Show L atle moll es dream T dreamed sa d little molly W th face and vole tilled et joyous I 1 dreamed ast n e t that I 1 bent way oft somewhere and tl ere I 1 found green gra s and trees and flowers all growing round for all he biffen where er ave had to rass said please yes really truly keep on the grass and in the beds of flowers along the walks among tl e p aks or pun les or 1 ly sta ks were agns pick all the flowers you wish to ch d and I 1 dreamed that the looked flown and sm ed st nicholas SIMPLE HOMEMADE CANOE materials are cheap and any ingeni MS boy can build one to those of ou who have never tried it seems as a big undertaking to build a boat ot any description but let me tell you about this one and you will see it is not difficult more than that you boys peed not be stopped by a few difficulties even it there were some the boy who starts out to build ny thing for himself and builds it well is very likely to be the boy who in later years will make his way in the world and the boy who builds a boat is far and away ahead of the boy who doean doesn t the boat that you build and paint and name yourself will bring you more tun to the minute than the boy who doean doesn t build one is likely to have in his entire boyhood to begin with when you make up your mind to build a boat remember that its first requisite Is safety you love boating ou love perhaps the noblest and cleanest ot all sports a sport that will if you follow it out make you strong and manly but nev er venture to trust to luck be per factly sure your boat will not sink even if it does turn over get a smooth board one and one fourth inches thick two inches wide and twelve feet long for the keel two strips one and one fourth inches wide by one halt inch thick and thirteen and one half feet low for side strips some barrel hoops a piece of canvas galvanized nails a few brass screws some carpet tacks large size and two boards for the stem and stern posts these posts must be fifteen inches high and as thick as the keel boards those made of elm or ash are the best get a rough pine board thirty inches long and eleven inches wide tor the mold A saw a chisel a hammer a gimlet and a screw driver are all that you will need in the way of tools cut out yours stem and stern posts alibe and mortise them into post tion on the keel as shown in fig 1 after fitting them round them off alike as shown in the drawing so as to give the canoe a sharp entrance through the water now cut out the rabbet in both stem and stern pieces the rabbet Is just a notch cut deep enough to allow the side strip to lie flush when it Is bent around the mold and fastened into place fig 2 there will be four of these notches altogether now fasten your mold fig 3 in place in the middle tacking it lightly on the keel fasten the two side strips to one end temporarily bend them around the mold to the other end and fasten them into place permanently with screws always be sure to bore holes in the strips before putting in your screws or they may cause the strips to split now tahe the ribs the barrel hoops they should be the flat kind not those covered with barb and nail them eight inches apart all along the upper side of the keel or what will be the inside of your canoe bend the ends of the ribs up to the outside of side strips nail them fast and saw ff the ends some of the hoops will break toward the stern but that does not matter fig 4 clench all nails and always bore holes before driving them in take out the mold and measure for the canvas chich should be the kind to measure for the canvas fasten a str ng on the under inside of the side str i at the adest part of the canoe a id pass it under and around the canoe to the under inside of the op cosite side strip this will give you the widest point in the middle meas ure yo ir canoe in several places in the same way then measure the length of your canos allowing three inches longer lay these measurements on the floor and cut our canvas fig 6 how place the canoe bottom side up on any wooden s imports tack the can vas in place exactly in the middle on the stem and stern posts and pull it taut with the center line of the can vas begin amidships and drive the tacks two inches apart along the in side of the side strips fig 5 then drive tacks in the alternate two inch spaces along the outride of the side strips always p illing the canvas tight ly tack it firmly around the stem and stern posts fasten a light board one halt inch thick in the bottom for a floor make fast with screws from the outside two pine braces across from the side strips three and one half feet from either end this will insure the canoe keeping its shape and your boat is nearly finished now procure some empty cigar boxes and fasten down 6 the lids tightly all around then cover them with light canvas and give them a coat ot paint so that they may be water tight they are now air chambers fill a space wo and one half feet in the stem and stern with these boxes holding them in place by tacking pieces of light can vas completely over the ends of the canoe inside thus your canoe Is made practically unsinkable give the whole a coat of linseed oil and two coats of paint a name and a safety rope fastened at intervals all around the entire canoe on the outside and with very little effort you will have for your very own a charming canoe exactly like the one shown in the illustration some appropriate names for are the red rover painted red the escape the spy the hiawatha the sea fairy the nautilus but of course most bos need no help for a name tor a canoe the safety rope is most important THE CANOE CA NOE COMPLETE and should be securely fastened at short intervals entirely around the canoe the best of canoes will sometimes tip about in the most surprising way and the safety rope la easy to catch hold of the canoe Is bottom side it will not be long before the ambi bious boy will want to rig a sail tor his boat well this can be done even in so light a craft as a canvas canoe but good advice to the boldest and the bravest of you in all matters of boat ing Is go slowly feel your way and learn all the lessons you can in cau alon and carefulness above all else before ou attempt to sail a boat ot any kind whatsoever be sure to learn how to swim tom boiling cabell |