In 1995 I ordered plans for the Platt Monfort skin on frame 15’ canoe. It has a beam of three feet and weighs 45 pounds. It is constructed of unseasoned white ash steamed ribs and spruce stringers which are epoxied together. The gunnels are also spruce. It has fir floorboards and the seats are hung with kelvar lashing from the gunnels. It was constructed on a “strong-back” with about seven evenly spaced temporary “stations” reflecting the “cross-sectional” shape of canoe. I then covered it with a very tough nylon fabric and painted it with hypalon deck coating. After 20 years, it still looks good and has remained flexible, however it has been stored inside. The nylon does have a tendency to “relax” slightly in very damp weather.
When paddling with my son, it is a real treat to paddle hard in it, as the light weight means it is extremely fast and you can hear the bow slicing thru the water while sitting in the bow seat. Aesthetically, it comes alive on the water when the sun shines, as it becomes translucent, exposing the skeletal frame.
I also made three bent shaft paddles; one is shorter for shorter arms. I made the shafts of spruce with white ash laminated to the front and back sides of the shaft, with red cedar for the blades and white oak, feather joined, at the edges. I then coated the blades with fiberglass and epoxied the entire paddle and then applied several coats of varnish.
