I made my dugout canoe when I was 18 I'm 44 now so that's some time ago it didn't take me 2 weeks it was more like half a year! I did it all on my onesome I did the chopping the burning and the finishing I did, however, a step that was not featured in the video I smoked my canoe! I build scaffolding raised my boat on to that using pulleys and build a large tent covered with thick felt blankets around that I dug a fire pit underneath the canoe filled that to the brim with charcoal and lit it when the charcoal was burning white and red I covered that with the wood curls and chips that came out of the original log this would give off a thick smoke after 50 hours of smoking and no sleep the chips were gone and the work was almost done the smoke gives off a resin comparable to pine tar because its the woods original resins and because of the heat the wood soaks up the resin like a sponge the canoe was now completely dark brown inside and out and with the canoe still warm I buffed it pushing the still soft resin into the grains then I let it cool and harden now after 26 years it is still solid with no rot what so ever its not mine anymore but it is happily floating several times a year on a lake in Germany were a friend of mine uses it to go fishing during vacation times in summer
Wow that pretty cool insight. Did you burn the canoe on the top, the flip it around dug a hole fill with charcoal then smoke it afterward? Or you burn a d smoke in one step? If the canoe is burned I would figure it already hot enough to melt the resin so you dont have to smoke it again. I never make one before but very intrigued. It gotta be the most difficult small canoe also the mose expensive, and might hurt you back doing it.
I've made a few dugouts in my day, those days are gone. It IS a lot of work, of a pleasurable type. The last dugout I made, by myself, was a 16 foot tulip tree dugout. It is still, as far as I know, in Fort Boonesborough in Kentucky. The memories will always be with me. Some of you young longhunters out there, give it a try. Boone himself, when he left Kentucky made a 60 footer and floated it down the Ohio to Missouri. This video brought back some very good memories. Thank You.
Mr Townsend I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you making these videos. You bring so much excitement and enthusiasm to the old world and I live watching your videos. Keep em coming please never stop
very cool i bet you could use pine resin to stop the leaks melt the resin and just pour it on to the bottom of the spots where it leaks at it should soak right in and harden . the native americans used pine tree sap this way for birch bark canoes . you could really do the whole under side and it would keep the wood dry and it would make the canoe lighter cause the wood would not suck up all that water and get water logged . just a thought . good luck and nce work .
We have a stand of black walnut that size on the farm I grew up on. These days, I think a large maple would be the best bet though since you get the fast growth of a softwood with strength close to a true hardwood.
@@angelaabrams9108 creek / water Elm. Thats what my research has found to be the favorite tree among the natives and frontiersmen of the ohio valley. Very heavy when green , once dried out extremly light. They burnt inside And outside 2" is correct for thickness. They did all forming with fire. Using flat stones from a creek ,they rubed the char smooth inside and out. The creek Elm was desired because the fibers made for a very light and very strong canoe. Once burnt and stone polished they then using large peices of animal fat rubbed it filling the pores and created very light nice transportation. Most had a bowl shaped indentation at the front end thay packed with sand to build a fire in . For mostly hunting purposes. With a animal skin between the fire and the hunters. This shaded the hunters from the light . The prey was blinded by the light of the fire and confused by it. Making for easy pickings. I live in the Kanauga River valley a tributary of the Ohio River. Actually at the mouth were it joins the Ohio. Natives called this place TI-WIN-DA-WEE. ROUGHLY translated ,mingling of waters' home of white caps. The river is so wide here it allows the wind to form white caps , lots of them. We also have alot of seagulls as well. I have a creek Elm about 3/4 feet thick in my back yard . From a low cut stump to where the trunk splits into branches is about 12 -14 Feet. So my canoe will be 3.5 ' wide / 12 feet long, about 2.5 ' deep. I plan to do this very soon. I will take picks as i work ,once complete i will share . May do the gopro thing and uplaod a vlog . Ive done alot of research on this , nice to see this one being built. Very interesting.
I was making Oak 8X8's with my chain saw mill (a wood bug) for a project, at my house out front, and guys kept stopping and trying to buy them from me! :)
Your passion for history, love of learning, and excitement for this subject makes me so happy. Never stop being yourself! I love this video, thank you for posting it!
Thank you Jon, for doing this video. This makes this process so much, clearer and gives a real understanding of it, than when I've just read quickly about it. It really brings all the hard work evolved alive and real, that it won't be forgotten.
