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Click to order videos of these shows!| 401 |  Building the Ultralight Canoe "Nimrod". This unique design uses the latest of space age materials to construct a simple canoe. Kevlar® roving and Dacron® cloth are used in this design by Platt Monfort of Wiscassett, Maine. Utilizing his patented "geodesic airolite" construction method, this 12 foot canoe tips the scales at 14 lbs.! We discuss the basics of this method and it's similarity to early airplane technology. Beginning with a completed frame, we go back and look at the building process from the lumberyard on. Part 1 of 6
Also: We take a ride in the 1925 Express Commuter "Boss". Built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the Great Lakes Boat Building Company, this legendary fixture on Northern Lake Michigan was once owned by the largest cotton broker west of the Mississippi. At 52 feet, she was known in her day as quite the speedster; capable of traveling almost as fast as the cars of her day! | | 402 | The strongback and forms are cut out and assembled in preparation for construction of the hull. We cut up the lumber to make all the parts for "Nimrod". Part 2 of 6.
Also: We take a sail in the cruising sailboat Sea Pearl. Owned by Richard Shepherd of Cincinnati, Ohio, this copy of the old Herreshof canoe ketch is now produced by Marine Concepts in Tallahassee, Florida. | | 403 | The keel and other longitudinals of the canoe Nimrod are assembled and we look at the additional parts that will go into the boat. We discuss steam bending ribs. Part 3 of 6.
Also: We visit with a local lobster boat owner and learn about these legendary designs and adapting them to pleasure use. We go aboard Bill Van Westin's 35 footer built in Maine. | | 404 | The "Nimrod" canoe gets steam bent ribs. See it done with a wet towel, bubble wrap and a microwave oven. Part 4 of 6.
Also: The Inland Seas Educational Association's schooner is our featured boat. This 73 ft. steel ship, the "Inland Seas", has take over 25,000 schoolchildren out on the Great Lakes to discover the delicate balance of these unique waters. | | 405 | We assemble the internal parts of "Nimrod". The breasthook, floorboards, inwale, thwarts and other details in preparation for covering with Dacron®. Part 5 of 6.
Also: We look at the Chris Craft boats of Cadillac, Michigan. Home to the largest Chris Craft wooden boat manufacturing complex, this factory turned out over 37,000 boats during it's lifetime. We look at the models produced including the legendary Cobra. | | 406 | We put the Kevlar® roving Dacron® skin on our canoe and put on the finish that makes it watertight. Next stop...the water!
Also: T.D. Vinnette & Company are known for their extraordinary steel workboats. We are invited aboard "Ruthlass", TD's personal boat. |
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The Six-Hour Canoe | | 407 | We begin the "6-Hour Canoe" made famous in the pages of WoodenBoat magazine. This simple to build pirogue-like craft was designed to let beginners enjoy the process of boatbuilding. She is made of 2, 8 foot sheets of plywood and really can be built in six hours. Beginners, however, are advised to take about 40. Part 1 of 3.
Also: A visit to the "Antique and Classic Boat Show" held every summer in Hessel, Michigan. This is the largest in the water show each year held between Clayton, New York and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It's a must-see! | | 408 | The plywood is joined and the parts fabricated for the hull. By the end of the day we have a boat shape. Part 2 of 3.
Also: Edge tools: their care and feeding. Old timers say that "time spent sharpening tools is time well spent" and they would know. Tips from the days before electricity. | 409 | The final parts of the Canoe go together. When the stems, frame and seat go in she's ready for paint. Part 3 of 3.
Also: We launch the Ultralight Canoe "Nimrod". There's nothing quite so satisfying as getting out in you own handmade boat. | |
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