I built a Freedom 15' cedar strip canoe with plans from Bear Mountain Boats. It took me 10 months to build (although I built a few other things including a paper canoe using this canoe as the mold in that time) and I'm very happy with it.
This is my second build, my first was a Prospector 16' which I built in 2017. The first canoe I ordered strips from Bear Mountain Boats, this time however I milled the strips from scratch and opted for a staple-less build, which was hard in some ways, easier in others.
The hull of the canoe is made from cedar strips and then walnut and maple for the pattern strips. It is then covered in a single layer of 6oz fibreglass cloth inside and out. The decks, gunwales, seats and thwart are all made from American black walnut.
The reason I decided to build a second canoe, and the reasons I chose the freedom 15' design is that my prospector is more suited to longer trips in current and with more weight in the canoe. The freedom is more suited to the sort of day trip paddles I tend to do on flat or tidal creeks, with barely any gear. I've only had a brief time in the canoe from launching it with a group of friends and them taking turns in the bow but I'm really happy with it. I haven't weight it but it certainly is a lot lighter to portage than the prospector which I am very happy about.
Can't wait to take it out for some more serious paddles this summer.
If you're interested in plans or kits they're available from Bear Mountain Boats here www.bearmountainboats.com/col...
For more canoeing photos and updates on what I'm working on check out my instagram / davidbrynparker