Jon, you looked like you and the dug & burned out canoe were perfect for each other. Those clothes are perfect for when you're out there. You looked so happy Jon. 😊
What an amazing job you guys did! It looks so good and seeing all the work that went into making just one canoe really puts things into perspective. So happy that we have this channel to watch!
It was interesting to me that from the journal, his travels started about a week after our republic was engaged in the struggle for independence and freedom from England. Does he mention in his writings, any knowledge of what was transpiring in the colonies as he explored the western frontier? You did a great job....very dicey once you get it burnt down to that level!! Patience and attention to the process resulted in a wonderfully hand built water transport historically accurate in construction and, in use. Two thumbs up!!
I watched this 3 part episode. My parents and I spent most of my childhood in living history. I’m much older now... I have traveled a lot, and will be graduating college for the second time. This makes me want to get back to my roots, to what I love. Being in the “out of doors”. I have been trapped within their restraints for too long. I wasn’t meant for this flat lander city life. I need the foot hills, I need the mountains, the rocks, the wind and rain in my hair. Where are my moccasins, my leggings, my flintlock, and my blanket bundle? I need out of this concrete and people infested world I have been wading through.
Floating on water does that to you ! when i push my kayak into the water and jump in. it's like all the stresses of the world fall away. the First few paddles are ... i have no words for it. so peaceful and transcendent.
Watching you paddle that canoe just put on the creek side back in history. I got that feeling like I'm there watching this 100's of years ago. Fine build video loved every minute of this. Thanks guys!!!
I had never heard of Cresswell before this. Amazing! I live within a few miles of the Youghiogheny River and within 45 minutes of Fort Necessity. Our family has been here since the 1790s. A book that’s a local favorite is “Forty-Four Years of the Life of a Hunter” which is the autobiography of Meshach Browning, an early settler along the Yough.
Experimental archaeology in action. Amazing work, what a wonderful experience. I enjoyed every minute of these videos. I especially liked the story at the end, it made a real connection to the past and how a canoe like that may have been used. Well done!
That’s gorgeous. That canoe is better than anything you could buy. The passion you put into any hand made item, makes it golden. I hope you have many years of adventures with your canoe.
true, sand is easily had at the waters edge and easily swept out. That was funny "u can never again use iron tools" edges are easily put back on iron and sand is easily swept up . I wonder what that canoe weighted?
@@MadGunny River clay is found all over the planet. Human's have been using it for thousands of years. Pottery... blacksmiths use it to control heat in metal they are working, as they have for centuries. I watched them doing this and clay was the first thing I thought of as well, using it to limit the burn on the sides while gaining depth.
You can use clay and mud on top of the areas you want to limit burning. This wont prevent combustion at high temps, but it will prevent the flame from travelling, which is what you are trying to do with water.
This has given me an idea to try out when my kids get to that age where they'll need a senior project. I'll definitely be looking back at these videos many times and practice this art so one day my children can also take part. I have many years till then though so hopefully my hands will be used to it by then!! Thank you!!
Whats really funny, is in the latter end of the 17th century, there were designs for submersibles, with the idea being there was a drill in front of it, where it could go up to an enemy vessel in harbor, undetected and drill holes in the hull to sink it
You guys are so Blessed to be able to do such a project together. I imagine it's quite a different feeling to do it from choice instead of a necessary means of survival. What a great quality video and thank you for allowing us to share in this adventure.
During one of many trips to Williamsburg, VA I came across one of the historical re-enactors carving a wooden canoe using fire. He seemed so bothered with me asking questions about it. Anyways, I've been curious about the process all this time and this little series answered them all! Thank you, Townsends! You got another subscriber!
Congrats on the successful endeavor! This was a really fun project to watch and what an impressive outcome! I also love the way this series was filmed and edited. Nice work.
I must say one of the best video series on the tube! I'm mostly a car, motorcycle guy but like all types of history and the outdoors! I've always said looking at an infrastructure " imagine how they built that 200 years ago" ! Lol Alot of ball busting work is the bottom line! Nice canoe!
Been following this series, and it's been great watching the progression. What an amazing experience. Very well done. Thanks for the videos. Keep up all the great work.
