A while back I posted about building a nesting canoe that could be easily stored in an apartment, and could also be shipped via UPS. Other than a few paint touch-ups, I have finally finished.
Although it may be tough to tell from the pics, I did make a modification based on the intended use of the canoe. It is not for rivers; it's primary use will be shallow flats. The front and rear height has been lowered approx. 2". The canoe has the same depth at the center; I just changed the slope of the sheer to the lower end points. I did this to reduce windage, and also to reduce the size of the canoe when nested. I also tweaked some dimensions to allow for very little rocker.
For the nesting, The center section is 5' long, the rear section is 4' long, and the front section is 3' long. Approx. size of the nested canoe is 60"L x 28"W x 14"H. Estimated weight of 50 lbs.
I built it from BS1088 Meranti 4mm. The internal transoms were originally installed with 6mm, then I added another layer of 4mm over the FG tape (saved on fairing in some tough to reach places, and added some stiffness). Other than wood and 1/4-20 SS hardware, all material was from Bateau: MarineEpoxy, wood flour, blended filler, 6oz. tape, graphite, S3 primer, KiwiGrip, Bluewater MegaGloss Gold Paint.
I did coat the bottom up to the second chine with graphite before priming. It sounds like overkill, but I wanted some extra protection if I scrape through the paint/primer. The better paint was overkill. It doesn't look great, primarily to operator error and poor conditions for application. But I'm learning. I'm not too worried about the looks, as it is going to get beat up in time.
A couple of changes if I were to build again:
-I would not cut the internal transoms that low. I have tested it, and it's not an issue of water getting in, but there is no reason not to have the extra margin should you really need to load it down.
-I would have slit the chine panels during assembly to make it more rounded, thus providing more bouyancy fore/aft.
-I maybe would have made it 3'/6'/3'. This would have made the main cockpit larger, and made th front/rear symmetrical.
I only had it on the water for an hour or so last fall. It is narrower than most commercial canoes, and I was expecting it to feel less stable. Considering that, I felt comfortable in it. For reference, I stood up for a few seconds to stretch my legs, but I would not attempt to stand up and fish. Tracking was very nice. Looking at the hull shape, the waterline is carried relatively far for/aft, and it wants to track a line as good or better than my 14 footer. Speed was also nice. With the narrow waterline and good tracking, this will come in handy when moving from spot to spot.
Let me know if you have any questions, or would like more pics.
