Layup for 15ft Canadian canoe

Ok, I didnt get that. Even so, its a real nuisance, and I think even worse using a mould, as you said, with wax etc that shouldnt be disturbed.

I think that two half moulds for the bow and stern, split vertically, would be the way to go for both ends.

 

My whole mold was a split mold because of the recurved ends and the tumble home. If you made two halves and then joined them (I'm guessing that's the plan) you would have to do a lot of grinding back, laminating and fairing on the sharp ends and also where you join them to the blunt ends of the wood strip hull.

If I was making a wood strip canoe, and had glass on the outside, I wouldn't worry about getting glass all the way into the stems/ends if using epoxy. The resin would be enough for waterproofing and the area is strong enough structurally without inside glass.

 

I hear what you are saying, but I wasn't thinking quite that radical. I would think about a standard open canoe mould, but with blunt ends.

I would make the 'blunt' bits where the watertight compartments are required.

Then I would do two half moulds for the last , say ... ~2 ft of the ends. Since bow and stern are often identical, I would do two half moulds, and pull 4 parts from them. These could be joined to themselves and the main hull, and an inspection port put in through the bulkheads. This would be particularly useful if the ends were very pronounced 'indian' shapes.

A wooden canoe often has to have much better finish inside the bow and stern, as you need to absolutely ensure that no moisture can make its way into the wood. This is particularly important if you put any foam in the compartment, as this can hold water. Your would want to fibreglass on the inside to ensure stress cracks in the epoxy didnt occur that could let moisture in.

Mind you, like many canoes, mine spends most of its life hanging in the shed. might be worse if it was stored outdoors or used a lot.