: looks great, more details of construction, scenery isn't half bad either.

Roger has it right. That is Three Finger Jack peeking over the ridge.

The construction is stitch & glue built over forms. The material is 4mm Okoume with walnut stems & trim and covered with 4 oz. glass. The boat was originally going to be a stripper, but I decided I would rather paddle than sand during our good summer weather, so I reduced the number of chines in Hulls2 and did it stitch & glue. I used forms just to see if it would help in aligning the panels. It did, but cutting and aligning the forms probably added to the construction time. The boat has four panels per side, so I guess that makes it multichine, but the shape is pretty close to round. The hull shape is a shallow V amidships tapering to a sharp V at the bow and stern with a nice amount of flare along the sides. The front and rear quarters are decked and have bulkheads for very ample flotation. It also has narrow side decks with a 1" coaming along the cockpit. It is 13' with a beam of 31", though the waterline width is considerably less. All told, it is coming in at less than 45 lbs.

I've named the design the "Mountain Blue" in homage to the source of its inspiration, namely, the double paddle canoes of W. P. Stephens. One of his designs in particular, the "Jersey Blue" caught my fancy. My design differs in a number of respects: e.g., V bottom instead of bottom plank, symetrical instead of asymetrical, materials and method of construction. But there is a family resemblance between the "Jersey Blue" and the "Mountain Blue" and I felt it appropriate to recognize that resemblance in the naming of my boat. The boats of Stephens' era, the late 19th Century, were inspired by the original RobRoy, were often sailed and were frequently referred to as cruising canoes.

As of now, the boat is almost finished. It lacks end caps, another coat of epoxy on the deck and hull, a wood seat to reflect the heritage and the final work on a rowing frame I designed for it. Had it out last weekend at Mann Lake in the far reaches of the Southeastern Oregon desert. Paddling in a desert? You bet. Actually, paddling and fishing for and catching 18 - 20" Lahontan Cutthroat Trout while looking at the East face of Steens Mountain. Will have some photos with people in the boat in a couple of weeks.

I've included in this post a composite image which shows views of the hull shape.

Kia Orana,

Chris Luneski