American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 35 Launch and Sea Trials
The next morning, Lin Yu'an spread the military green waterproof tarpaulin out completely on the flat grass.

Carefully place the completed canoe frame upside down in the center of the tarpaulin.

He began to pull the edges of the tarpaulin upwards, tightly wrapping it around the entire hull frame.

While stretching, carefully adjust the position and tension of the oilcloth to ensure that every part conforms to the curve of the skeleton as closely as possible.

As Lin Yu'an operated the equipment, he explained, "The key to the skin is to keep it taut and smooth. The tighter the tarpaulin, the better the hull's shape in the water, which can minimize water resistance and improve navigation efficiency."

After initially stretching and positioning the tarpaulin, he picked out a few slender spruce branches and slightly trimmed one side of them.

This allows the flattened wooden strips to better conform to the curvature of the ship's side, maximizing the effect of the molding strips.

He first worked on the hull, neatly folding the edges of the tarpaulin upwards to tightly wrap the spruce poles along the hull.

Then, using a spruce strip with one side flattened, press it firmly against the outside of the tarpaulin-covered hull, making it parallel to the hull's wooden strips.

Starting from one end of the ship's side, use paracord to securely bind the trim strip, tarpaulin, and ship's side wooden pole together in a spiral.

He was very strong, and each loop of the rope was tightened extremely, pressing the tarpaulin firmly against the wooden mast on the ship's side, forming a series of clamp-like fastening structures.

"This method not only provides a secure fixation, but also creates a relatively sealed edge between the strip and the hull."

"The bow and stern have large curves, making them more complex to handle and requiring careful treatment."

Lin Yu'an patiently folded and stretched the oilcloth appropriately to make it fit the curved surface of the canoe frame as smoothly as possible.

Then, use short, segmented pressure strips and paracords to secure the key parts properly.

After securing all the edges firmly with strips, Lin Yu'an took out a small ceramic bowl containing a "waterproof sealant" made from a mixture of beaver fat and resin.

"This sealant was commonly used by Native Americans to repair birch bark canoes, secure arrowheads, or increase the flexibility and water resistance of materials, among other things."

"Although this homemade sealant is rudimentary, it has been used for hundreds of years and is a testament to the wisdom passed down through generations of indigenous people."

Lin Yu-an used a small piece of wood as a scraper to carefully apply the viscous paste to the joints between all the strips and the oilcloth.

Especially in areas like the bow and stern where stress is high and shapes are irregular, ensure that the sealant is evenly applied to prevent any potential problems.

"With the tight fixing of the strip, the waterproof effect should be well guaranteed, and it should be basically dry after half a day of air drying."

While waiting for the sealant to dry, Lin Yu'an didn't idle around.

He cut down a slightly thick spruce tree and simply carved it into a one-piece single-sided paddle about 1.5 meters long with a slightly wider blade.

By noon, the sealant on the tarpaulin had mostly solidified.

The lake was as smooth as a mirror, and he couldn't wait to carry his newly named simple dugout canoe, "Pioneer," to the lakeside.

This canoe, covered with a military green tarpaulin, has sharper and more regular edges thanks to the slats, giving it a powerful and poised look.

"The exciting moment has arrived! The voyage of the 'Pathfinder'! It's also my first time trying something like this."

I gently pushed the bow of the canoe into the shallow water, felt the buoyancy, and then carefully stepped into the cabin.

He sat on the lattice seat that had been simply woven from thin wooden strips.

The boat began to rock gently with the buoyancy of the water. He gripped the oar tightly and tried to row back a few times.

The canoe began to move forward steadily, its bow breaking the surface of the water with a pleasant "splashing" sound!

Lin Yu'an excitedly shouted to the camera on the shore, "Look! It's moving! The buoyancy is fine!"

But this joy didn't last long. After paddling for only a dozen meters, the problem became apparent when he tried to increase the force of his strokes.

