Sassafras Canoes

The lapstrake canoe is an ancient craft. In its recreational form it had already reached a very high pitch of refinement by the 1880’s, in the hands of artisans like J. Henry Rushton. Something about the combination of lightweight utility and easy, graceful lines makes the lapstrake canoe a very desirable creature, indeed.

Chesapeake Light Craft first introduced the lapstrake Sassafras canoes in the late 1990’s. Named after a placid and scenic river on the upper Chesapeake, these handsome canoes are at home in rivers, lakes, and bays, able enough to surmount wind chop and powerboat wakes, and to carry a good load.

Lapstrake canoes built the way Rushton did it require extremely sophisticated skills and equipment. Using CLC’s exclusive LapStitch™ process, assembly is accessible to beginners. There’s no mold, no lofting, no spiling, no tricky joinery.

Model:	Length:	Hull Weight:	Beam:	Max Payload:	Cockpit Size:	Paddler Weight:
Sassafras 12	12′ 0″ (3.6m)	12kg	71cm	120kg	Open Cockpit	45 – 115kg
Sassafras 16	15′ 7″ (4.7m)	40kg	71cm	205kg	Open Cockpit	115 – 180kg

Sassafras 12

The Sassafras 12 canoe is so light that you can put it on your shoulder and stroll casually down a wooded trail to a hidden lake or stream, fishing rod and tackle box in the other. That was the idea behind the original “trapper” or “pack” canoes. CLC’s 28-pound Sassafras 12 carries on the tradition – but with modern building methods.

Though she can be carried, or paddled, by a child, she’ll hold a 250-pound load. She tracks well, turns easily, and is stable enough for fishing. For maximum efficiency you’ll want to paddle the Sassafras 12 with a double (kayak) paddle.

Today we think of wooden canoes as being strip-built in cedar. But lapstrake canoes have an even longer history. The legendary Rushton lapstrake canoes are considered the pinnacle of the canoe builder’s art. But that style of construction is very, very complex, beyond even intermediate builders.

Simpler strip building, and later aluminum and fiberglass, took over. Now, CLC’s revolutionary LapStitch™ building method allows lapstrake canoes to be built by someone with no previous woodworking experience. All the planks and other parts are pre-cut. No strongback, molds, frames, or steam bending are required; building a LapStitch™ canoe is basically a matter of gluing all the pre-cut parts together.

The Sassafras 12 design has been completely overhauled for 2014. Like the new Sassafras 16, the Sassafras 12 Mark II is essentially a new design on the same theme. It remains an ultralight solo “pack canoe,” light enough to carry in one hand.  The revised canoe is prettier, stronger, and easier to build.

The 2014 Sassafras 12 has a new hull, with a springy sheer, finer ends, and much-simplified construction, without the slightest sacrifice in looks and performance.

Plans for the Sassafras 12 have been out of print for a few years while we updated the design. The new plans comprise full-sized patterns for every single piece of the boat.

The Sassafras 12 Mark II also boasts an entirely rewritten and vastly expanded builder’s manual, with 115 pages and 400 photos and illustrations. Plans builders, too, will appreciate the detailed instructions for parts fabrication. Along with improvements to the kits, which include pre-drilled wire holes, puzzle joints, and computer-indicated bulkhead locations, the manual makes this kit extremely friendly and accessible to first-time builders.

Sassafras 16

Like many traditional canoes, the Sassafras 16 is symmetrical, bow and stern. This allows a solo paddler to sit facing “backwards” on the forward seat for better trim. Her slightly rounded hull offers more speed and responsiveness than many of the plastic or ‘glass boats you may have paddled.  Her hull is slightly rockered – not for maneuvering in whitewater, but rather to reduce wetted surface area – making her almost effortless to paddle. She has a smooth or “well dampened” feel that is characteristic of good wooden canoes.

Today we often think of wooden canoes as being strip-built, but lapstrake canoes have an even longer history. The legendary Rushton lapstrake canoes are considered the pinnacle of the canoe builder’s art. Unfortunately, the required skills of this costly method faded away in the early 20th century. Simpler strip building, and later aluminum and fiberglass, took over. But CLC’s revolutionary LapStitch building method allows lapstrake canoes to be built by someone with no previous woodworking experience. All the planks and other parts are pre-cut. No strongback, molds, frames, or steam bending are required; building a LapStitch canoe is basically a matter of gluing all the pre-cut parts together.

The Sassafras 16’s hull is 6mm okoume with ‘glass cloth on the bottom. As on all the canoes, watertight flotation compartments are fitted at the bow and stern. The kit includes ash-caned seats.