: Not sure but probably a new design. Right now he's thinking about
: what he wants. He basically wants a small, light canoe that he
: can carry in to some remote ponds near our camp property. He'll
: mostly fish out of it. If he wants a sit-down-on-the-hull style
: it'll be along the lines of a Wee Lassie or Rushton. I'm also
: working on a special solo version of the venerable Prospector if
: he wants to sit higher up like in a "normal" canoe.
: Speed isn't a high priority so either way it'll be fairly short
: but wide.

What is his weight?

I'm pretty happy with my Puddle Duck, from Gil Gilpatrick's book on building strip canoes. It does, however, hold well over 400 pounds barely enough for 2 adults and their camping gear for a week) and a smaller version for just one person would probably be fine. If you are looking for a base to start a design from, the plans are in the Gilpatrick book. I understand the latest edition has them full size. Puddle Duck is a symmetrical design. For a smaller boat I'd just pull out the middle form, and maybe one of the forms in front or back of it, and slide the rest together. As i recall, the forms are spaced 18" apart on the strongback. That would give a 3' shorter boat, (about 12.5 feet) and a narrower one, beam around 30" to 31", which would be probably 5 to 8 pounds lighter.

Canoes have higher side walls (freeboard) than kayaks because they are open. Gotta have something to keep out the waves :) Depending on the height of the sidewalls and the width of the boat by the paddler (usually something a bit less than the beam) this can mean an uncomfortable paddling position for someone sitting on the floor. That's why so many paddle in a kneeling position if they aren't sitting on seats. Consider a seat hung from the gunwales, but put in fairly deep. Maybe have it 3 to 5 inches above the bottom of the boat, as opposed to say, 9" to 12" off the bottom, which is common with canoe seats. If you design a backrest with a good lumbar support it will be loved.

If you want to try something different, look at the Geodesic Airolite boat designs. www.gaboats.com. The "Sweet Pea" design in the picture (from their website) below can carry a 150 pound person and weighs 8 pounds. (my tackle box and fishing pole weigh more than that!) Larger boats with greater displacement weigh proportionately more.

Light, portable, fast to build. Sounds like it could be a good project. Not sure what you'll do with the extra cherry wood, though.

PGJ