178 



TllK ()0L()(4;ST. 



not quite as large as before. This 

 curves the bottom up at the stern. Lay- 

 ing this board on the one selected for 

 the other^side it is an easy matter to 

 mark and saw it . 



Next saw or hew the four by six- 

 piece in the shape of a triangle, minus 

 the apex. The ba^e of the triangle 

 should be five and one-half inches and 

 the opposite side should have a width 

 of two inches. 



Lay this on one of the side boards at 

 the bow, mark the slant of the bottom 

 and saw the end of the bow post off. 



Now the sides may be nailed securely 

 to this post, beii-g sure to get them even 

 with the two inch face of it. 



Another board should be ripped into 

 two pieces one nine inches wide, the 

 other three of course, and a piece two 

 feet long cut from the nine inch piece. 

 A stick or piece of board three feet 

 long placed midway of the side boards 

 will hold them the proper distance 

 apart while bending them till able to 

 nail them to the stern board just cut. 



If the boards are wet they will bend 

 easier and with less danger of breaking, 

 though unless assisted by a second per- 

 son the workman will l)e obliged to use 

 a rope or strap to draw them together 

 and hold them until they can be nailed. 

 Another nine inch piece must be nailed 

 across on top of stern and sides form- 

 ing the stern seat and holding the sides 

 lii-mly together. Boards may now be 

 laid across the bottom, marked, sawed 

 and nailed on, until the bow is reached. 



Use about four nails in the end of 

 each board and see that the pieces are 

 close together, leaving no large cracks. 



Two pieces of the nine inch board 

 are saved to use as seats, the remainder 

 may be used with the wider pieces in 

 making the boat bottom. 



One of these seats should be fitted 

 about three feet from the stern and the 

 other two feet ahead of the middle. 

 The ends should rest on cleats nailed to 

 the side boards and the seats firmly 



nailed in placeas they brace the boat 

 and prevent the sides from springing. 

 A triangular strip should be fitted over 

 the bow post, (one of the corners of that 

 post, which was ripped off will do) and 

 when fastened on extends down over 

 the bottom board and covers the ends 

 of the side pieces, forming a blunt cut- 

 water. Every collector has of course a 

 stock of hemp or oakum and the cracks 

 between the bottom boards must be 

 caulked with these, using a hard wood 

 wedge or a dull chisel to di'ive it into 

 the crevices firmly. 



Cotton waste will also answer for 

 caulking material. 



If the center brace is removed, seats 

 fitted, all cracks and nail holes plugged 

 the pitch may be got ready for applica- 

 tion. 



This substance, such as is used on 

 roofs, walls, etc., may be melted in 

 some old iron pot until it can be ap- 

 plied with a swab. 



It is well first to take an old tin can 

 and in sailor parlance "pay" the seams 

 Avith melted pitch, that is pour a thin 

 stream of the stuff" along the cracks 

 where it will penetrate the oakum and 

 harden, eff'eetualty excluding the water. 

 With the swab smear both inside and 

 out of the boat bottom and your 'bateu' 

 is ready for the water. 



Oar locks and oars maj' be used but 

 the collector will find paddles prefer- 

 able often as they eaal)le him to face 

 the bow. 



As the craft draws but a few inches 

 of water it may be used on marshes 

 where a shoving pole will be most lise- 

 ful in propelling it.- 



The bateau constructed as above will 

 easily carry three or four persons and 

 with paint and better lumber is quite as 

 good as any boat of similar character 

 for pleasure riding, fishing, hunting or 

 trapping. 



The cost is so low that if only used 

 for one vacation it can be turned adrift 

 or given away with little loss. 