Great project! When I was in Belize around 1983, I visited a Garifuna village along the coast south of Punta Gorda. Many of the villagers used dugouts, and the nicest looking ones were made by local Mayan indians. Some were quite refined and of amazing quality.
Wow, now that's work. It's nice to see that this craft is not lost. What's most impressive is in 1775 they made two '30 canoes in under two weeks. People back then were the real deal.
The easiest way to be sure you have even material removable around the entire canoe is to drill and hammer wooden dowels of equal length throughout the canoe, that way you ensure while working that you have an even amount of material removed on the bottom and walls of the canoe. Either way, awesome video and great job!
Floating on water does this to you ! when i push my kayak into the water and jump in. it's like all the stresses of the world fall away. the First few paddles are ... i have no words for it. so peaceful and transcendent.
The Youghiogheny, or the "Yough," as the locals call it, is one heck of a whitewater river. It's impressive that they were able to navigate this river in these dugouts. The dam (built in 1944) has made the river more treacherous today, but even prior to the river's damming, it was still a tortuous and rocky waterway. Great series!
My power went out for like an entire 15 minutes today. I was mad because I couldn't save my work on my computer. I didn't want to open my refrigerated food box and let in heat, so I couldn't snack. My only choice was to take a shower with my running water since it didn't require electricity. By the time I got out, the power _still_ wasn't on, so I got my iPad and read a new book. I mean, the power was out so I had no source of light other than the windows(sunlight) which was too warm, so I couldn't read any paper books. Basically, I felt just like you must have, living rough and wild. Frankly, I feel a connection with the pioneers of old, getting in touch with the harsh reality of life without modern convenience.
That was incredible. I have dreams of making a dugout. Literally,I dream about it! And you did it! If there were such a thing as TH-cam awards,you would win the “Tubey “ for best historical recreation video,hands down. And props to your team,they worked VERY hard!
A small tip for working with hand tools that leave blisters on your hands: wear leather gloves. Get a pair that is bespoke or a pair that is a little small. If you get the unfitted pair, wet them with soapy water, preferably dish soap like Dawn or a soap that has glycerin in it, and then put them on your hands and stretch the softened leather by making and opening your fists for about 5 minutes, then work with them for the day so they dry and stretch to fit you hands well. Calfskin and full grain leather are the best ones for this, although you might have to wet the full grain leather multiple times to get a good fit.
Thanks ALOT!!!! for the How to on the gloves, I will be doing that with the pair I will be purchasing soon, just finished off my current pair it was tuff breaking those suckers in, it was them or my hands and I used them till I couldn't use them any more. Good patching material now.
@@terry-1 No problem. I ran across it accidentally while working in a concrete block yard. If you can find saddle soap that is what works best. It can be a bit too cold to wear them for a full day to dry on your hands in the winter, but you can do it on your day off indoors for a few hours and that will get them started.
@@SoapAcademy Saddle soap. If you use the gloves every day in rough jobs they are likely to wear holes in them before you need to condition them again.
Well done, all of you! That was a real achievement. The intensive labour was obvious and must have bee frustrating at times. It was certainly worth watching!
I was just rolling over to go to sleep and looked at my phone to check the time and went "aw yes! The next part of the canoe build is up!!" my husband just turned to me and went "... You're such a dweeb." 😂 he finds it all very interesting too, but finds my enthusiasm hilarious 😂
You must be in Britain...where it would have been about 2300h when this video was uploaded? It was uploaded at about 1700h US Eastern Time, or 1600 Central. Awful early for bed unless you work a strange shift :)
Great video. I did not know of Cresswell. I live 9n the Youghiogheny right at the mouth of the Sewickley. Can’t wait to read his journals. It’ll give me something more to think about next time I’m out kayaking 👍
I've been watching your programs since Dec. 2021. I started at the very beginning and have slowly watched all of them up to this particular show. I really enjoy your programming. May I please say how very refreshing it was when I noticed guitar music playing in the background rather than the music from the CD that's title refers to someone's red pants. It's gotten so very tiresome, as nice as it is. I TRULY appreciated the change! Knowing that this particular show is from over 3 years ago, my hope is that the pleasant change of music will continue. Again, thank you for the great programs, I admire all of the men in this particular episode. Commitment-all of you have it, dedication as well.
watching this all the way through was awesome. all of the time, effort, & dedication is to be admired. to see how a canoe was made 200 years ago was mind blowing. imagine doing all of that work, getting to 95% done & something happening? man... & people today complain if they don’t have wifi.
