My first build - E.M.White 1920 model

jva74

Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hello all,

here's my first w&c canoe built by books and internet wisdom. Plans are from Alex, model "Emily" down scaled to 16 ft copy of 1920s E.M.White model. Wood is red cedar combined with ash inwales, cherry outwales and furniture and walnut decks. On top 4 coats of marine varnish and Epifanes teal green on canvas #10. Hand canned seats. Took me six months exactly.

Next week will show if she floats. See you on Danube sometimes!

Juraj
 

Attachments

  • 20190427_190839.jpg
    20190427_190839.jpg
    119.8 KB · Views: 508
  • 20190427_190926.jpg
    20190427_190926.jpg
    100.8 KB · Views: 510
  • 20190427_191934.jpg
    20190427_191934.jpg
    94.5 KB · Views: 504
  • IMGP2314-1.jpg
    IMGP2314-1.jpg
    150.2 KB · Views: 506
  • IMGP2315.jpg
    IMGP2315.jpg
    166.9 KB · Views: 488
  • IMGP2328-1.jpg
    IMGP2328-1.jpg
    158.2 KB · Views: 513
  • IMGP2332.jpg
    IMGP2332.jpg
    82.4 KB · Views: 498
Last edited:
Wow, this is your first build? Very nice work! Well executed work and a beautiful product. Have you had it out on the water yet? You may not get to do much paddling because of all the excited conversations you'll have. Congratulations on a very nice job, Juraj.

Michael
 
Thanks! It has been an awful weather here recently and I still did not figure out, how to get Emily out from the 2nd floor building... In the meantime, I copied Thule canoe carrier rack pieces for safe transportation.

There seems to be a weather window on Saturday like it was for Normandy landing so we'll see!
 

Attachments

  • 20190501_114906.jpg
    20190501_114906.jpg
    240.3 KB · Views: 332
  • 20190501_114934.jpg
    20190501_114934.jpg
    172.9 KB · Views: 335
She floats! No leaks, paint blistering or rot observed so far ;) my first time in wooden canoe. Yes!!
 

Attachments

  • 20190510_191049.jpg
    20190510_191049.jpg
    190.6 KB · Views: 399
  • IMGP2351.jpg
    IMGP2351.jpg
    240.5 KB · Views: 403
  • IMGP2370.jpg
    IMGP2370.jpg
    174 KB · Views: 379
  • IMGP2371.jpg
    IMGP2371.jpg
    165.8 KB · Views: 369
  • IMGP2372.jpg
    IMGP2372.jpg
    287.1 KB · Views: 394
  • IMGP2373.jpg
    IMGP2373.jpg
    299 KB · Views: 391
  • IMGP2377.jpg
    IMGP2377.jpg
    195.6 KB · Views: 397
  • IMGP2392.jpg
    IMGP2392.jpg
    254.3 KB · Views: 399
  • IMGP2402.jpg
    IMGP2402.jpg
    235 KB · Views: 380
  • IMGP2447.jpg
    IMGP2447.jpg
    185.3 KB · Views: 395
Outstanding! The canoe looks great on the water with happy people in it. That's a very nice paddle - tell us more about it.
...and nice t-shirt too!
 
Yes it all started with cherry beavertail, as a supplement to my woodland Indian reenactment. Then I bought used fiberglass 17-footer and made some more paddles, because there are so many shapes and types of wood /thanks Murat for your webpage/. After watching Bill Mason films, I got the wood&canvas canoe fever :D

I recorded the building process in a photo album, so have a look and enjoy.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qjmrwfnPzMX25aCq5
 

Attachments

  • 20180926_162335.jpg
    20180926_162335.jpg
    123.1 KB · Views: 339
  • 20180926_171452.jpg
    20180926_171452.jpg
    147 KB · Views: 344
  • 20181018_154451.jpg
    20181018_154451.jpg
    113.6 KB · Views: 330
Hello all,

here's my first w&c canoe built by books and internet wisdom. Plans are from Alex, model "Emily" down scaled to 16 ft copy of 1920s E.M.White model. Wood is red cedar combined with ash inwales, cherry outwales and furniture and walnut decks. On top 4 coats of marine varnish and Epifanes teal green on canvas #10. Hand canned seats. Took me six months exactly.

