: I want to make a fiberglass canoe, but don't have $ for a plug/mold. I was
: wondering if I could tape some layers of wax paper to the bottom of a
: canoe and lay up 2 layers of 6oz. cloth to copy its shape. Then, remove
: and reinforce the inside with more glass etc.??

: Anyone have a way to build a canoe for under 200$ w/ minimal effort?

: Thanks for any advise.

Aboriginal indians built boats in a few days with a solid "skin" of birchbark which was built around a football-shaped frame that became the gunwales. The bark would be cut and stithed in a few places to accommodate the curvature but otherwise it was mostly a matter of bending the bark into place and lashing it to the gunwales with split spruce roots. Then ribs would be bent to shape and forced into the bark skin. Thin slats of wood might be forced between the bark and the ribs, stretching the bark taut.

You can modify these techniques with modern materials to make an inexpensive canoe. Rip some gunwale strips from 1x4 or 1x6 stock, making them anywhere from 3/8ths to 1/2 inch thick and 1 to 1.5 inches wide. Scarf these together (see other postings on how to make tapered scarf joints) to give you the length you need, and create two pairs of strips. One pair for each side of the boat. Tie the ends together and insert a spacer about 30 to 35 inches long into the middle of these to give you that football shape. Suspend this frame about 14 inches above your work spot.

Now take a heavy glass fabric (9 ounce or heavier fabric) and lay it on your work spot, underr the football shaped frame. starting from the middle of the football, lift the glass cloth on one side and use a thumbtack or staple to hold the cloth to the frame. go to the opposit side of the frame and lift up the fabric, and tack that to the frame. The higher you lift the fabric the shallower the canoe will be. Nolw work from the center to the ends tacking the fabric lightly into place along the gunwale strips, and letting it hang under them. You should have the hanging shape of a round bottomed canoe. Make it as neat as possible. Mix some polyester resin (it is thicker than epoxy so it won't run as much, and cheaper) with its catalyst and use a paint roller to apply a coat to the inside of your hanging fabric. Let this hang and harden.

You can later come back and use cardboard or wood "ribs" on the inside of the boat to reshape the hull a bit and tweek your design. YOu may want to have wood ribs in there permanently for strength.

Then apply a coat of resin to the outside with a roller or paint brush and let that harden. After this you can flip the "boat" over and drape another layer of fiberglass cloth, or fiberglass mat over it, and coat that with polyester resin. With two layers of fabric you should have the shape fairly well established, and with ribs inside that shape should hold up.

Cut the glass cloth even with the gunwales and reset those so you have one strip on the outside and the other on the inside of the fiberglass. use screws to clamp the gunwales together. Make triangular decks for the bow and the stern and fit them between the gunwales.

Replace the spacer with a thwart or two -- use more depending on the length of the boat. Mount seats and go paddling.

This is probably way too simple of an instruction set, but it covers the highlights of one possibility for an inexpensive fiberglass canoe. if you cna find the directions for building a birchbark anoe on the net you'll see pictures of the process. You are just replae the bark with glass fabric which is stiffened and made waterproof by the application of polyester resin.

There are other options on the internet, too.

hope this helps

PGJ