20 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Description of “Nessmuk” Canoe 
By C. L. Johnson. 
The “Nessmuk” Canoe in Action. 
Select a canoe that fits you just as you would a 
coat or hat as “Nessmuk” said, and this is the 
canoe that I consider albout right for a man 
from 150 to 175 pounds. I built her as much 
like the original as I could with the exception of 
being a little larger and stronger. I tried to 
keep her weight down as much as possible also, 
but 35 pounds complete was the best I could do. 
Her dimensions are: Length, 12 feet; beam, 
26 1-4 inches; depth amidships, 10 1-2 inches; at 
stems, 15 inches, with her keel sprung down 1 
in-c'h in the middle in a fair line from the ends, 
which is a decided advantage over a straight 
keel; ribs, 3-16 x 3-8 inches of white oak one 
inch apart, an inch tumble home; plumb stems 
of hackmatach or red cedar; keel and keelson 
white oak, clinker built of white cedar planking 
in seven streaks on each side. She is fastened 
throughout with copper rivets and brass screws. 
Finished with two coats of linseed oil and three 
coats of best spar varnish. 
One of these will be found to be the handiest 
kind of a one-man canoe and can easily and 
safely carry two even when it is beginning to 
get rather rough, but with one for her crew she 
can go practically any place and in any weather. 
When filled with water she is very buoyant, easy 
to right and bail out, and even to get back into 
over the side after you have had a little prac¬ 
tice. She sits just far enough down in the 
water to get a grip on it so in a strong head or 
beam wind she makes little or no leeway, and I 
do not hesitate to say she behaves perfectly un¬ 
der all conditions. Anyone who is used to 
paddling a 16 or 17 foot canvas covered canoe 
which with the ordinary load sits right on top of 
the water cannot imagine the ease with which 
one of these canoes can be paddled into a head 
wind and sea. 
I use an 8 1-2 foot double blade paddle with 
the blades turned at right angles, of course, so 
they will 'feather and offer the least resistance 
to the wind, and for a seat use either a cushion 
or low canoe seat, which can be made by stretch¬ 
ing canvas over a wood frame and rest it right 
on the bottom of the canoe. 
The Laurentide Company of Quebec, produc¬ 
ers of pulp and pulpwood, ; is reforesting its 
non-agricultural out-over lands. It is also im¬ 
porting reindeer from Newfoundland, to see if 
they can take the place of dogs in winter woods 
work. 
*-J"-j>»- S' 8 -- X' - 2' jfr - 
b/Lt above 
LKL. 
HL.J. be/cv 
