Today we often think of wooden canoes as being strip-built, but lapstrake canoes have an even longer history. The legendary Rushton lapstrake canoes are considered the pinnacle of the canoe builders' art. Unfortunately, the required skills of this costly method faded away in the early 20th century. Simpler strip building, and later aluminum and fiberglass, took over. But CLC's revolutionary LapStitch™ building method allows lapstrake canoes to be built by someone with no previous woodworking experience. All the planks and other parts are pre-cut. No strongback, molds, frames, or steam bending are required; building a LapStitch™ canoe is basically a matter of gluing all the pre-cut parts together.
Like many traditional canoes, the Sassafras 16 is symmetrical, bow and stern. This allows a solo paddler to sit facing "backwards" on the forward seat for better trim. Her slightly rounded hull offers more speed and responsiveness than many of the plastic or 'glass boats you may have paddled. Her hull is slightly rockered - not for maneuvering in whitewater, but rather to reduce wetted surface area - making her almost effortless to paddle. She has a smooth or "well dampened" feel that is characteristic of good wooden canoes.
The Sassafras 16's™ hull is 6mm okoume with 'glass cloth on the bottom. As on all the canoes, watertight flotation compartments are fitted at the bow and stern. The kit features ash-caned seats, sapele decks, mahogany outwales, and an ash thwart.
