Second Stage of Canoe Construction: stakes have been removed and laid aside, and the 

 gunwales shown in first stage have been removed from the building bed. The bark cover is 

 laid out on the building bed, and the gunwales are in place upon it, weighted down with stones. 



{Sketch by Adnev.) 



first pair about a foot beyond the end of the gunwale 

 frame and 1 % inches apart, the second about 6 inches 

 beyond these and similarly spaced. The length 

 between the outermost stakes, measured over the 

 gunwale frame, is about 183^ feet. Great care is 

 taken to line up the last pairs of stakes with the 

 centerline of the gunwale frame. 



If the canoe is to have a slight rocker near the ends 

 and is to be straight over the rest of the bottom, 

 the ends of the gunwale frame will be blocked above 

 the building bed so that the frame is not hogged on 

 the bed. 



After the builder is satisfied with the staking, each 

 stake is carefully pulled up and laid to one side, 

 off the bed but near its hole. The weights are then 

 removed from the gunwale frame, which is lifted 

 from the bed and laid aside, and the bed, if disturbed 

 is repaired and re -leveled. 



The roll of birch bark is now removed from storage, 

 perhaps in a nearby pool where it has been placed to 

 keep it flexible, and unrolled white side up on the 

 building bed. As the bark dries, it will become more 

 and more stiff, so it will be necessary to moisten 

 it frequently during construction to maintain its 

 flexibility. 



The bark is usually long enough, but often it is not 

 wide enough. If the bark is too short, it may be 



pieced out at this time, or later. If it is not wide 

 enough it is centered on the bed; the piecing out 

 will be done later. The gunwale frame is now laid 

 on the bark, care being taken to place it as nearly 

 as possible in its former position on the bed. 



The bark outside the frame is then slashed from 

 the edge to a point close to the end of each thwart, 

 and also to points along the frame halfway between 

 the thwarts, so that the edges can be turned up. 

 While it is being slashed, the bark cover is bent 

 slightly, so that is is cut under tension. Later, 

 when the required shape can be determined, these 

 slashes will be made into gores, the Malecite canoes 

 having flush seams, not overlaps, in the tcpsides and 

 bottom. If a fault is noted along the outer edge of 

 the bark, a slash may be placed so as to allow the 

 fault to be cut out in the later goring; irregularity in 

 the position of the cuts does no great harm to the 

 progress of building these canoes. The slashes are 

 usually carried to within an inch of the gunwales on 

 the bed. It is not customary to slash the bark close 

 to the end, there the bark can usually be brought up 

 unbroken, depending upon the form of the end. 



When the bark has been cut as described, it can 

 be turned up smoothly all around the frame so that 

 the stake holes can be seen and a few of the stakes can 

 be replaced. The frame and the bark are then 



41 



