Question on cost

[Iron]

I REALLY want to own a Solo canoe for tripping into the Q and BWCA. It would mean so much more to build one than to buy a $2,200 Bell.

What could I expect for a cost of a fininshed project. I need to consider most tools etc required in the cost as well.

Thanks,

Scott

[Woods Walker]

Scott,

1st thing is welcome to the board, we don't seem to get a lot of traffic here so replies will come in slow. If you are looking to save money or get one cheap, you would be better off buying one. If you have a desire to paddle a canoe you built yourself, have the time & $$$ it is very rewarding.

I would estimate your 1st canoe, buying required tools & materials will cost approx. $2000 or less. Depends on what wood you use. It will most likely take you around 250 hours, depending on your skill level.

Maybe someone else will shed some light on this subject also. Remember this is addicting & each one you build after your 1st will cost less & be completed in less time.

Troy

[woodbender]

Coming at it from a beginner's point of view myself I have to agree with Troy.

This 38 Special was our first. We did a lot of gearing up with tools that we didn't have. For me and our son it's been ALL learning curve and some days we just have to sit in the "moaning" chairs and think things through.

Moaning chairs are required equipment in a canoe shop by the way.

Building season is coming back so there will be more posting going on. Some of us have un-heated workshops (garages) so we have to put the skids on during the winter.

You can do a lot with very simple tools. If you can rip strips and you're handy with a hand plane you can probably do this. Do homework, ask questions - even if you think they're dumb questions. Once upon a time we were all beginners.

Chris and I have put in a lot of weekend and evening hours. My job makes it difficult to do otherwise. You will have to dedicate some space to this project. For us it was garage space. The rest of the driving adults in our house had to buy into the idea that their cars were going to be in the elements last summer.

By the time we have finished (we had to hoist the project this winter) we will have come in at around $2100 to $2200 BUT the vast majority of that was tools and other things that we just didn't have yet. The next canoe won't cost anywhere near that much. The wood all by itself was not all that expensive.

Chris (he's 17) and I have spent a lot of time together learning how to build a canoe. Like I said it's been ALL learning curve but we're doing it. Today after both of us thinking through a major problem we got our 38 Special down from the rafters in the garage and got her ready to work on. It was a huge day for the both of us.

Priceless. Every minute I spend with our sons is priceless to me because once they are gone and on their own the chances to build memories don't come as often.

If you decide to build don't do it to save money. You don't decide to go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to save money. Money is not the object in a trip like that.

But if you decide to build - you'll never regret it. It will be something you'll have the rest of your life and there won't be another one quite like it on planet Earth. Oh sure - you'll make mistakes - we all do but hardly anything in the process is un-fixable.

Like I said a "moaning chair" is required equipment.

Welcome to the forum!

[Iron]

Thanks for the insightful replies. The Bell Magic I had my eye on was $2200, so if I could build one for similar dollars, that would be so much more rewarding. Plus, what a great excuse to buy tools! Not only that, it is much easier to sneak that past Mama spending a bit here and there, spreading it out a little bit, rather than coming home with another #$%@ boat and a balance on the credit card.

This would be a major undertaking. I would sure hate to get started on it and have it still be in my garage half done five years later. However, as a 24 year veteran of the BWCA, I think I could be motivated. even if it did take a few years, this would be a great project for me and my 11 year old son.

What is the "38 Special"? Is it a tandem? With my son now hooked on the BWCA, it might be beter to do a tandem first. Is there a difference in difficulty between a tandem and a solo do you think?

I can't think of a better way to spend time in the Men's crisis center ;D

Iron

[woodbender]

Iron man.

Glad you popped back in!

The 38 Special is a Solo specifically aimed at adult tripping. If you hang out at the Canoe Country Forum you'll see a guy named Nibi Mocs (Larry) tooling around in his Merlin named Becca. Becca is a smaller sister of the 38 Special. She just has some bow and stern modifications but she's the same below the waterline.

It would be an AWEsome project for you and your 11 yr old son! He would grow into it if you thinks he's going to top 5'-8" or more. My next one will be a tandem for me and the mrs. Chris will be tooling around in the 38 and well be cruising in our NorthWest Cruiser.

I don't know that a tandem would be any harder or easier. We've only done the 38 Special which tapes out at 16.5 ft so it could be comparable. I will say though that some of the pronounced tumble home strips and extreme twisting in the 38 made for some creative clamping.

For a good beginner's "how-to" book check out Ted Moores CanoeCraft. There are also some models in there that you can build right from the book - tandems as well as solos. His Freedom (tandem) is very popular but I thought it would be too fine of an entry in the bow for choppy waves and wind in the BWCA going across open lakes of any size.

The NorthWest Cruiser (tandem) and the 38 Special are available from Northwest Canoes www.northwestcanoe.com/

Let us know what you decide! Pictures are a must.

iron said:

Thanks for the insightful replies. The Bell Magic I had my eye on was $2200, so if I could build one for similar dollars, that would be so much more rewarding. Plus, what a great excuse to buy tools! Not only that, it is much easier to sneak that past Mama spending a bit here and there, spreading it out a little bit, rather than coming home with another #$%@ boat and a balance on the credit card.

This would be a major undertaking. I would sure hate to get started on it and have it still be in my garage half done five years later. However, as a 24 year veteran of the BWCA, I think I could be motivated. even if it did take a few years, this would be a great project for me and my 11 year old son.

What is the "38 Special"? Is it a tandem? With my son now hooked on the BWCA, it might be beter to do a tandem first. Is there a difference in difficulty between a tandem and a solo do you think?

I can't think of a better way to spend time in the Men's crisis center ;D

Iron