Maybe I missed it, but how would you store these over winter? If the body of water you plan to put it in will freeze solid should you store it on land? If so, will it being soaking wet and then freezing damage it, should it be pulled out and dried prior to the first freeze of the year?
From what I understand, based on conditions you will go 5 or more feet out into the lake and perhaps in an area 4 foot deep to sink the canoe. In northern Indiana it would have to be an excessively cold winter to freeze down more than about 12 to 14 inches. Their is no way it would freeze 3 or 4 foot down
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you never want that sort of boat to dry out. It would be very likely to crack and although the crack may swell shut when the boat re-hydrates, probably best not to count on it. Up here in Canada the most common indigenous watercraft adopted by settlor's is the birchbark canoe. My understanding is that birchbark canoes were commonly buried in bogs over the winter, they can apparently last for many years in that state.
@@brocktechnology Exactly..NEVER dry a wooden boat out ever. Even modern ones. At the worst you can store it in open air for the winter where snow can fall on it and melt, but even that is risky since the freezing winter air can get pretty dry and as water gets into the grooves and then freezes, it could also crack it. Sinking it is a brilliant solution to be honest. Or maybe a heavy pitch coating to prevent moisture from getting in or out to stabalize it.
Wood only rots when its humidity changes continuously. These canoes are store underwater to prevent damage, for the same reason that the buildings in Venice are still holding up: the logs supporting them are always underwater.
I know you did a lot of research on this, and you probably know this all ready, but I was wondering if you considered contacting Plymouth plantation in ma. The native Americans there actually make these types of boats in the traditional way. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and there were making another one.
How in the heck can 139 people give a thumbs down vote to a wonderful and historically informative video like this? My grandfather told me "individually you will find some super people but collectively I would drown the whole lot of them"...I'm beginning to understand him now :) .Townsends, thank you so much for sharing all of this great forgotten knowledge. And, you not only talk ye old talk you walk ye old walk.
Dirk's Chicken Pimpin - the thumbs down people are the tree huggers that thought a canoe's worth of ash dumped in the river was an ecological disaster.
WTG!!! I rember as a child I always dreamed about making a dugout canoe! I glad I never tried as a kid, it would have been a waste of a tree, but you and your friends did a great job!
Wow! well done guys, superb effort. Very educational,,great that you're keeping the art alive for the next generation of history buffs, re enactors, living historians and the like.And you persevered without using modern power tools. Can't wait for you guys to go on a voyage and film it. Shinin' times indeed .
Wow, excellent 3 part video guys! Nice work! I freaking LOVE this channel! You guys do an excellent job telling the story, cinematography and beautiful editing. The power is in the edit! You guys have turned out to be one of my favorite TH-cam channels! Much appreciated during the Great Quarantine of 2020!
The look of satisfaction on your face was so wonderful to see!! It is as if someone snuck a camera back in time, colorized the film and is letting me watch in April 2019. Well done good man. Well done.
You CAN use metal tools where there’s sand- you just have to sharpen the tools very, very often. Woodsmen used to use double-bit (two-bladed) axes. One edge would be kept as sharp as possible for regular woodcutting. The other edge would be used for rough work, like chopping roots in the ground, and would be allowed to get pitted and chipped and less sharp. Some kinds of wood naturally have silica inclusions- similar to grains of sand embedded in the wood. They, too, have a tendency to dull tools used on them.
You guys are so inspiring! I still can't believe you did this. What a remarkable journey from tree to hollow log canoe. I am so impressed- I'm ready to do it myself! Now to find that perfect tree!
It is easy to see that this construction method has remained unchanged for 10,000 years, the similarity with the Pesse canoe is astonishing Erik Vosteen, sounds like he has Dutch origins :D Just discovered this channel, great content, subscribed right away
Neat! After seeing your results it's hard to imagine a craft like the dugout being broken in half, buffalo or no! There's a neat dugout canoe video done by the Northmen channel. They used 'mostly' handtools. I suspect the modern tools were used to speed along the hogging out of waste material.
