Canoe 001
Gunwales
Above: Dry fit the inwale and scupper blocks
Above: The completed gunwales
Blackwater River Guitars
Strip Built Cedar Canoe (#001):
Page 4: Gunwales
The gunwales are the upper edges of the sides of the boat. On a canoe, the gunwale has an inwale (the inside edge) and an outwale (the outside edge).
Since the gunwales take a lot of abuse, the exposed parts are made from ash a hardwood (much harder than cedar). The inwales have evenly spaced blocks of cedar between the ash and the hull. These blocks create openings called scuppers that allow water to be drained out of the hull.
These photos show the inwales with scupper blocks being glued.
Here the outwale on one side is being attached.
