"If there is magic on this planet it is contained in water." --- Loren Isley
From 6 pages of full-size template drawings and the instructions in this book you can make:
(far left) 20' x 25" Tsunami kayak, 54 lbs, has rounded bottom, no rocker, can be built as a 16' solo.
18' x 28" Nanaimo kayak is wider, shorter version of a tandem, can also be built as a 14' solo.
(center left)18' x 27" (at 3" waterline) Abenaki canoe, 54 lbs, has round bottom, no rocker, can be built in 16' and 14' lengths.
(near left)18' x 36" Micmac canoe, 60 lbs, a higher-volume canoe, has shallow arched bottom, tumblehome, and slight rocker.
20' x 48" Micmac canoe, 125 lbs, is the cargo-carrying, sea-going model with a wine-glass transom (see canoe by Stu Sanders).
The boats displayed on this page were built by David Hazen. Keep going, there's more...
(left)18' x 34" Micmac canoe, 58 lbs, the most popular model, is the narrower version of the Micmac, can be built in 16' and 17' lengths also (see canoe by Steve Correll).
The book has instructions on how to stretch or shrink these designs to other lengths. While the book is copyrighted, the boat designs are not, and anyone is welcome to reproduce as many boats as their family and funds will allow them to do! Building one's first strip canoe will probably take 150 man-hours of work. Even mediocre craftsmanship can produce a boat superior to most factory-made boats.
How easy is it? "I found the building very easy even though I'm a female with just about no carpentry skills. Your instructions really specified just about everything down to the 'T'. I see the boat as a work of art. All my thanks for being such a good designer." --- Meg Smith, boatbuilder.
Contents ofThe Stripper's Guide:
The introduction deals with the rationale for building your own boat. Then, step-by-step, the text covers
choosing a design or making modifications to suit yourself
calculating quantity, choosing and locating materials
finishing the hull with seats, thwarts, and gunnels
cartop carriers, canoe covers, making a paddle, making a sail, safety, maintenance and repairs.
First published in 1972 when polyester resins were in vogue, the book has been revised several times, and now only discusses the use of epoxy. The latest edition, the 6th, is now available direct from the publisher (see below). Beware of online booksellers, some of them are marketing out-of-date editions.
The Stripper's Guide to Canoe-building by David Hazen, Tamal Vista Publications, Larkspur, CA, USA, ISBN number: 0-917436-00-8, is available from:
e-mail: innercom(NOSPAM)peak.org 
