Above are a few pictures of my canoe. It is a "stripper" reproduction of the Chestnut Prospector, based on plans I purchased from Bear Mountain Boats . Of course I have more pictures, but I tried to show at least a little restraint here.

Other builders are usually interested in the construction details. The planking is western red cedar with the darker heartwood used above the feature strip and lighter cedar below. The feature strip is made of of three 1/4 in. strips of basswood separated by 1/4 in. strips of light and dark cedar. The gunwales, seat frames and carrying yoke are white ash. I used both an inner and an outer stem, steam-bent and laminated using 1/4 in. strips of ash. The decks are cherry with a small ash wedge down the center. The screw holes in the gunwales are plugged with walnut, which matched the darker cedar nicely. The seats are hand-caned with natural cane, but that's the only part I didn't do myself, so don't ask me how. I made no concerted effort to go light, but it came in at 57 lbs.

I won't attempt to provide advice here, there are too many other good sources out there. However, if you're interested, I've provided some details about where I got all my supplies. Otherwise, feel free to drop me a line.