Handbuilt by Alex Comb

Builders of
Wood & Canvas Canoes
Wooden Kayaks and Classic Rowing Boats

Accessories & Options

Yokes and Thwarts

We offer some nice-looking and quite comfortable carved canoe yokes made of the same wood as the rest of the trim. These yokes, when used in conjunction with a padded PFD, spread the weight over the shoulder area and their springiness acts as a shock absorber as you tread the portage trail. For the naysayers we offer a more conventional paddled yoke as well.

Finely carved quarter thwarts are standard in all our canoes. Many customers, however, request that the bow quarter thwart be left out in the 16' models so that they may paddle the canoe backwards from the bow seat. We do not feel that merely leaving the thwart out affords sufficient structure to the canoe so we have devised a method using brass knee braces to allow the bow thwart to be omitted. It looks kind of classy to boot.

Hand thwarts, just behind the decks, are standard accoutrements. These make a pleasant place to grab the end of the canoe to lift it over a beaver dam or up onto shore. For canoes to be used on rocky streams, I recommend floor ribs to protect the planking.

Floor ribs may be added in the floor of the canoe between the full length ribs. This offers protection of the planking for river use. It will add a few pounds and is not recommended unless rocky rivers are in your canoe's future.

Brass stem bands are found on the leading edge of all our canoes as decorative protection from rocks. We can also mount brass painter rings through the stem bands to help in lining the canoe up a difficult passage.

Keels can be added to any of our canoes. Normally the keel is made of Ash and is about 7/8" deep and the width tapering from 7/8" at its base to about 1/2" at the leading edge. Though most of our canoes track well by virtue of their design, a keel will help a canoe track in side winds. At the same time it will decrease the ease of turning and be a specific hindrance in streams where a keel can catch on rocks. A keel can always be added later, should it be necessary, though it cannot be removed (since it it screwed on through the hull).

Carved yoke: Add $95 to canoe order. $125 if ordered separatey

Padded yoke: Add $55 to canoe order. $75 if ordered separately

Floor ribs: Add $150 to canoe order.

Painter rings: $30 each.

Keel: Add $125

Choice of Wood

The standard trim for our canoes is Ash. This is a wonderfully springy wood which is relatively light as hardwoods go. A standard option to consider is Black Cherry. This will add a red tone to your boat. Any other wood can be substituted as a special order to personalize the boat of your dreams.

For the hull we normally use select White Cedar as both ribs and planking. If you wish, however, we will substitute Western Red Cedar planking for an additional price.

Cherry trim: Add $75 for solo and $100 for tandem canoe order.

Red Cedar Planking: Add $150 to canoe order.

Lighter Weights

Some people are interested in canoes that are even lighter than our normal fare. Though we have reduced the weight in our standard canoes well below some other builder's, there is still some opportunity for weight savings. For no additional cost we are now offering any of our canoes covered in Dacron fabric rather than the traditional cotton duck. The Dacron is considerably thinner and consequently lighter than the canvas, though we don't feel it represents any reduction in abrasion resistance. The fabric we are using is a 3.7 ounce per yard aircraft Dacon. This is covered with a highly flexible filler and paint that offers sufficient UV protection since Dacron is vulnerable to degredation from UV rays. The weight savings in using Dacron versus the canvas with our normal filler is in the range of four to six lbs. depending on the canoe.

Butternut

To reduce the weight even further, or in lieu of the synthetic fiber, I have been experimenting with using alternate woods for trim. The wood I like most is butternut. It is a wonderful darker wood which is significantly lighter in weight than ash yet also more rot resistant. Of course it doesn't have the strength of ash so alterations are needed to make it work for the various purposes. Butternut as deck material I think is structurally sound as it is, though one would need to be aware that it is a softer wood and can dent easily. We offer butternut for decks at no extra cost.

P.O. Box 297 • Knife River, Minnesota 55609
Phone & Fax: 218.834.2506
E-mail:  acomb@frontiernet.net 
© Copyright  Alex Comb of Stewart River Boatworks