Steam gained

Now that the hull has been completed, this busy beaver of sorts has been toiling away at creating all the flair that will tie the canoe together, literally and figuratively. Seats have been fitted, bulkheads and decks installed, thwart and yoke partially carved. Doesn't sound like much, but I assure you these seemingly benign tasks have filled my days of the last week with much sweat and curses, sharp results and small moments of immense satisfaction. Though it has been an exhilarating process getting to this point, it also presents a very distinct light at the end of the tunnel. I've planned since the get go to be finished by the end of February, and by all appearances I may actually be ahead of schedule. Certainly hate to see this project end, but there will indubitably be a continuous stream of joy to come from this. Can't wait to get paddling!

Since many small but fairly significant processes have been accomplished since the last post, I'm going to go light on the verbiage (hooray?) and heavy on the picturage for this post. After all, admit it, we all read the pictures first, whether it be some unassuming blog, your favourite kid's book (Good Night Moon!), or the latest issue of the New Yorker.

I do, however, wish to mention one thing about the decks. Eschewing the walnut I had originally planned on using, I built these with some cherry wood that had been milled from some old orchard cherry trees belonging to Brian, to whom I am already indebted for the use of his garage for this project. Being old and gnarled wood, the grain pattern is really variable and beautiful. I managed to book match pieces for both decks, to that the wood figure is essentially mirrored with symmetry, which frankly just looks pretty damn cool. Not to mention the boat now contains a very unique part of this valley and community in which it is being built, something I will treasure for time.

In honour of the Hallmark holiday of the month tomorrow, I leave you with this old proverb:

"Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe."

Scupper blocks glued and sealed, ready for install.

More clamping fun! Inwales get epoxied on.

Stern bulkhead installed. Though the main purpose of bulkheads in a canoe are to create airtight chambers for increasing the buoyancy of the craft, as well as adding a little extra strength to the long hull, I also added a deck plate in the stern for accessing a little extra storage space when need be. Nevermind the tape and clamps at top, though they certainly wouldn't be rectifying an error or anything like that...

Seats all finished up and ready to go. I used your standard military issue nylon parachute cord  and wove it with  the a traditional snowshoe pattern. The process of tying these up was a fun diversion for a few nights, even granting me admission to a true-to-form stitch 'n bitch session. Why do these up this way you ask? Aside from lending  a deeper hue to the old-fashioned whimsy of a wooden boat, I figured the less holes or slots drilled into them (which seemingly would create myriad opportunities for water to waltz in and set decay) the better, and so settled on the knotted approach. Time will tell if they actually are comfortable. For now and until it's on the water, it's all about good looks, baby.

Bow seat getting fitted at the right height and angle.

Carved thwart of cherry (isn't that a Maldovian dish?) . It is a pure pleasure to the work fine, graceful lines with a spokeshave, I must say. 

Rear deck fitted and installed. The cool curly grain of the orchard cherry will really become apparent once it's varnished. But you get a sense of it's potential at this point.

And finally, the outwales are screwed into place and rounded off at the ends. I elected to forgo the epoxy on these, to make future repairs and replacements easier. A lot of people have asked me if I was going to cap over the cedar hull, a well-accepted good idea by all accounts. I however, really like the aesthetic of contrasting colored lines, and feel it gives the boat a flowing and lithe character.