BOAT BUILDING. 



BY T. L. PITT. 



A BOAT is often an indispensable part of the trapper's out- 

 fit. I will give a few general rules for the construction of 

 the several kinds in use. 



THE BARK CANOE. 



This is the favorite boat in those regions where the 

 canoe-birch grows to perfection. It is of Indian origin, and 

 usually of Indian construction. Few white men are sufficiently 

 versed in the art of making it to rival an experienced Indian 

 in the nicety of work. 



The great advantage of the bark canoe, or the " bark," as 

 it is usually called, is its lightness. On this account it is pre- 

 ferred on all streams where portaging is necessary. A large 

 sized one, fifteen to twenty feet long, may be carried without 

 difficulty on the shoulders of two men ; while a small one, 

 ten or twelve feet in length, can be carried by one man. 

 They are built of all sizes, from ten to thirty-five feet in 

 length. The largest ones will carry a dozen persons or more, 

 besides considerable freight. 



In building a " bark," a cedar gunwale is first prepared. 

 This should be composed of two strips for each side of the 

 canoe, about one fourth of an inch thick, and an inch or more 

 in width, one to go inside the edge and the other outside. 

 The bark is then procured. That part which forms the bot- 

 tom of the canoe should be in one whole piece, carefully 

 peeled from a tree of suitable size and free from knots. If 

 not large enough for the whole boat, strips may be sewed on 

 to it. After the bark is ready, the length of the proposed 