Next week will show if she floats. See you on Danube sometimes!

Juraj
We had our E.M.White seats re-canned years ago at the Baxter School for the blind near Falmouth Maine -wonderful job.
 
Turns out that our 1920's E.B.White is actually closer to a pre-1900 purpose built Maine Guide canoe originally made w/o seats. Also, has original thwarts, original canvas (over 13 lead paint coatings of many colors), beaded inwales, very wide planking - largest is 7 1/2" and other neat features. Plus 2 maple Penobscot paddles of equal vintage. Would appreciate hearing of any related early White history. Thanks.
 
Gorgeous!
I didn't know cherry can work for outwhales. My experience is that it stains black pretty quickly at water contact. Sure is pretty, and a nice contrast with the ash.
What canvas filler did you use, and do you now have a form that would allow more canoes to be built?
My wife and I just took my restored O.T. 18' guide for our first paddle. Sure is a great feeling.
Good luck
Ron
 
Hi Ron, canvas filler was the standard silica dust/BLO type. Yes I have the form (disassembled) but I am not getting into shipbuilding any time soon.
Emily is a pleasure to look at and handles great in the water, raising envious looks. It resembles Cruiser with less rocker, excellent for slow water here around the Danube river.
 

Attachments

  • 20190904_173807.jpg
    20190904_173807.jpg
    450.5 KB · Views: 302
  • 20190913_170150.jpg
    20190913_170150.jpg
    341.2 KB · Views: 306
  • 20190913_184914-01.jpg
    20190913_184914-01.jpg
    362.4 KB · Views: 285
  • 20190915_131034-01.jpg
    20190915_131034-01.jpg
    410.6 KB · Views: 296
  • 20190915_145840-01.jpg
    20190915_145840-01.jpg
    339.6 KB · Views: 297
  • 20190919_104638-01.jpg
    20190919_104638-01.jpg
    361.5 KB · Views: 298
  • 20190919_113259-01.jpg
    20190919_113259-01.jpg
    364.2 KB · Views: 294
  • 20190920_180531-02.jpg
    20190920_180531-02.jpg
    268 KB · Views: 294
  • 20190921_131359-01.jpg
    20190921_131359-01.jpg
    323.6 KB · Views: 291
  • 20190921_131652.jpg
    20190921_131652.jpg
    384.4 KB · Views: 287
Really gorgeous!
Have you calculated the expense ratio between the construction of the form and the canoe itself. That would be useful information as I contemplate future projects. Also, do you think you could have accomplished this outdoors with a tarp to cover the work at night? My recent restoration was done this way, but was finished in 6 weeks, not six months.
Regards,
Ron
 
Juraj,

That is BEAUTIFUL work! I would have never believed that was your first canoe. I have be restoring my 1924 OTCA for over two years now and seeing your work really shames me for not getting more work done. Time for me to get back at it.

Again, beautiful work. I hope you have many years of paddling ahead of you.

Michael
 
Oh thanks!
Form, steam chamber and stem/rail bending jigs were maybe 15% of the total cost and 1/5th of the production time. Form was the open one with spruce ribbands.

I worked on it in closed room with no heating all the winter until spring. Maybe you can pull it off under the open sky in Italy, but big changes in humidity are no good, especially when canvassing.

Juraj
 
Last edited:
Thanks Juraj
Interesting information. I've been able to do successful restorations under the trees in the back yard, but have wondered about a build from scratch. I live pretty close to where Old Town built their canoes, and viable restoration candidates aren't too hard to find. I'm meeting someone Sunday morning and may come home with what looks like a nice 16 footer.
Happy paddling!
Ron
 
Back
Top