Staple the keel strip to the molds so it's exactly centered. Fill in the bottom of the canoe, working from the keel strip outward. A hand plane quickly cuts the tapered ends of the strips.

Then, the start of the canoe itself: bending the white cedar keel and gunwales onto the frame. 2. Ribs: Next, the crew sawed a large pile of white cedar lumber into 2 1/4-inch strips. Each of ...