Dave Wermuth
Who hid my paddle?
Years ago I took lines from a Penn Yan Guide 18' and built a form. I built one canoe and used it in Quetico a couple years. Last year I decided to disassemble that form and basically remove roughly 42" from the middle. I had previously cut a derelict Guide down to 14'+ from 18' and it made a good solo canoe. I then continued on and built a 14' 3" solo hull over fall and winter in what little spare time I have. But then I decided to cover it with ballistic nylon instead of number 12. The weight of the two was pretty much the same. I have a bit to do on final covering and then I'll try to iron out the wrinkles. The solo canoe has a good amount of tumble home. If the skin will get smooth with the iron I'll see what happens when I add filler, prime and paint. I think the wrinkles will iron out. I have been covering lately by hand stretch, starting upside down temporarily to put in three staples at each stem and then switching to right side up. It saves the knees. And it has worked out well for several canoes so far. This may be a big fail, we'll see. The nylon is more difficult to apply and the only benefit would be its toughness and rot resistance. I probably won't do it again. Oh, and the color of it is interesting. Who else will admit they've tried this? I shoulda got some lighter dacron maybe.