10' Wee Lassie, Cedar Strip Canoe

Up for sale is my 10' Solo Strip Canoe. This boat is patterned after the original “Wee Lassie” solo canoe designed and built by J. Henry Rushton in 1873 for use on the Blue Mountain Lakes in the Adirondacks in Up-State New York. The solo double paddle design is 10'-6” in length, 27” in beam, with an 11” freeboard, no keel, and calls for an empty weight of under 25#. My boat, built to the original specs but using modern materials, weighs in at about 16# making it super easy to carry or portage.

This boat is designed to use a double paddle and is very stable because you sit low in the bottom like an open Kayak, you pretty much put it on and wear it! It would be a great first boat for a youngster or for an adult who just wants to slip up into the secluded creeks to relax or fish. In my “young and reckless” days I even used the boat in white water (nothing over class 3, I'm not THAT crazy!). I built this boat in 1988 and have used it every year since. It has been constantly stored inside and is well maintained (I just finished the 5 year maintenance with new Spar Varnish).

I'm selling this boat because I have three other canoes and at 70 years old it is getting harder to get in and out of the smaller boats. I still use this canoe on the Roaring River, the Cumberland, and on the local lakes (Standing Stone, Dale Hollow, Center Hill). Now for the rest of the story. I built this boat with 1/4” thick Cedar strips encased in 6 oz fiberglass with West Systems epoxy. The seat frame is Oak and it has a ladder gunnel made from Redwood.

As with all wooden boats this one should be wiped down after every use, get a fresh coat of Spar Varnish each winter, be sanded back and completely Re-Varnished every 5 years, and it should be stored indoors to reduce sun fading (at 16# it is easy to hang it from the garage ceiling). Price for this boat is $1,000 and it can be picked up in Hilham, TN. And to answer the inevitable questions, this is for local pickup only, I will not ship the boat. Sale is cash only, no checks or money orders accepted (once burned, twice shy!). I won't accept trades, and I won't donate it to your “Good Cause”.

It is a beautiful little boat, easy to carry and paddle, very stable, and with proper maintenance you'll pass it down to your Grand Kids Grand Kids!