Product Description
Eureka Canoe Plans PDF
If you prefer printed plans click HERE
A kit for this boat is available from JO Woodworks.
- Simple to Build
- Great Paddling Boat
- Half the weight of most fibreglass Canoes
- Comprehensive Plan Pack with step by step instructions and many illustrations
The Eureka Canoe is the result of a collaboration between Duck Flat Wooden Boats in Adelaide and Michael Storer Design. It is built stitch and glue - a simple method where the panels are cut out and stitched together temporarily while the joins are sealed with fibreglass tape.
Generally fibreglass boats come in at about double the weight of this one and don't come anything close to being classic paddling boats. The Eureka has demonstrated that it goes a long way with modest effort and tracks well when the waves and wind are up.
We Jointly Developed the Eureka over several prototypes to produce the best mix of performance, light weight, good looks and most importantly for a kit to be exported to Japan, to be foolproof in assembly.
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Several of these canoes have been converted into trimarans or outrigger canoes for excellent sailing performance. Also as a diving or fishing platform. The outrigger structure is very light and removed from the existing canoe structure completely. Outrigger plans HERE
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The EUREKA canoe hullshape is computer generated which allows much greater freedom in shape than traditional manual methods.
This boat is built slightly differently to most stitch and glue boats. The bilge panels are fitted to the bottom panel, the topside panels are then attached to the bilge panels - we use plastic cable ties. The width at the sheer is located then the hull is filleted and/or glass taped together. Gunwales, inwales, end decks and buoyancy tanks, seats, and spreader bars are then fitted.
The Eureka has stability without a too blunt shape, which produces a boat more suitable for long distance travelling or where carrying a load. The boat pictured below came in at 15.5kg (34lbs) finished with a lot of effort made to keep the weight down - 3mm (1/8") ply instead of the 6mm specified, lightweight fibreglass on the bottom, use of selected lightweight timbers for the trim and those really cool lightweight seats. A boat built to the normal specifications tends to come in a bit over the 43lb mark. Half the weight of a 'glass boat.
Reports of the first boat launched show it to be much easier to paddle than the usual plywood canoe, and indeed much better than most production glass hulls - this becomes important where distances are being covered - greatly reducing the effort required from the paddlers.
The other major bit of feedback is on the appearance - the EUREKA is a very handsome boat - quite unusual for the average plywood boatbuilding project.
These plans include all the instructions, bill of materials, drawings, etc. that you get with the instant download. Postage is added to cover shipping of the printed plans. No postage is charged for the instant download.
See Peter Hyndman's website
Michael's Eureka Flicker Sets
Michael's website has a lot of information - All links on one page here
| Length | - | 15'6" (4.73m) |
| Beam | - | 34" (0.86m) |
| Weight | - | 44lbs (20kg) - Gaboon (Okoume) Ply Can be built down to weights of 34lbs (15.5kg) |
Materials list
all dimensions are finished sizes and are in mm unless stated otherwise.
WRC -Western Red Cedar (Australia) or other light, stable, straight grained timber with good gluing properties. No loose or large knots.
Oregon -Douglas Fir, select dry stock. Fine grain, no knots.
| Part | Size | Length | Number | Species | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 or 6mm Ply | 2500 x 1220 **See note below | - | 2 | Gaboon | (hull skin) |
| 5 or 6mm Ply | 1250 x 1220 | - | 1 | Gaboon | (seats, tanks) |
| Fairing batten | 15 x 15 | 5100 | 1 | Oregon | |
| 15 x 15 | 2000 | 1 | Oregon | (used later for end deck supports) | |
| Gunwales | 25 x 12 | 5100 | 2 | Oregon | |
| Inwales | 25 x 12 | 5100 | 2 | Oregon | |
| Inwale spacers | 25 x 12 | 5100 | 1 | Oregon or WRC | |
| Seat Supports | 45 x 19 | 5000 | 1 | Oregon | |
| Centre Spreader | 75 x 19 | 1000 | 1 | Oregon |
**Important Note: the plywood selected requires a minimum sheet width of 1220mm (the old standard of 4 feet width) to fit all the panels as they are drawn in this plan. The sheets will be OK if they are 2440mm long rather than the 2500mm listed in above but the width needs to be the 1220 for easy marking out
