Sweet Dream vs. 6 Hour Canoe

[dan-marques]

Hi, again (and thanks to all those who responded to my previous posts).

To repeat, I'm looking for a boat to build in a shop class. I'll have approx. 35 hours to work on it, and it must be car toppable. Also, I'd prefer something other than a 7 or 8 foot dinghy, because I have no use for that. (Unless someone out there needs a tender, and would be willing to buy one, unseen, from a first time builder, any takers?).

Two boats I'm considering are the famous 6-hour canoe, or the "Sweet Dream" canoe, designed by Marc Pettingill. Does anyone have experience with either of these? How does the building experience (skill, time) differ? How does their performance difference?

Thanks a lot, and again, any help appreciated.

Dan

[bret]

Hey Dan,
Do you have an idea of your materials budget? That's a big part of your decision. I'm currently in the process of building my first boat, which is a Norwegian Sailing Pram. I was directed to www.leevalley.com (http://www.leevalley.com) by a fellow forumite and got my plans there for $30. No lofting required. Another source I have found is a book called "10 Wooden Boats You Can Build" which has at least four projects that would fit your time frame. Keep us updated. Bret

[NormMessinger]

I've built both the Six-Hour Canoe and Sweet Dream. The latter must be build with good marine plywood because the ply is rather tortured, to say the least. However, it is a much nicer boat when finished. Thirty five hours may not be quite enough time to complete it if you include painting.

The Sis-Hour can be built with most any plywood, construction adhesive, etc., and still turn out to be a serviceable boat. I think not as seaworthy however and very sensitive to the wind.

Building Sweet Dream Album (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291902377)

Building a Six-Hour Album (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292075019)

And another to consider, The Cheap Canoe. (http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291605935)