Monday, February 23, 2009

Free Canoe Plans To Experience The Joy Of Canoe Building

Boats have been around a long time in the history of human civilization. In the olden days, people sailed and paddled boats and canoes to do a lot of the important things in life such as traveling, fishing, hunting, and so on. This noble craft has contributed very well to the survival and flourishing of people in the days gone by. It is just sad to think the less and less people are interested with boats and canoes these days. Many considered it to be only a hobby that is rather passé. It’s a good thing that there are still some people who enjoy this age-old pastime. Not only that, there are still people who are trying to engage on a much nobler aspect of boating which is building canoes. This is even made more possible with the increasing accessibility of information which allows people to gain access to free canoe plans.
What Makes of a Canoe?
Canoes are basically boats and have the basic components that most boats have, but there are also certain parts that distinguishes a canoe from other boats. Here are the fundamental parts of canoes:
Bow – this is the front of the canoe, it is pointed and responsible for making the boat slide through the water smoothly.
Stern – this is the rearmost tip of the canoe, unlike in most boats, the stern is pointed for the canoe.
Hull – this is the body of the canoe and is mainly responsible for keeping the boat afloat.
Seat – this is where the passenger of the canoe sit.
Thwart – situated near the top of the hull, this is a horizontal bar that helps maintain support.
Gunwale – this is the technical term for the side of the boat.
Deck – under this part is the foam block which serves as the floatation device of the canoe.Classic canoes are usually made of wood. The early canoes are just made by just burrowing our of tree trunks. Such heavy canoes are hard to transport and is quite impractical for modern leisurely purposes. Today’s canoes are usually made of wood strips that are lighter and more functional. Using strips also allows greater flexibility in designing boats. Wood strips are usually cut from cedar trees that have been found to be sturdy and easy to manage. More high-tech canoes are made from other strong and lightweight materials such as plywood, aluminum, polyethylene, wood-and-canvas combinations, fiberglass, and Royalex.
Canoe Designs
The typical canoe designs feature a point front and back, this distinguishes it from other kinds of boats. In the early days of canoe crafting, people generally followed a basic design that usually conforms with the log being used. People had the canoe plans written on their minds in stead of on paper. Builders freely chose the designs they used for the boats. But as time went on, people became more experienced with the craft. They learned techniques of making boats more efficient and durable. Such techniques and designs were then written to help pass on information about canoe building to future generations. Today these plans are made available not only for professional builders but also the hobbyists. Some of such plans are even sold, and fortunately some of them can be obtained for free.
Where to avail of Free Canoe Plans
Magazines and books dedicated on canoes usually feature good designs that can be used by amateur builders. But one does not need to buy such publications to get canoe plans. Several websites now offer canoe plans free of charge, making this great hobby accessible to many.
If you want more information on coleman canoes and solo canoes vist our site at http://www.canoescentral.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rajesh_Karavadia

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