This canoe has terrible lateral stability! The hull is like a narrow-bottomed version of a roly-poly toy.

He only tilted his body slightly to the left to reach the fishing line placed to the side, and the boat suddenly tilted violently to the left!

"Oh no... damn it!"

Lin Yu'an's expression instantly turned grim. He quickly tilted his body to the right, barely managing to prevent the "Pioneer" from completely capsizing. "This won't do! The stability is too poor! We simply can't perform any other significant maneuvers on it!"

He struggled to maintain the boat's balance, awkwardly paddling it back to shore little by little.

After climbing ashore, he looked at the "Pioneer" floating quietly on the water's edge, and the excitement in his heart had long been replaced by a sense of loss.

He sighed heavily and plopped down on the ground: "It seems things aren't as simple as I thought."

"The hull shape of this type of narrow monohull has an inherent weakness in balance, and it is very difficult to handle unless you have extremely high handling skills."

"I have to come up with a remedy, a way to make up for my rowing skills deficiencies in a short period of time."

Lin Yu'an didn't dwell on her disappointment for long. She quickly adjusted her emotions and began to actively think of solutions.

Various mechanical engineering principles and methods for solving balance problems flashed through my mind.

"The frame and skin are fine; the problem lies in the hull shape itself. Perhaps I could add lateral bracing?"

"That's right! Side-mounted boats! I can install a pontoon device on each side of the boat to help with balance."

"It's like adding 'balancing legs' to a ship, which greatly increases lateral stability without sacrificing too much speed!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes rekindled with enthusiasm! He immediately got up and went back into the familiar spruce forest.

This time, he needed young spruce trunks, so he cut down trunks that were about five to eight centimeters in diameter and about two and a half meters long.

The crossbars that will connect the main hull and the side hulls, along with several smaller spruce branches, will be used to make the framework of the pontoons.

He quickly bent and tied thin spruce branches to create two simple boat-shaped frames, making sure their ends were sharp to reduce water resistance.

Then, the remaining waterproof tarpaulin was carefully used to cover the float frame, and it was secured with strips and paracord as well.

Next, he secured the spruce trunk to the front center of the canoe using paracord and reinforced with wooden strips.

The spruce trunk extends about one meter to each side of the ship.

Finally, the simple boat-shaped pontoon that has been made is tightly tied to the end of the protruding spruce pole with paracord.

And carefully adjust it to ensure that the bottom of the pontoon is roughly level with the normal waterline of the main hull.

The modification work continued until evening.

The Pioneer was now completely renovated! A small, sleek, boat-shaped pontoon extended from its left and right sides.

The ship doesn't look bulky; instead, it adds a sense of visual stability.

Lin Yu'an carefully sat down in the cabin again.

This time, the ship was unusually stable! Even when he deliberately swayed his body from side to side, the ship only rocked slightly!
The two side-mounted boats steadily supported the hull, completely eliminating the feeling that the slightest shift in the center of gravity would cause the boat to wobble and capsize!

The disappointment and frustration vanished, replaced by an irrepressible excitement and joy!
He picked up the paddle and began to row freely in the bay.

The addition of a single-sided buoy made the boat less maneuverable when turning, requiring a bit more getting used to, unlike the pure canoe he had before. However, he quickly mastered the technique.

He rowed faster and faster, and the modified "Pioneer" left a clear water trail on the calm lake surface.

A gentle breeze caressed her cheeks, carrying the cool scent of the lake water—a rare moment of relaxation in recent times! Lin Yu'an couldn't help but hum a tune with excitement.

He rowed the boat to the middle of the bay and burst into laughter, "Hahaha! This feels amazing! It's like fulfilling a childhood dream!"

Results Report:
Urban New Book Ranking: 4th.

Overall New Book Ranking: 19th.

PS: I have confirmed with the editor that the beginning will be revised, the chapters will be compressed, and some unnecessary chapters will be deleted.

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(End of this chapter)