American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 34 Making a Canoe

Lin Yu'an's plan, which he conceived a few days ago, was half completed after the completion of the thorn net. Today, he decided to begin implementing the other half.

"I have a new idea! I plan to use waterproof tarpaulin and some lightweight wood to make a simple canoe!"

"This will make it easier for me to cast nets or fish more flexibly in nearshore areas."

Without further ado, Lin Yu'an packed his equipment and entered the nearby spruce forest to select suitable spruce trunks as boat bone material.

Cut it down from the root with a logging axe and remove excess branches, yielding about seven or eight spruce logs, each between three and four meters in length.

“Spruce wood is light and soft, very tough, easy to bend, and quite common in this area.”

"It is no exaggeration to say that a simple canoe can be made by one person, a knife, a bundle of rope, and a waterproof tarpaulin."

Before formally building the framework, Lin Yu'an first had to pre-treat these spruce poles.

He picked up a spruce pole, leaned one end against a rock, and used his foot to hold the other end in place. He then drew a multi-tool from his waist to peel the bark.

"Peeling not only reduces the weight of the rod, but more importantly, it allows for a more even bending during the subsequent heating process."

The dark brown spruce bark quickly curled and peeled off under the blade, revealing the lighter-colored part underneath with clear wood grain.

He shaved very carefully, trying to keep the surface of the spruce pole flat and avoid leaving too deep knife marks.

After all the spruce poles had been peeled, he carefully smoothed out any overly prominent knots and uneven parts to make them smoother and more rounded.

Three of the thickest, straight, peeled spruce poles, each about three and a half meters long, serve as the keel of the canoe.

"In order to make the bow and stern naturally curve upwards and create good water-breaking ability, I need to heat and bend the ends of these three keels."

He started a small fire, picked up a keel pole, placed the end that needed to be bent over the flames, and slowly and evenly rotated it to roast.

When he felt the end of the rod getting slightly hot from the heat and could feel its resilience increasing when pressure was applied, he quickly moved the rod away.

Place the heated end against a large rock as a fulcrum, grip the shaft with both hands, and pull upwards forcefully to create a gentle upward arc.

After it cools and sets, the ends of the keel naturally curl up, and both ends of the three keels have undergone the same treatment.

After the ends of the three keels are finished.

He placed two auxiliary keel poles parallel to each other on either side of the main keel pole, about fifteen centimeters apart.
Then bring them inwards so that they meet precisely at the pre-set bow apex.

"Now is the crucial time for reinforcement."

Lin Yu'an took out the steel wire fishing line and used a flat metal tool that he rarely used on a multi-tool as a simple tightening wrench.

He cut a suitable piece of wire fishing line and first wrapped it around the three rods several times in parallel below the point where they intersect.

Then bring the two ends of the wire fishing line together, pass it through the hole in the small tool on the multi-tool, and then wedge the flat end of the tool between the two strands of wire.

"This method can generate tremendous tensile force. If you are in the wild, you can use other tools instead, the logic is the same."

Lin Yu'an gripped the tightening wrench and began to rotate it. As he rotated it, the two strands of steel fishing line tightened the steel wire loop below, just like wringing a towel.

The steel fishing line was almost embedded in the spruce wood, and the three keel rods were firmly "locked" together by the steel hoops, remaining completely still.

"After the steel wire is tightened, the strength of the connection point will be greatly increased, but that's not enough. I need to use paracord for external protection and secondary fixation." He then used paracord to tightly wrap and bind the outside of the steel wire reinforcement layer again in a cross knot binding method.

The bow is formed into a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing convergence point, and the stern is reinforced in the same way, first with steel wires twisted tightly and then with paracords, with meticulous attention to detail.

After the basic frame of the hull is completed, preparations are made to install the port and starboard sides of the hull.

"These two gunwales will determine the width and side curvature of our canoe. They also need to be bent by fire to form the hull curve we want."

He first used the small saw on the multi-tool to cut the ends of the two gunwales to a length suitable for the bow and stern of the boat.

Then he began to bend and shape it, placing the middle section of a ship's mast above the fire and slowly rotating it to bake it, making it more flexible.

Once the shaft had softened to the appropriate degree, he then gripped the middle of the shaft with both hands and, using his body weight and arm strength, slowly bent the spruce shaft outwards.

He had previously secured one end of the spruce pole to the outside of the keel junction at the bow with paracord. At the same time, he guided the other end of the spruce pole gradually towards the keel junction at the stern.

The spruce pole made a slight "creaking" sound in his hand as he carefully observed the degree of bending of the pole to ensure that the curve was smooth and natural.

Only when the gunwale is bent to the desired curvature and both ends fit well against the bow and stern should it be firmly secured with paracord.

The other side of the ship's hull also underwent the same fire-bending and precise installation.

Soon came the final step: the installation of the ribs, which would make the hull frame more stable and maintain the proper width between the gunwales.

After selecting three pieces of peeled spruce wood of different lengths, they were repeatedly heated and bent over a fire until they were finally shaped into a gentle "U" shape, and then quickly cooled with cold water to set their shape.

"These three wooden sections, like ribs, will connect the keel at the bottom and the sides of the hull laterally. They are key components that ensure the hull's lateral strength and shape stability."

Lin Yu'an began installing the horizontal support ribs, placing the three U-shaped ribs horizontally above the three keels, so that the two ends of their U-shaped arcs abutted against the inner walls of the two sides of the ship's side.

He pre-cut shallow grooves at the contact points between the ribs and the hull and keel to increase the stability of the connection.

"The handling of connection points must ensure that every member is firmly locked in place to form a stable whole."

He cut sections of paracord and tied them securely at the points where they intersected with the ribs on the inside of the ship's side.

After all the ribbed spruce poles were installed and secured, Lin Yu'an shook the entire frame vigorously with his hand. The frame did not budge, demonstrating excellent overall rigidity.

The complete skeleton of a dugout canoe, made of eight spruce branches joined together by dozens of sturdy knots, is now fully displayed before our eyes.

In particular, the connection points at the bow and stern, which are tightened with steel wire and wrapped with paracord, appear exceptionally sturdy, giving one complete confidence.

It lay quietly on the grass, its ends pointed and its body slightly arched, exuding a primal beauty.

"Great! The canoe's frame is complete! Tomorrow, I'll cover it with a waterproof tarpaulin and let it sail for the first time!"

Results Report:
Urban New Book Ranking: 6th.

Overall New Book Ranking: 24th.

P.S.: I've already contacted the editor to revise the opening. I expect to have a result today.

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(End of this chapter)