What the heck is a pirogue?

The Cajun pronunciation is "pee-row."

A pirogue is a small boat.  Uncle John can explain it better than I can. 

Redwood and spruce flotation compartments installed.  Also ditched the light almond color for a darker sand that won't look so white in the sun.

First time on the water; Normandy Lake.

After finishing The RoadCamper and realizing many of the campgrounds I've visited have a lake, I started looking for a rowboat to build.  Figured it would be fun to have something small enough to lash atop the RC, and light enough to carry to the water for a relaxing row.  Uncle John's pirogue seems to fit the bill.  And it's cheap too.

Stay tuned for more info and pics.

I'll try not to keep ya waitin' too long. :-)

Back home with the wood, 1/4 inch birch ply.  Seems to weigh less than luan ply, and is smoother and cleaner looking.  Who needs a truck!  Oops....didn't realize the license plate isn't visible with the tailgate down. 

Rub rails scarf-sanded, ply cut to rough dimensions for sides and floor, all 8 foot pieces ready for joining.  Finished length will be about 15.5 feet.

Had intended to butt join the sides and floor, but went ahead and scarfed them.  Eliminates the doubler, which should make assembly a little easier.  Inside length of shop is barely adequate for a 15.5 foot boat.  Had to curve the panels upward and tack to sawhorses to make room for both 8-footers.

Starting to look like a boat.  Stems glued and screwed front and rear with ribs temporarily in place.  Gonna turn out to be 15 ft 4 inches overall. Shop is 15 ft 6 inches long, so with boat turned diagonally there's just enough space after removing some junk outta there.

Rub rails and ribs installed.

Epoxy/fiberglass cloth looks terrible!!  It'll take forever to sand down smooth I'm afraid.

Once assembled, the bottom had significant curvature (almost 1/2 inch), probably caused by the bottom-of-the-stack ply from Lowes.  Added oak braces and pretty much took care of it. 

Sides are smoothing well.  I don't think any of the earlier drips and sags will be visible after brushing on a couple coats of paint.  

Finished product.  Rustoleum Regal Red and Almond.