Making a Plank Pirogue

[keith]

Hi, me and my friend (seedtick) like to build wooden boats, old Louisiana Boats, Dugout, Pirogues, Lafitte Skiffs , jon Boats, Bateaus, well you get the picture. We make them out of old cypress, we know the wood is rare and the boatbuilders are getting rare also. So we wanted to share some of that with you.
First you need a log. You need about 30 inch dia. to make a pirogue and 30 inches is about 800 years old.

next we cut it into planks, these are 18 and 20 inches wide, planed down to 3/4 inch

 

[keith]

this is the next set. Both ends are closed and the jigs are in (3 each).

 

[keith]

we are making a dugout pirogue when time permits. but now we have the bottom on

we have these photos in the pirogue section too.

time to sand , put the rub rail on and varnish.

 

[keith]

we are going to back up for a before and then a after.
we are at high seas going to find a log or shall I say LOGS.

we have some logs tied onto the sides of the pontoons and now pulling a long one up, some are 60 to 90 feet long.

we are cutting into lengths to handle and theres gold chips coming out of that 800 to 1500 year old log that has been underwater for a few houndred years.

now we have the roots up.

cutting the roots off with a 4 foot chainsaw.

sawing underwater.

big log in the bag.

 

[keith]

after the logging, planking and pirogue making, the finish.

thats wooden floor mats on the horses.

floor mats in boat.

the end. thank you for looking and I hope you enjoyed, Thanks Keith

 

[hairymick]

Friend Kieth,

You are torturing me now!

Magnificent, is the only word I can think of to describe your work.

Oh yeah, I would give my eye teeth for a shop and set up like yours. A bloody beauty. :shock:

Very respectfully,

Mick

 

[Bilgerat]

Absolutely outstanding craftsmanship! You guys make me very envious. 8) 8) 8)

Mike

 

[Kayak Jack]

Keith,

A once in a lifetime piece of work. Fantastic.

 

[keith]

I'm not a writer,so take it easy on me, maybe seed will join in. so I will jump back and forth in time.
the loggers came to Louisiana in ~1880 for lumber ( the big cities up north ran out of wood, and we werent useing it) and 60 years later it was all gone. there are some large trees standing, but they are hollow, thats why they left them. a pine tree is ready to harvest in 30 years, cypress takes 130 years. so the trees today are call grobacks and they were to small fo the loggers back then. and in some places will never come back, gone forever. for now the state of Louisiana will let you retrieve the sinkers. most of the ones we get still have the rootball on them, so they were under water before the loggers came or they would have cut them, so they have been underwater for over 200 years. I'll write more later. Later Keith

 

[catfish]

Thanks for sharing seedtick & keith you guys really know what you are doing. Also thanks for the history on everything.