Canoe
A hand-crafted canoe by Sue Spray
PROJECT: Canoe
WOOD: Sapele (Entandrophragma spp.), Bloodwood (Brosimum paraense), Ebony (Diospyros spp.), Maple (Acer spp.)
CREATOR: Sue Spray
"It's too pretty to put in the water!" The artist Sue Spray hears that a lot about her canoe and considers it the ultimate compliment. Woodworking is Spray's hobby-turned obsession. An accomplished veterinarian, Sue is inspired by fine woodworking and divides her professional focus between developing sustainable living techniques and being a woodworker artisan.
One of her favorite creations is a hand-crafted canoe. Although Sue had never been in a canoe, the thought of building something that didn't have a single straight line and was beautifully shaped and intriguing was reason enough to give it a try.
She bought wood from all over the country, including a 50-foot piece of wood from North Carolina. While cutting the piece into strips, she kept it matched so the pattern on the canoe would be similar to the way it looked on the tree. The hull is made from two 15-foot long 8/4 sapele mahogany boards that were resawn to ¾" and ripped into ¼" strips. The strips were numbered to maintain their orientation so the two sides of the boat are book-matched.
The accent strips are full thickness and made from curly maple, bloodwood and ebony, laminated and pieced together for the visual effect. The gunwales are instrument-grade curly maple from logs reclaimed from a chipper mill. The decks are full thickness veneer-grade pommele sapele and a bloodwood and ebony accent stripe flank both sides of the deck.
"I will probably only be able to build a couple of dozen museum quality pieces in my lifetime. Exotic woods, especially the highly figured ones, are worth the effort to find, procure and work with to bring a piece to its fruition. Using combinations of stunning exotic, highly figured woods that result in a visual and tactile one of a kind piece is one of the great pleasures in my life," says Spray.
The entire boat weighs less than 80 pounds and is fully waterproof and functional. The inside and outside of the hull is covered with fiberglass cloth and resin to increase strength and durability. The resulting finish is tough, waterproof and able to withstand significant use should its proud owner ever wish to take it out for a ride.
Frequently asked questions
What wood species were used to build Sue Spray's handcrafted canoe?+
The canoe was built using Sapele (Entandrophragma spp.), Bloodwood (Brosimum paraense), Ebony (Diospyros spp.), and Maple (Acer spp.).
How was the hull of Sue Spray's canoe constructed?+
The hull is made from two 15-foot long 8/4 sapele mahogany boards that were resawn to ¾" and ripped into ¼" strips. The strips were numbered to maintain their orientation so the two sides of the boat are book-matched.
How much does Sue Spray's handcrafted wooden canoe weigh?+
The entire boat weighs less than 80 pounds and is fully waterproof and functional.
How is the wooden canoe made waterproof and durable?+
The inside and outside of the hull is covered with fiberglass cloth and resin to increase strength and durability. The resulting finish is tough, waterproof, and able to withstand significant use.
What materials were used for the accent strips and gunwales on the canoe?+
The accent strips are full thickness and made from curly maple, bloodwood and ebony, laminated and pieced together for visual effect. The gunwales are instrument-grade curly maple from logs reclaimed from a chipper mill.
What wood was used for the decks of Sue Spray's canoe?+
The decks are full thickness veneer-grade pommele sapele, with a bloodwood and ebony accent stripe flanking both sides of the deck.