Sarum Skin-boat How-to

Not the only way, but the way we've done it that works. An important word: what you find here is an IMCOMPLETE record of the process, created for a student who was unable to complete his boat at school. As time goes on, I may fill in steps, but this is by no means a full set of directions. When it comes out soon, I recommend the book Building Skin-on-Frame, Double-Paddle Canoes by Hilary Russell,of Sheffield, MA.

Order of Operations

  • Creating the Stem-Knee assembly
  • Attaching Knee to Keelson
  • Fill four spaces in gunwale for thwart attachment
  • Sand gunwales and breasthooks
  • Attach thwarts
  • Fit, drill gunwale rub rails
  • Assemble floorboards
  • Shape nose and tail for brass rub rails
  • Coat all wooden parts with oil or varnish: frame, rubs and floorboards
  • Skin the boat
  • Shrink the skin
  • Skin coating
  • Attach all rubrails, wooden and metal
  • Last odds and ends

Notes on related subjects

Repair Kit

So, your boat is finished.  Get out there and use it.  Go fishing, go 'gunkholing', explore.  This boat is easy to carry, and car-top.  Less time getting ready means more time on the water.  Grab your PFD, paddle, and boat, and you're on your way.

There are a few things you might want to carry.

  • A spare, single-blade paddle, just in case.

  • Some 5-minute epoxy, for small punctures.

  • Duct tape.

While I've been reasonably careful with my own boat, I have had a few mishaps.  I've run aground on a gravel bar, banged into 'strainers' in the river, hung up the bow on a rock, and filled the boat with water.  The worst that any of these accidents did was crack the hardware store polyurethane paint job.  I am certain that the two-part poly we use now is much tougher.  Even with a cracked coating, the fabric is tight enough that it did not leak.  I patched the crack with duct tape, which has since fallen off - no problems.

I'm thinking about making a more attractive patch by cutting out a decorative shape on canvas and gluing it on with polyurethane.

Obviously, this is the bare minimum.  I usually have a 'thwart bag', with the above plus water, GPS ( I'm a geek, what can I say ), and a camera in a waterproof pouch. 
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