I made my dugout canoe when I was 18 I'm 44 now so that's some time ago
it didn't take me 2 weeks it was more like half a year! I did it all on my onesome
I did the chopping the burning and the finishing I did, however, a step that was not featured in the video
I smoked my canoe! I build scaffolding raised my boat on to that using pulleys and build a large tent covered with thick felt blankets around that I dug a fire pit underneath the canoe filled that to the brim with charcoal and lit it when the charcoal was burning white and red I covered that with the wood curls and chips that came out of the original log this would give off a thick smoke after 50 hours of smoking and no sleep the chips were gone and the work was almost done
the smoke gives off a resin comparable to pine tar because its the woods original resins and because of the heat the wood soaks up the resin like a sponge the canoe was now completely dark brown inside and out and with the canoe still warm I buffed it pushing the still soft resin into the grains
then I let it cool and harden now after 26 years it is still solid with no rot what so ever
its not mine anymore but it is happily floating several times a year on a lake in Germany were a friend of mine uses it to go fishing during vacation times in summer
Wow that pretty cool insight. Did you burn the canoe on the top, the flip it around dug a hole fill with charcoal then smoke it afterward? Or you burn a d smoke in one step? If the canoe is burned I would figure it already hot enough to melt the resin so you dont have to smoke it again. I never make one before but very intrigued. It gotta be the most difficult small canoe also the mose expensive, and might hurt you back doing it.
I wish i could make a canoe with a tree and go fishing
Well done bro
@@shrippie-4214 bup
What a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing your time.✌️
I've made a few dugouts in my day, those days are gone. It IS a lot of work, of a pleasurable type. The last dugout I made, by myself, was a 16 foot tulip tree dugout. It is still, as far as I know, in Fort Boonesborough in Kentucky. The memories will always be with me. Some of you young longhunters out there, give it a try. Boone himself, when he left Kentucky made a 60 footer and floated it down the Ohio to Missouri. This video brought back some very good memories. Thank You.
Imagine what they could do with flextape. Endless possibilities for these champs.
That's a lot of damage. How bout a little more?
Billy Mays could have a field day with this dugout canoe
Billy Mayes here with might putty
WE SAWED THIS BOAT IN HALF !!!!!!
What about flex seal CoLorS
Im a carpenter and I can really appreciate the time and hard work it takes to create something like this. Just beautiful guys. Thanks for the video!
Mr Townsend I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you making these videos. You bring so much excitement and enthusiasm to the old world and I live watching your videos. Keep em coming please never stop
very cool i bet you could use pine resin to stop the leaks melt the resin and just pour it on to the bottom of the spots where it leaks at it should soak right in and harden . the native americans used pine tree sap this way for birch bark canoes . you could really do the whole under side and it would keep the wood dry and it would make the canoe lighter cause the wood would not suck up all that water and get water logged . just a thought . good luck and nce work .
I agree with you BUT....it depends which region they're at. If its a hard wood forest then there wont be any conifers around
Or just buy some epoxy.
Add some fine ground charcoal to your resin to make a bit more of an elastic glue cause the wood is going to shrink and expand thew the years
@@JoshuaJonah the good old epoxy george washington used
Joshua Jonah
I guess you _could_ buy epoxy, but that kind of defeats the point, doesn't it?
Wow. A Walnut tree canoe that is 30' long, and 20 inches wide! That log today would be worth thousands of dollars. Really neat project.
We have a stand of black walnut that size on the farm I grew up on. These days, I think a large maple would be the best bet though since you get the fast growth of a softwood with strength close to a true hardwood.
Ang Abrams I had one that big in my yard that was taken down ~ 20 years ago. Thing was really old.
@@angelaabrams9108 creek / water Elm. Thats what my research has found to be the favorite tree among the natives and frontiersmen of the ohio valley. Very heavy when green , once dried out extremly light. They burnt inside And outside 2" is correct for thickness. They did all forming with fire. Using flat stones from a creek ,they rubed the char smooth inside and out. The creek Elm was desired because the fibers made for a very light and very strong canoe. Once burnt and stone polished they then using large peices of animal fat rubbed it filling the pores and created very light nice transportation. Most had a bowl shaped indentation at the front end thay packed with sand to build a fire in . For mostly hunting purposes. With a animal skin between the fire and the hunters. This shaded the hunters from the light . The prey was blinded by the light of the fire and confused by it. Making for easy pickings. I live in the Kanauga River valley a tributary of the Ohio River. Actually at the mouth were it joins the Ohio. Natives called this place TI-WIN-DA-WEE. ROUGHLY translated ,mingling of waters' home of white caps. The river is so wide here it allows the wind to form white caps , lots of them. We also have alot of seagulls as well. I have a creek Elm about 3/4 feet thick in my back yard . From a low cut stump to where the trunk splits into branches is about 12 -14 Feet. So my canoe will be 3.5 ' wide / 12 feet long, about 2.5 ' deep. I plan to do this very soon. I will take picks as i work ,once complete i will share . May do the gopro thing and uplaod a vlog . Ive done alot of research on this , nice to see this one being built. Very interesting.
