Planking the Bottom (The First Side)

When the side planks have been completed, one side of the bottom will be completed before starting on the other side of the bottom. Each plank must extend past the centerline so that it can be trimmed to the centerline later.

Once the centerline is marked on the bottom, the planks are rough trimmed to the line using a sharp chisel. Because of the way the grain of the wood intersects the centerline, it is always best to start in the middle of the canoe and work towards the ends.

The trimming process is finished up with a couple of small planes. Small spacer blocks are put between the hull and the molds to raise the hull enough so the plane clears the molds.