: Hi Chip, thanks for the link. That is similar but the photo of the canoe I
: saw had an external form ever foot or so, probably matching the internal
: ones.

I think that's what this builder did. One or two of the pictures shows that I thought.

: Why would you only try it near the ends?

Edge gluing strips near the middle of the boat is easy... I haven't tried the exterior forms but it looks like a lot of extra work for such an easy job. The ends, on the other hand, are not always so easy. On the two boats I've made, there is a significant twist near the ends of the boat... which made it hard to position two or three strips in that area. The twist happens where the bottom of the hull feathers up to form the bow and the stearn. I think the exterior molds (or any sort of external armature) could be a big help in these two areas. As others have pointed out, a heat gun could help too.

I hope this helps. Good luck with it.

- Chip