I’m looking for an easy to build kit/plans for a 2-person canoe suitable for lakes and slow moving rivers. There are a bunch of plans available out there; hoping to get some feedback from those who have built their own. Thanks.
Pygmy has a nice stitch-and-glue kit
for a tandem canoe. Should come out light and stiff. Wood strip construction takes somewhat longer, but gives you tremendous freedom as to design.
Plans
My question is why go with a kit? There are plenty of books out there that go through the whole process. If it is because of lack of tools, the only additional big tool from a kit would be a table saw. The Minnesota Canoe Association has a good book for a low price, plus lots of plans too! I have built three models(Osprey, BWCA & Guide) from their plans. If you want bead and cove on the strips there is a little more to that. I have seen web sites that do offer selling just strips. Lastly if you want direstions on how to cane the seat I have them posted on my web site,zapflegacycanoes.com (would also love feed back on my directions if they are clear or not)
Thanks Guys!
Zap, you make beautiful canoes. I have a decent woodshop so I think I’ll just find a nice plan and give it a go. My thoughts on the kit were that the build time would be faster, but your site inspired me to build my own.
Hey SpikeC
There are some stripe builders down here so you aren’t on your own. Depending on how far you are from Atlanta you might be close to one!