Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Plywood "log boats"

Reader "Edwin" left a comment on my previous post about Tlingit log canoes that I thought worthwhile highlighting here, since many of us don't read comments. He draws our attention to Applegate Boatworks of Veneta, Oregon, which, along with the usual boatbuilding services on conventional western-style boats, also builds canoes that resemble the large cedar dugout canoes of the Pacific Northwest. The corker, however, is that he builds them out of plywood, using the "taped seam" (a.k.a. stitch and glue) method. (In reality, it's even stranger: the basic hull is plywood, while the ends are solid cedar, so they can be carved to replicate the shapes of the originals.)

They actually look pretty cool, and the stated purpose is to give people some of the experience of the native craft at reasonable cost and accessibility.

Thanks for the link, Edwin.

Edwin maintains Dark Ages Boats, which I've only just begun to look at but which looks very cool and has some bearing on what we call Indigenous Boats. I'll be spending more time there and may report back in the future.

(Photo from the Applegate website.)

2 comments:

  1. Bob

    Here is another plywood dugout builder
    http://kitschweitzer.wordpress.com/projects/the-tribal-canoe/

    This is something I might have to do as space, handling and cost of building my own Bronze Age boat in oak look prohibitive at the moment and I want to get in the water this year with my carved oak figurehead mounted.

    Edwin

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  2. Edwin - Thanks for this great link.
    Would love to see your figurehead. If you wish, send it to me: bob (at) YourNameHereCom.com

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