@@walliehart2055 coo;!!
I was making Oak 8X8's with my chain saw mill (a wood bug) for a project, at my house out front, and guys kept stopping and trying to buy them from me! :)
Your boats on fire dude.
Thank you donny!
"f*ck!"
At 9:07 I asked out loud, "and how happy are you right now, my brother?"
Your smile said it all.
Congratulations on the fruits of your labor.
Spoken like someone who doesn’t work
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 I got the opposite vibe.
Your passion for history, love of learning, and excitement for this subject makes me so happy. Never stop being yourself! I love this video, thank you for posting it!
Congrats on finishing, and thank you so much for taking us along with on the journey!
Thank you Jon, for doing this video.
This makes this process so much, clearer and gives a real understanding of it, than when I've just read quickly about it. It really brings all the hard work evolved alive and real, that it won't be forgotten.
Jon, you looked like you and the dug & burned out canoe were perfect for each other. Those clothes are perfect for when you're out there. You looked so happy Jon. 😊
What an amazing job you guys did! It looks so good and seeing all the work that went into making just one canoe really puts things into perspective. So happy that we have this channel to watch!
I can't express how much I love this channel, thank you for the excellent detailed content that just makes my inner history nerd jump when I see it!
Imran Rizwan history is amazing
the nerdy outfits make me cringe hard, but i guess its historically accurate. @@MFRiley
It was interesting to me that from the journal, his travels started about a week after our republic was engaged in the struggle for independence and freedom from England. Does he mention in his writings, any knowledge of what was transpiring in the colonies as he explored the western frontier? You did a great job....very dicey once you get it burnt down to that level!! Patience and attention to the process resulted in a wonderfully hand built water transport historically accurate in construction and, in use. Two thumbs up!!
this whole 3 episode set was riveting.... and I have no idea why! I was so worried about your canoe!
I watched this 3 part episode.
My parents and I spent most of my childhood in living history.
I’m much older now...
I have traveled a lot, and will be graduating college for the second time.
This makes me want to get back to my roots, to what I love. Being in the “out of doors”. I have been trapped within their restraints for too long.
I wasn’t meant for this flat lander city life. I need the foot hills, I need the mountains, the rocks, the wind and rain in my hair.
Where are my moccasins, my leggings, my flintlock, and my blanket bundle?
I need out of this concrete and people infested world I have been wading through.
Geez, laying it on thick. We get it, you're booksmart but you like the woods.
You looked so content when you were paddling your canoe. :o)
Floating on water does that to you ! when i push my kayak into the water and jump in. it's like all the stresses of the world fall away. the First few paddles are ... i have no words for it. so peaceful and transcendent.
Watching you paddle that canoe just put on the creek side back in history. I got that feeling like I'm there watching this 100's of years ago. Fine build video loved every minute of this. Thanks guys!!!
Now call up your French homies and party like it's 1775.
Maybe the Spanish, since they helped too
*1776 lol
Great video. I want to do some out of palm trees any suggestions
1799
Aww i would of said 1799. Like the song but the song goes like its 1999
this is, by far, the coolest project you and the guys have done. Reignites my desire to do the same. thanks so much!
Hi, did you get around to do it?
This is one of the most beautiful inspiring projects I have seen on TH-cam. Well done guys!
I had never heard of Cresswell before this. Amazing! I live within a few miles of the Youghiogheny River and within 45 minutes of Fort Necessity. Our family has been here since the 1790s. A book that’s a local favorite is “Forty-Four Years of the Life of a Hunter” which is the autobiography of Meshach Browning, an early settler along the Yough.
Experimental archaeology in action. Amazing work, what a wonderful experience. I enjoyed every minute of these videos. I especially liked the story at the end, it made a real connection to the past and how a canoe like that may have been used. Well done!
