck. This would catch water running down the decks, provide a lip to which a spray cover or tent could be snapped and create more freeboard in case of a knock down.

The bow. Applying decks one piece at a time. Oversize, and then trim to fit.

This combing required some pretty tight curves,especially at the bow, so I glued it on in two stages; of quarter inch plywood strips laminated one to the other. Really tight curves were created on the wood-stove top with wet plywood held to the hot metal and bent into a curve amidst steam and smoke. They were then temporarily clamped into their final positions until dry when they would hold their shape while being glued and clamped. An epoxy fillet to fill the angle between deck and combing strengthened the joint. After planing and belt-sanding all to perfection I coated all with a thinned (with ten percent lacquer thinner) epoxy mix that could soak right into the wood.

*This project went ahead in small steps because I only had a limited number of C clamps and spring clamps. It would have been a perfect project for someone who only had a few minutes each day after work to build, but had weeks and weeks to complete it. For me, it meant that I had plenty of time to doodle ideas for the next stages in my sketch book and research in boatbuilding books. Then there were the middle of the night awakenings to find I had solved another problem in my dreams!