Sam Buchanan's Wee Lassie Project
Sam's Wee Lassie Log, page three
Sometimes things just work out! A couple of years ago, I salvaged the backs from two chairs we discarded with the idea of using the backs for seatbacks in the Laker canoe. A few evenings ago, I spied the seat backs hanging in the shop.....and......the light bulb came on! The cane and frames don't match exactly, but they are close enough.
The seat is attached with two brass screws to the oak rail epoxied to the bottom of the hull , and has some adjustment latitude if necessary.
This saved me the time and effort of caning a seat for the Wee Lassie, and provided a seat back in the process. I fabricated the brackets from some scrap 0.062" aluminum, and some carpeted chair glides from the nautical department of Walmart prevents the canoe from getting skinned up by the seat frames.
Isn't she lovely! Three coats of spar varnish was applied with a foam brush. Each coat was prepped with a rubdown with a Scotchbrite pad to scuff the finish.
While this is admittedly a simple Wee Lassie that definitely won't win any awards at a show, it is pretty enough to prompt lots of admiring glances at the lake or river. Matter of fact, I usually get a lot of smiles just hauling the canoes around on the trailer!
According to the faithful (and abused....) bathroom scales, this Wee Lassie weighs 35 pounds. No doubt a pound or so could have been saved by using a lighter wood than oak for the trim, but it is still light enough to be easily handled by one person. Another factor that may have added a couple pounds was the six-ounce cloth I used on the outside of the hull.
One of the neat things about this project was the decision to give the Wee Lassie to my son Michael as a gift following his recent graduation from college! Hopefully Michael will develop a long and trusting relationship with Wee Lassie over the coming years.
Time to head for the water!
9/6/02
Michael in his new boat! The Wee Lassie is pushed back from the ramp, and the first trip is under way. We intend to make a nice paddle, but a $20 Walmart paddle sufficed for the first trip to the water.
It wasn't long before Michael felt comfortable enough in the new boat to start exploring some of the nooks and crannies of Limestone Bay.
This was our first experience with a kayak-type hull, but the Wee Lassie has very good final stability. I requested Michael intentionally swamp the canoe just to get a feel for how far the hull can be leaned. He had to make a real effort to get the gunwale below water; this should be a boat that is very comfortable for cruising around without worrying about getting wet.
Since I didn't include any additional floatation, I was a little concerned about what might happen when the canoe was swamped. I asked Michael to capsize the boat near the boat ramp just to see what would happen. Turns out there is plenty of floatation inherent in the hull to keep the Wee Lassie safely afloat even when full of water.
Well........since the kid had demonstrated that the boat wouldn't sink, I felt it was safe for ye ol' boatwright to take the Lassie for a spin!
........and off he goes.................................
The Wee Lassie has been a great project, and one I would recommend to any strip builder, especially the first-time builder.