That’s gorgeous. That canoe is better than anything you could buy. The passion you put into any hand made item, makes it golden. I hope you have many years of adventures with your canoe.
YaY!!! PART 3 Canoe looks good. Enjoy it, you all worked hard for it.
Clay is a better choice to limit the burn. It doesn't dull tools, and can stick to vertical surfaces.
true, sand is easily had at the waters edge and easily swept out. That was funny "u can never again use iron tools" edges are easily put back on iron and sand is easily swept up . I wonder what that canoe weighted?
Clays far more compact and has a smaller grain size than sand.
@@harleyrhynes3342 Can you explain that statement, 'u can never again use iron tools with sand'?
Yeah but they are only using materials they had back then so they had to use sand
@@MadGunny River clay is found all over the planet. Human's have been using it for thousands of years. Pottery... blacksmiths use it to control heat in metal they are working, as they have for centuries. I watched them doing this and clay was the first thing I thought of as well, using it to limit the burn on the sides while gaining depth.
You can use clay and mud on top of the areas you want to limit burning. This wont prevent combustion at high temps, but it will prevent the flame from travelling, which is what you are trying to do with water.
This has given me an idea to try out when my kids get to that age where they'll need a senior project. I'll definitely be looking back at these videos many times and practice this art so one day my children can also take part. I have many years till then though so hopefully my hands will be used to it by then!! Thank you!!
When you make the 18th century version of a submarine, you've got to name it the Nutmegalodon
Whats really funny, is in the latter end of the 17th century, there were designs for submersibles, with the idea being there was a drill in front of it, where it could go up to an enemy vessel in harbor, undetected and drill holes in the hull to sink it
That would be the Turtle, built in 1775.
No! The "Unsinkable II"!
@@WelshWebb Considering the titanic had two sister ships, i think Unsinkable 2 and 3 are taken.
4 maybe?
You guys are so Blessed to be able to do such a project together.
I imagine it's quite a different feeling to do it from choice instead of a necessary means of survival.
What a great quality video and thank you for allowing us to share in this adventure.
You could also use a clay mixture to prevent the spots you don't want to burn, from burning.
During one of many trips to Williamsburg, VA I came across one of the historical re-enactors carving a wooden canoe using fire. He seemed so bothered with me asking questions about it. Anyways, I've been curious about the process all this time and this little series answered them all! Thank you, Townsends! You got another subscriber!
I loved watching this 3-piece adventure. The filming was very calm and almost poetic, and the process itself very interesting. A favourite!
This was a wonderful series with some great information! Thanks so much for taking this on and sharing it with others.
Tinder fungus is why people give up on online dating
Not everyone i met my wife online. Married now 15 years
LOLOL!
Hipsterypunkery, I wish I had more hangs so I could give you more than 2 thumbs up.
Indeed too many tinder fungi
@@gabriel300010 indeed too many but not all.
I love all the hard work and effort you put into every video! So great to see part 3 of the canoe journey!
Congrats on the successful endeavor! This was a really fun project to watch and what an impressive outcome! I also love the way this series was filmed and edited. Nice work.
I must say one of the best video series on the tube! I'm mostly a car, motorcycle guy but like all types of history and the outdoors! I've always said looking at an infrastructure " imagine how they built that 200 years ago" ! Lol Alot of ball busting work is the bottom line! Nice canoe!
Very enjoyable and thank you all so much for posting this video.
Regards from the UK.
John.
Been following this series, and it's been great watching the progression. What an amazing experience. Very well done. Thanks for the videos. Keep up all the great work.
Absolutely beautiful and wonderful series. You guys did an amazing job and I'm so proud! Thank you for bringing history alive for us.
Great project! When I was in Belize around 1983, I visited a Garifuna village along the coast south of Punta Gorda. Many of the villagers used dugouts, and the nicest looking ones were made by local Mayan indians. Some were quite refined and of amazing quality.
This channel provides some of the coolest content on youtube. Awesome canoe after a lot of hard work. Thanks for sharing, keep up the good work!
Wow, now that's work. It's nice to see that this craft is not lost. What's most impressive is in 1775 they made two '30 canoes in under two weeks. People back then were the real deal.
Looks like you're all ready for Red Dead Redemption 2!
Hello Justin! Nice to see you Here.
