Franklin Cedar Canoes Franklin Cedar CanoesMany people who want to build a canoe for themselves are put off by a major problem: the difficulty of finding a suitable set of plans in the size and style they want. These four canoes reflect our interest in traditionally styled general-purpose canoes. They include a small fisherman's canoe, an elegant fourteen-footer from the turn of the century, and two larger canoes for more extended traveling. These plans are from the canoes we build, and use, here in Downeast Maine. I look for canoes which will take a variety of conditions in stride. They must paddle quietly and maneuver easily. The large ones must remain maneuverable with a load aboard, and they must pole well in a current. Finally, they must have the kind of handsome, graceful appearance which adds so much to a canoe trip. These four canoes fit the bill. Each set of building plans includes a table of offsets, profile and plan views, a full-size set of station and stem patterns, and details for the building form and for the canoe, covering tow methods of construction, stripper, or wood & canvas. A short set of plans can be ordered for either construction method. These plans won't teach you how to build a canoe, but they are drawn so as to be consonant with the detailed technical guidance contained in The Wood & Canvas Canoe written by Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow, and in Canoecraft-Woodstrip Construction by Ted Moores and Merilyn Mohr. The canoes are also available in completed form from Franklin Cedar Canoes. We build a rib-and-plank version covered either in canvas or clear fiberglass, or a strip-built version.
* * *
Franklin Cedar Canoes | 12' Pack | 14' Solo | 16' Explorer | 16' Salmon | 18' Guide