New Canoes

Cheemaun:  $3,500 (in standard trim)

• Length: 15′
• Depth: 12″
• Beam: 35″
• Bow Height: 20.5″
• Approximate Weight: 62 lbs

A base boat may vary depending on availability of top quality lumber in apropriate species but usually consists of:

• Ribs and planking – northern white cedar (western red cedar may be substituted for the planking if desired)
• Seats and thwarts – ash
• Decks – ash
• Gunwales – spruce, cypress, or douglas fir
• Machine-woven cane seats
• #10 mildew resistant canvas with traditional oil-based silica filler
• Choice of marine enamel paint
• All fasteners are either bronze or brass – no steel is used

Options include the following (if you would like something not listed just ask):

• Decks of figured grain (examples: birdseye maple, curly cherry) $120
• Hardwood trim package (decks and thwarts of cherry, walnut, or other) $175
• Sculped carry yoke in place of center thwart $75
• Hand-caned seats, frames to match trim package $225
• Outwales of mahogany or similar $75
• Half ribs $180
• Two-tone paint $175

I a light canoe will build me,
Build a swift Cheemaun for sailing,
That shall float upon the river,
Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,
Like a yellow water-lily!

From “Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I did substantial research before I decided on the design I would use for my first form.  I needed a boat that could be rigged as a tandem or solo canoe, offered a good combination of stability and maneuverability, plus capacity.  With these qualities in mind, I chose the 15′  Cheemaun designed by Rollin Thurlow.  At 35″ in beam and slightly over 60 pounds, the Cheemaun is a bit wider and heavier than some other designs in the 15′ range but she’s also more forgiving. She carries more volume in the ends than most which makes her a capable tandem boat or a great solo tripper. For solo paddles without gear to balance the boat, the position of the bow seat works well if you simply reverse the boat and sit in what would normally be the bow.  My dogs haven’t dumped me yet and I have no trouble fishing or even poling the boat. At this time the 15′ Cheemaun is the only design I’m building but it can be customized to your personal desires.

Thus the Birch Canoe was builded
In the valley, by the river,
In the bosom of the forest;
And the forest’s life was in it,
All its mystery and its magic,
All the lightness of the birch-tree,
All the toughness of the cedar,
All the larch’s supple sinews;
And it floated on the river
Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,
Like a yellow water-lily.

Yet more from “Hiawatha”