Handmade Dugout Canoe

Built this over winter. It's 12', made of white pine. Once I got the log to my house, I flattened the bottom and gave some rough shape with chainsaw, axe and adze work. Then brought it inside for the winter and did most of the work with an adze. Hollowed it out until it was light enough to move around relatively easy but kept a good amount of material for strength and longevity.

It's somewhere under 200 lbs. After the burning process, which helps in water resistance and reduces the chance of rotting, I got to work with wire brushes, scraping off the char to a lovely dark brown color. Very little checking or cracking because I took my time with it and kept it oiled when not working. The inside is finished with many coats of linseed oil, and the outside layered with linseed oil and tallow, water just runs right off of it. I have plans to take it out early April and anyone is welcome to come, even if it is just to see me fall in the water.

Though the canoe should be very stable compared to most because I left a good amount of material on the bottom, acting as a ballast, and with a dedicated keel it should paddle very straight compared to dugout canoes that only have flat bottoms.