For more than a half-century I have explored many of the Minnesota waterways from a canoe and although I have enjoyed much of that time fishing from it, the idea of trolling or casting for hours on end is not, to my bewilderment, met with as much enthusiasm by my wife and two kids. Our 17′ canoe is more boat than I needed for what has become an individual activity, and I wanted something much more portable and nimble—a solo canoe. Purchasing a new canoe was never going to be an option due to limited resources, and reasonably priced used solo canoes don’t become available often. So, I decided I’d attempt to build one as a winter project.My criteria for choosing a design revolved around the following: stable enough for trolling or casting, ease of transport on and off my car roof rack, light enough to portage, uncomplicated construction for a first-time boatbuilder, and affordability. With the two end pieces joined together, the canoe takes shape as the sides are curled up. The seams that will become the chines end short of the stems and are reinforced with small plywood patches, epoxied in place, to ease the transition there from angled chine to curved bow.
Mike Hoyt
Read this article now for Free!
Ready for a second free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.
— OR —
Subscribe now for $29.99 a year and have immediate access to all of our content, including hundreds of small-boat profiles, gear reviews and techniques, adventure stories, and more! You can also browse our entire archive of back issues starting from September 2014, as well as post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!
Join The Conversation
We welcome your comments about this article. To include a photo with your remarks, click Choose File below the Comment box.