Glide-Easy: A Free Plan for a 15 ft Molded Plywood Canoe
William D. Jackson's 15 ft canoe uses thin molded plywood, no stems and air flotation, with a square-stern outboard option.
Glide-Easy takes the canoe and strips it down to essentials. Its 15 ft (4.6 m) hull is formed from 1/8 in. plywood molded into shape, with no stems and only minimal framing, then covered in fiberglass. The result is a slim, 36 in (0.9 m) wide craft for two that slides along with very little effort. There is even a square-stern version for anyone who would rather let a small outboard do some of the work.
Glide-Easy at a glance
| Detail | Glide-Easy |
|---|---|
| Type | Canoe |
| Length | 15 ft (4.57 m) |
| Beam | 36 in (0.91 m) |
| Capacity | 2 persons |
| Construction | 1/8 in. plywood molded into canoe shape, no stems, minimum framing, fiberglass covered; air flotation chambers |
| Power | Paddle; square-stern model takes outboards up to 4 hp |
| Designer | William D. Jackson |
| First published | Science and Mechanics, p. 142 |
| Craft Print | No. 266 |
| Plan sheets | 7 |
What makes it so light on the water
Thin plywood bent into a canoe shape does most of the structural work, so the plan needs far less framing than a conventional build. Leaving out the stems removes one of the fussiest joints in canoe building altogether. The fewer parts there are, the sooner you are on the water, and the lighter the canoe is to carry down to the shore.
A fiberglass skin protects that thin plywood and stiffens it, while air flotation chambers add buoyancy if things go wrong. Paddle it as a classic canoe, or build the square-stern model and hang an outboard of up to 4 hp. That pairing makes it a sensible choice for builders who want one boat for both paddling days and slightly longer outings.
The original plan sheets
These are the 7 original sheets, scanned from the magazine. For building, use the full-size PDF in the download section below.
Who designed it
William D. Jackson designed Glide-Easy, and it appeared in Science and Mechanics on page 142 as Craft Print No. 266. Jackson was one of the most prolific designers behind the Science and Mechanics craft print series.
Before you build
- Practise bending a scrap of 1/8 in. plywood first so you learn how much curve it will take before it complains.
- Seal and test the air flotation chambers before final assembly, because they are hard to reach once the hull is closed.
- If you build the square-stern version, stay within the 4 hp limit and mount the motor on a properly reinforced transom.
Download the plan
All seven original sheets for the Glide-Easy canoe in one file, covering both the paddle and square-stern versions.
Download the complete plan (PDF, 7 sheets, 1.7 MB)
Tools for this
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to say what you think of this post.