Building Sunshine

      The Strongback

    The Strongback is the base on which to build the canoe. The strongback is built using two 2'x6"x16' planks. (My strongback is actually made using corral boards, 1-1/4" thick by 6" full. Corral boards are not available from lumber yards in Oregon but they were where I lived in California.) The planks are fastened together with short lengths of 2"x4" to make a double beam 6" wide (6-1/2" with regular 2"x6"s). Two 4"x4" legs with sturdy feet attached hold the beam at a comfortable height for building the canoe.
    For building Sunshine, I cut my strongback down to 11-1/2 ' in length. After years of lying on the garage floor my strongback developed a slight warp. Therefore, I attached flat 1"x6" boards to the top so I could draw a line straight and true down the center. Now I'm ready to mount the molds.

Home Page - The Plan - Cedar Strips - Strongback - Station Molds - The First Strips - More Strips - Sanding the Hull - Fiberglass & Epoxy - Working the Inside - Gunwales & Decks - Building the Seats - Varnishing - Building a Paddle - Detail images - Thumbnails - First Voyage - Fish Lake - Reference Material
E-mail wolfden@terragon.com