Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The building continues!!!!

Hi everyone!
I have continued with the building of my first Cedar Strip Canoe. I have completed all the stripping and most of the outside sanding is done. So far everything looks great. Check it out on my web site: http://buckfillier.webs.com/

Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Buck

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Basics of Building Cedar Strip RedBird Canoe

http://bucks-cedar-strip-canoe.blogspot.com/

Building Cedar Strip Canoe vs Buying!!!!

Building Cedar Strip Canoe vs Buying!!!!
Which is the best? I am sure many people have asked this question but what is the real answer? The answer lies within your personality type. Let me explain.
There are advantages to both building and buying. Which you decide to do will depend upon you. Most of the advantages for one is a disadvantage for the other and vice versa. So, the best place to start would be to explore all of the advantages and disadvantages for each one and then decide where you (and the canoe)fit.
Advantages of Buying.
Lets start with the advantages of buying a cedar strip canoe. Some of the advantages may include speed of aquiring it, the no thought process, or no mess at home. It can be a very fast process to purchase a Cedar Strip Canoe. You can go to a local shop or on the internet, find your perferred style, and purchase it. You can have it in your yard in a week or less.
Another advantage would be the no thought process. The only thought that is required is what style do I like and where is my credit card. This does not build character or pride but it is ok for some people.
The final advantage would be that it does not create a mess in your house/shop (that is if you call saw dust a mess). Building can be a dusty job and some people can't handle that.
Disadvantages of Buying.
Yes, even buying can have its disadvantages. A couple of disadvantages would be the cost and the lack of satisfaction. Cost would be the main disadvantage because it is unbelievable. I did some looking and I found prices that range from $2500.00 to $4000.00 each. That is not a attractive after you look at plastic caneos for about $1000.00 each.
The other disadvantage would be the lack of satisfaction. Is is not really satisfying to spend money at any time (even though it can be fun).
Advantages of Building.
Building a Cedar Strip Canoe is a completely different story. The main advantages would be cost and satisfaction. The overall cost can be considerably less if you build. The overall cost can be reduced by as mush as 80% since you can build it for approximately $700.00 each. This is a huge cost savings but it is assuming that you have your own wood working tools.
The other advantage is the staisfaction. Nothing can be more rewarding than spending numerours hours building something that you use. The pride is unbeliveable when a group of people is gathered around your canoe admiring it.
Disadvantage of Building.
I know it hard to believe but building does have disadvantages. The main ones are that it can be messy and it is also time consuming. The actual building can be a really dusty job an dsome people consider dust to be a mess. However, if you set up your shop properly, the dust can be contained to one area.
The other disadvantage is that it is time consuming. To build a Cedar Strip Canoe it can take up to 500 hrs. This is a fair amount of time to be spent on one project. On the other hand, if you enjoy wood working, this can be a really good pass time or hobby.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Which one you decide to go with will depend on you. I have decided to build one because I enjoy the challange and I need a hobby. Best of luck to you for which ever way you go. Just remember to enjoy your canoe and have fun.