Floating in water in a light boat, which easily comes from the slightest movement of the oar, is a real pleasure. Anyone who has the time, desire and little experience in wood processing can make such a vehicle. In terms of its carrying capacity, the canoe has no competitors among other types of boats, and in weight it can only be compared with a kayak. Contours that are symmetrical, the sheer and obstruction of the sides in the upper part inward, the bottom, which is flat, and a fairly large elongation can give the hull a satisfactory driving performance, handling and good stability.
Boats with few seats have been used by mankind for a very long time. As can be seen from practice, even a master with minimal experience in working with wood can easily make a plywood canoe from his own hands.
When designing a vessel, it is necessary to adhere to the technology and take only good materials for this. In order for the swimming tool to have good strength characteristics, and also not to have a lot of weight, it is made of plywood.
A real canoe is hollowed out of a single piece of wood, but this technology is complex and requires a lot of labor. The above method is no longer considered, it is much easier to make a canoe with your own hands from plywood sheets.
The main detail that distinguishes a canoe from an ordinary boat is the absence of oarlocks for oars and rudders. The person who controls the swimming device is mainly sitting in the middle, but can stand on both legs or go down on one knee. The oar control method implies its alternate movement along one and the other sides.
Construction and some basic design of a boat
Canoeing can be attributed to one of the most convenient and practical small boats. The ratio of weight and load capacity is pretty good, as well as driving performance. The boat has an identical bow and stern shape , flat bottom, which gives a low landing and the ability to swim in shallow water.
The stretched hull, which expands amidships, gives the boat a large capacity.
It is not difficult to make such a canoe with your own hands (drawings can be viewed in this article), the main thing is to have the desire and endurance. The description and sketches of different parts allow for the correct cutting of materials. This project has a large number of improvements that will help fix some of the shortcomings and features of the boat.
The shift of the largest expansion of the hull contours to the stern will solve the problem of instability of the boat when a person swims alone.
A method of manufacturing a swimming means is glue on a longitudinal power set, called a matrix. Separate parts, which have the form of a strip, are mounted and create permanent connections with the base, which gives the structure the desired level of rigidity of fracture and twisting.
This technology allows you to create reliable cases of non-standard shape, for example, sides, can be convex, with the upper part inclined inward.
Canoe boat design
Before starting work, it is necessary to make a complete preparation of the workplace, for which a closed room is best suited. This will help to eliminate the influence of environmental factors on the boat manufacturing process.
You need to know that the room in which you can make your own canoe must have good ventilation, since epoxies will be used in the work. These adhesives have a sharp and very unpleasant odor. Also, the workplace should be spacious enough and have good lighting.
Components that will be needed in the manufacture of canoes
In order to create a boat hull, the following materials will be needed, which are listed below:
- moisture resistant and multilayer plywood, the thickness of which is not less than 6 mm;
- edged board without finishing, which does not have large deviations from linearity;
- a wooden beam, the cross section of which is 50x100 mm, for the manufacture of a stable slipway;
- High quality two-component epoxy adhesive for a durable bond between parts.
All the materials that were mentioned can be easily obtained, the price is relatively low, and you can buy everything in retail stores. When materials are selected, it is necessary to demand from the seller certificates of quality and conformity or other documents that confirm the quality of the goods. Instructions must be attached to the glue.
Tools to be used in the canoeing process
To make a canoe from plywood with your own hands, you need a tool that is used during woodworking:
- Electric jigsaw and blades.
- Electric drill and drill set.
- Hammers, chisels, screwdrivers that have a flat and cross-shaped working part.
If any of the necessary equipment is not enough, then you can rent it in special companies and small points that can be located in a hardware store.
Preparatory work
First of all, a slipway is made, which is mounted in a strictly horizontal position. It is placed on a stand so that it can be approached freely from all sides.
Do-it-yourself canoeing is assembled by force-dialing from frames and stringers, which are mounted on a slipway. The whole structure should have a sufficient margin of rigidity and strength to exclude completely displacement of the parts relative to each other.
Raw material cutting
Many people wonder how to make a canoe with their own hands so that it can be comfortably floated. One of the secrets is the correct cutting of materials.
Patterns can be made of cardboard. Make sure that they correspond to the dimensions of the drawings and are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis.
Alternatively, in order to make a template for a canoe with your own hands as accurately as possible, you can use a large-format printer and print drawings on it. From drawings in electronic form, patterns are easily made on thick paper or on cardboard. And then after printing, you can cut with scissors and circle around the contour on the material. This is not a big effort.
Spare parts are cut using a jigsaw, the edges are very well cleaned with sanding paper. This moment applies to all spare parts: both the elements of the power set and the details of the skin.
Gluing of the hull
Often there are times when a person, in order to save money, undertakes to independently conduct gluing. In view of little experience, he wonders how to build a canoe with his own hands. This is a very difficult and painstaking process. The stage of gluing the hull of the boat can be called the most responsible.
The order of operations is as follows:
- Stringers are inserted into specially made grooves in the frame and strengthened by means of a wire tie. After installation is complete, the wire is removed.
- Plywood sheets that have been prepared in advance are glued to the power set, frames and stringers.
- The sheets are glued back to back, and after the first layer is completely dry, the second is applied.
Final finishing and grinding operations of the body are done only when the body is completely dry. To give the vessel additional waterproof properties, it is coated with a special varnish in several layers.
A great addition to the vessel will be a do-it-yourself paddle for a canoe. It will be not just original, but a necessary accessory to a swimming means.
To make a convenient oar from a tree, a lot of time is not required. The necessary materials are always at hand. And the manufacturing technology is as follows:
- The shaper is being prepared. Using screws and glue, plywood is fastened to the frame, the thickness of which is 10 mm. A piece of wood with a cross section of 25x75 mm, the shape of which must correspond to the outlines of the shaper, is an excellent clamping unit.
- Moisture-resistant plywood is cut to size, the thickness of which is 3 mm.
- Zenzbel need to walk on the connecting surfaces, and then firmly glue them with special glue.
- After the glue has dried, the central axis of the plywood is marked and the blade is marked.
- Then you need to prepare the material for the paddle roller and round.
- Then the roller is adjusted to the blade and attached with screws.
- The edges of the oar blade are rounded and a copper tip is put on.
- Then glue is applied and the part is screwed flush with the paddle roller.
- As a finish, you can cover the paddle with yacht varnish in four layers.
Conclusion
An excellent canoe made of plywood with your own hands, if you have all the materials and tools necessary for this, you can craft it in about 5 to 7 days (taking into account the complete drying of the epoxy resin and varnish). This not so expensive means of transportation on water can serve its owner for a rather long time and bring a lot of pleasant and warm memories, from a simple walk on the river to fishing in the early morning with the awakening of the first birds.