A kayak and canoe alternative is described by its ribs. These are three of the eleven ribs used in our 15-ft wooden boat. Longer boats use more ribs, shorter boats, fewer.
Traditionally, Guideboat ribs were cut from spruce stumps. Our approach is to steam, bend and then laminate straight spruce stock. Note the pressure cooker with hoses below the steam box. On top of the box is our jig with clamps for pulling the steamed spruce layers into conformance with our mold.