Making the seats bulkheads

While I had to wait a couple of days for the epoxy on the inside to cure, before I start sanding, I made the seats. For the frame I decided to use ash wood as it is strong, After glueing the seat frames together I coated them with 2 layers of epoxy to seal the wood and then added another 3 coats of clear coat. I managed to find nylon webbing that matches the colors of spruce and mahogany quite well and decided to weave the seats with that. It was a little time consuming but very rewarding and I can't wait to actually put the seats in the canoe.

For the mounting I decided not to hang the seats from the inner gunnels, instead I made mahogany brackets that I epoxied to the hull, and the seats will sit on top of them. That way, I can achieve a stiffer hull, and have thinner and lighter gunwales. The only disadvantage is that the hull can not flex as much and therefore is able to absorb less energy on impact, but since this canoe will be used only on lakes and slow rivers, this is not going to be an issue. And I like how it looks also:).

I also made the bulkhead from 4 mm plywood, that is reinforced with fiberglass, and the hatches are covered with some mahogany veneer. The bulkheads will add a little weight, but they will also reinforce the hull and provide flotation chambers and some space to store gear. I secured & sealed them with epoxy, mixed with microbaloons.