James E. Narem Jr. Homepage

Homebuilt Pirogue

Pictures of a cajun pirogue I built with a friend. It was a kit from Uncle John's Boats. It took about four construction days to get it so it could float, and a few more to paint it.

Before building a boat, you have to ask why? You need to think about what you want, how much effort you are willing to expend and what you are trying to learn in the process. We built this boat because we were tired of renting canoes and we wanted something other than a heavy, ugly piece of plastic. We also wanted to learn.

We already knew what we wanted in a boat. We canoe camp and portage. What we really want is a Wee Lassie but it's a pain to build since it requires a mold and lots of planks. I wanted something that would teach me about scarf joints, epoxy and finishing so I wouldn't screw up a much more involved boat. This boat has the advantage that it only costs a few hundred dollars to build/paint/outfit and it does not need a construction jig.

In retrospect, there is one thing we would do differently. We used 20 dollar a sheet ACX 1/4" plywood. The C face was a pain in the butt to fill and the interior ply has voids which get crunched by rocks. Use marine grade plywood. It's twice the cost and may take a bit of work to find, but it's worth it.

So we built it. It's called The Scarf and we hope they don't break.

	These are the pictures you came here for. Construction photos starting with bits of plywood and ending up with a hull.
	Once the raw hull is constructed, it's time to paint the ugly wood and clear finish the good stuff. This gallery has photos of the finished boat before modification and river rock bashing.
	After using the pirogue a bit, we made some modifications. First was the keel to strengthen the bottom and aid in tracking. Then a seating platform. Soon, a removable portage yoke.
	Photos of the launch, and in various rivers in the northeast.
	Well, you gotta put it someplace. It's best to have it indoors so it won't rot and the paint will last longer. Mostly we've hung it from ceilings in various workshops. This gallery has some details of a pully raised hanger.