CANOE PLANS for SOLO TRIPPERS who GO IT ALONE

At first glance the Solo Trip may look similar to the smaller Solo Day, however she is wider, has greater secondary stability, more free board, and more flare in her forward and rear quarters. Not only does this result in greater load carrying capacity, it means she has a kinder sea-motion in a chop, and is better suited to conditions where you might encounter spray and slop. In addition, her rocker makes her less likely to trip over herself when accelerating off the back side of a wave or when caught in a current or eddy line.

Paddlers should note that Solo Trip’s versatility comes at a slight cost to straight-line tracking when unloaded, and she has slightly more lateral surface exposed to the wind. In both cases a classic C stroke will keep her moving forward at a steady pace.

Solo Tripping in a Canoe

There’s a unique pleasure in journeying deep into the wilderness on one’s own. And simplicity. My first glimpse of a solo canoe was in mid-October whilst travelling with a friend and two children Algonquin Park:

“We were struggling with a 65 pound boats on ice-rimed rock and was struck dumb by three elderly gentlemen who skipped past us on the trail; light weight solos and small packs on their backs. It was at complete odds with the siege mentality tripping that was my norm at the time. I can’t say I was an instant convert, but the image of those cheery fellows and their easy loads inspired the Solo Trip years later. She’s the boat I designed once the kids were independent and I could venture out, just me and the stars.” – Trevor Paetkau, Designer

If you’ve ever thought going it alone was for you, you may find either of these articles inspirational:

• Why Your Next Canoe Trip Should Be Solo
• Trip Log – Solo Canoe Tripping in Algonquin Park

Why Choose Plans for the Ashes Solo Trip

We recommend this boat to solo canoeists who regularly find  themselves carrying a  load and/or find themselves paddling in larger bodies of water, or where they might encounter currents or more difficult conditions

Click Drawings to Expand …
 
 

 Before You Get Started

Plans from Ashes come complete with all the details necessary to build a canoe but they do not include building instructions. If you are novice builder you will save many hours and benefit immeasurably from an purchasing either of the following:

• For Stemless Construction, Building A Strip Canoe, by Gil Gilpatrick
• For Classic Cedar Strip Building,  Canoecraft, by Ted Moore

Materials

Start with 1/4 inch thick cedar strips. 3/4 of an inch is as good a width as any and full length clear stock will make stripping your canoe a whole lot easier. Her gunnels are either a hardwood, or if a builder wishes to reduce weight, laminated softwood strips (two outer and three inner) with an outer hardwood rail shaped to please the builder’s eye. Best results will be obtained if the builder can curtail the urge to use fancy marquetry, or exotic woods. A materials list is included with you plans, as are scaled drawings of the strong-back.

Stations

Unless marked otherwise stations are laid out with the centre station placed in the middle of strongback, and each one thereafter is spaced at 12 inches on centre from the previous. At Ashes we cut our stations from 3/4 MDF. The bow and stern stations are trimmed for stemless construction, an easy and elegant construction method that contributes to her minimalist lines. Plans also have the outer stem profiles marked for those wishing to use hardwood stems.

The Tumblehome

Ashe’s tumblehome will cause some pause for thought for first time builders, however with a little patience she will go together with minimal fuss. Novice builders choosing to build the hard-chined versions included with some of our plans would be well advised to apply equal parts patience and good humour.

Building Light

A careful builder may wish to reduce the weight of their canoe by starting with 3/16 inch cedar strips. Keep in mind that you’ll have less material to start with and if not careful when fairing it’s easy to sand too far! Builders who hope to keep her light will also laminate the gunnels directly to the hull and use mechanical fasteners only in the ends and at the thwart. Likewise, seats will be attached to cleats glued and glassed to the inside of the hull, thus reducing the need for hangers and associated hardware.

Bryan Hansel has published an excellent article at Paddling Light which serves as thorough primer as to what it takes to reduce weight whilst maintaining structural integrity.

• Light But Strong – Building Cedar Strip Canoes for Wilderness Tripping

Fibreglass

The industry standard calls for 6 oz cloth. Builders wishing to match our advertised weights will start with 4 oz glass inside and out with a reinforcing layer laid inside and out in her middle third (on the bias). Likewise, her ends are reinforced both inside and out with two extra layers of 4 oz glass, 6 inches wide and also laid on the bias.