I am building a small sit-on-the-bottom canoe of my own design. This design has a ply bottom to which laminated half-ribs are attached, which define the curve of the constant radius bilge. I laminating them rather than steaming because laminating is highly reproducible and I want the ribs accurate. The curve of the bilge is to be strip-built, then ply is again used for the sheer planks.

The use of constant radius for the bilge has a number of advantages:-

1. Once the ribs are glued to the ply bottom they define the shape of the hull so a building form is not required.
2. Being all the same, the ribs are being laminated over a ladder jig in batches of 10 at a time (I need a lot ...)
3. The ribs provide the strips with cross-grain support, eliminating the need for glassing.
4. The sanding involved in building a regular stripper is significantly reduced.
5. The stem shape is a simple elongation of the rib profile so it is easy to loft.
6. Because the strips and sheers all meet the stems at the same angle, the stem bevels are easy to mark out and cut accurately on the bench.
7. None of the strips are twisted so they should be easier to attach.

There are some downsides to this design approach of course; the constant radius bilge is a design constraint that may produce a lightly less efficient hull shape. The hull will be rather less durable than a typical, modern glassed stripper, although no less so than the classic cedar strip canoes of the past. I am not trying to denigrate the glassed stripper method, BTW, just trying to come up with an alternative system.

I hope it will have the look of a classic cedar strip and rib canoe, with a lot less effort. There is more info at my blog http://theancientkayaker.weebly.com/canoes-rose-lee.htm and I will keep the blog updated as the build progresses. Be patient: progress will be a bit slow as I am physically limited at present; great therapy though ...