Posted on

Photo(s) of the Week: Canoes of Bamboo and Plastic

Tom Huang skinning a canoe

Instructor Tom Huang and his assistant, Reed Hansuld, putting the skin on a canoe outside the wood studio. The ribs of the canoe were cut from plywood, the shell was made from strips of split bamboo. The skin they are applying is recycled grocery bags laminated with spray adhesive. They applied 6 or 8 layers of plastic to each canoe. The class built five canoes using this method.

 

Bamboo canoe on the water

It sounds a bit sketchy, and the boats were intended to be somewhat ephemeral. But when they put them on the water, they behaved just like canoes.

 

Bamboo canoes on the water

Here’s the flotilla (plus one dog) on its way down the Toe River.