I began working on my canoes ... again. This time my plans were to build the ultimate Red River runabout, touring boat. I began the tedious process of building a deck between the two canoes. In order for the canoes to run true, I had to keep the keels of the canoes exactly the same distance apart, from one end to the other. I made the deck out of 3/4 inch plywood and attached it with stainless steel screws. The transom was a simple matter of bolting aluminum tubing and plywood across the blunt ends of the canoes.
The Go-Devil motor arrived and I bolted her down and then put the boat in my pool. I fired the motor off and puttered around in the pool. Serious Red River traveling dictated I have some protection from the sun, wind and rain. I designed a cover from rip-stop nylon and stretched it over the boat using tent poles. The Schooner was born.