# Art > Personal Art >  Deruchette- A Floating Canvas

## Gilliatt Gurgle

Maybe this can be interpreted as functional sculpture; a home built canoe.
Woodworking has been a skill of mine passed on from my father; in fact I still use many of the tools and equipment he used.
Deruchette is a 16 foot long canoe composed of a wood frame covered in 13 OZ. duck aka Canvas cloth. Built about 12 years ago.

A few specifics:
The keel beam is a built up box beam using ¾ inch square Ponderosa pine with ¼ inch thick marine grade plywood clad on each side

There are three primary ribs or bulkheads composed of 16 strips of 1/8 inch thick by ¾ inch wide Douglas Fir. The strips were steamed and then bent around plywood jigs, clamped and left to dry for a couple of days. Once dried, the strips were unclamped coated with epoxy and then re clamped around the jig.

The secondary frame consists of several ¾ inch square clear/ select (no knots) Ponderosa Pine stringers attached to the ribs with brass wood screws.

Upon completing the frame the structure is then covered with the canvas stretched hand tight and attached with several hundred aluminum brads. The fabric is then sprayed with water and allowed to dry in the sun which shrinks the fabric making it taught. 

Five coats of butyrate dope are spayed over the canvas, including two coats on the interior side. The butyrate dope shrinks the fabric tight as a drum and waterproofs.
The construction is essentially the same as wood and fabric aircraft of old.

Other wood used includes Mahogany for benches, removable panels that sit at bottom of boat and trim.

A few pictures:





Click on thumbnails for larger image:

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## qimissung

I think I've seen this picture before, Gilliatt, but I'd forgotten the boat, and I certainly didn't know you'd made it yourself! Pretty awesome. You'd be handy to have around after the apocalypse.  :Biggrin: 

Anyway, it's quite beautiful.

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## Melanie

wowee-zowee...that is one beautiful work of art!! I enlarged the pics and was mesmerized by the details. Fascinating the way you curve that wood in laminated layers. I always wondered how that works. And to think canvas could be so functional in that way. The final result is just breath-taking....but your son almost stole the show. What a handsome guy he is!

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## Snowqueen

Ive seen it too in one of your albums and its really wonderful. I need one of these when next time Ill go fishing. Indus River is just a couple of miles away from our house. 
By the way how old is your son now?

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I think I've seen this picture before, Gilliatt, but I'd forgotten the boat, and I certainly didn't know you'd made it yourself! Pretty awesome. You'd be handy to have around after the apocalypse. 
> 
> Anyway, it's quite beautiful.


Thank you, but as the apocalypse is likely to include fire, Deruchette would not be a reliable means to escape given the amount of highly flammable butyrate dope applied. She would go up like the Hindenburg.




> wowee-zowee...that is one beautiful work of art!! I enlarged the pics and was mesmerized by the details. Fascinating the way you curve that wood in laminated layers. I always wondered how that works. And to think canvas could be so functional in that way. The final result is just breath-taking....but your son almost stole the show. What a handsome guy he is!


Thanks, I steamed the wood strips in a 5 foot long section of water heater flue pipe using a tea kettle and old Volkswagon heater hose. 




> Ive seen it too in one of your albums and its really wonderful. I need one of these when next time Ill go fishing. Indus River is just a couple of miles away from our house. 
> By the way how old is your son now?


As long as the water is deep enough, she is definitely not suited for dragging over rocks in shallow water. The hull was once punctured by a branch under the water. Fortunately I keep a roll of duct tape handy.
My son is almost 19 and a freshmen in college.
Thanks for taking a look.

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## mona amon

Gilliatt, it is beautiful! I'm really impressed at your skill, talent and knowledge.  :Smile:

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thank you for stopping by mona amon and for the nice comments.

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## Paulclem

Just seen this thread Gil.

Great pictures, and the canoe looks brilliant. 

I remember that picture of the canoe with your lad too.

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

Glad you enjoyed it. I figured I'd go ahead and share the story behind the one photo I posted before.
I've been toying with the idea of building a wood strip kayak, but that is definitely down the stream a few years, perhaps a retirement project?

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## Maximilianus

Super nice canoe, Gilliatt!! Thanks for sharing!! (and go ahead with the kayak  :Yesnod: )

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