Get out of here fam
Plz nobody like justin y's comments, thats what makes him famous
You like townsends too? We seem to have similar interest.
wtf you're everywhere
The easiest way to be sure you have even material removable around the entire canoe is to drill and hammer wooden dowels of equal length throughout the canoe, that way you ensure while working that you have an even amount of material removed on the bottom and walls of the canoe. Either way, awesome video and great job!
I don't know how I came upon this 3 part series, but I'm so glad I did. Well done and so incredibly fascinating.
Floating on water does this to you ! when i push my kayak into the water and jump in. it's like all the stresses of the world fall away. the First few paddles are ... i have no words for it. so peaceful and transcendent.
Anyone else think it’s funny how he went from “let’s build a canoe” on day one and by day three he’s like “ugh let’s get this crap done”
Just like they would have said 300 years ago!
The Youghiogheny, or the "Yough," as the locals call it, is one heck of a whitewater river. It's impressive that they were able to navigate this river in these dugouts. The dam (built in 1944) has made the river more treacherous today, but even prior to the river's damming, it was still a tortuous and rocky waterway. Great series!
My power went out for like an entire 15 minutes today. I was mad because I couldn't save my work on my computer. I didn't want to open my refrigerated food box and let in heat, so I couldn't snack. My only choice was to take a shower with my running water since it didn't require electricity. By the time I got out, the power _still_ wasn't on, so I got my iPad and read a new book. I mean, the power was out so I had no source of light other than the windows(sunlight) which was too warm, so I couldn't read any paper books.
Basically, I felt just like you must have, living rough and wild. Frankly, I feel a connection with the pioneers of old, getting in touch with the harsh reality of life without modern convenience.
Yes, sometimes it gets real bad.
Um you have no connections to the pioneers…
A few mins without electricity isn’t anything close to the ends of living off of what you don’t have
@@aurorabarnes7494 I think you may have missed the point more than somewhat.
Joshua Barnes r/woosh
R/woooosh
That was incredible.
I have dreams of making a dugout.
Literally,I dream about it!
And you did it!
If there were such a thing as TH-cam awards,you would win the “Tubey “ for best historical recreation video,hands down.
And props to your team,they worked VERY hard!
A small tip for working with hand tools that leave blisters on your hands: wear leather gloves. Get a pair that is bespoke or a pair that is a little small. If you get the unfitted pair, wet them with soapy water, preferably dish soap like Dawn or a soap that has glycerin in it, and then put them on your hands and stretch the softened leather by making and opening your fists for about 5 minutes, then work with them for the day so they dry and stretch to fit you hands well.
Calfskin and full grain leather are the best ones for this, although you might have to wet the full grain leather multiple times to get a good fit.
Thanks ALOT!!!! for the How to on the gloves, I will be doing that with the pair I will be purchasing soon, just finished off my current pair it was tuff breaking those suckers in, it was them or my hands and I used them till I couldn't use them any more. Good patching material now.
@@terry-1 No problem. I ran across it accidentally while working in a concrete block yard. If you can find saddle soap that is what works best. It can be a bit too cold to wear them for a full day to dry on your hands in the winter, but you can do it on your day off indoors for a few hours and that will get them started.
Good Point, Winter has definately hit. I will poke around here for some saddle soap, makes sence with leather gloves.
KnightsWithoutATable good advice. You have a recommendation for a leather conditioner after treatment?
@@SoapAcademy Saddle soap. If you use the gloves every day in rough jobs they are likely to wear holes in them before you need to condition them again.
Well done, all of you! That was a real achievement. The intensive labour was obvious and must have bee frustrating at times. It was certainly worth watching!
I was just rolling over to go to sleep and looked at my phone to check the time and went "aw yes! The next part of the canoe build is up!!" my husband just turned to me and went "... You're such a dweeb." 😂 he finds it all very interesting too, but finds my enthusiasm hilarious 😂
Same
You must be in Britain...where it would have been about 2300h when this video was uploaded? It was uploaded at about 1700h US Eastern Time, or 1600 Central. Awful early for bed unless you work a strange shift :)
Same for me, just no spouse :D
aw yiss. motha f’n townsends
I love a good geek fest, don't you?
Great video. I did not know of Cresswell. I live 9n the Youghiogheny right at the mouth of the Sewickley. Can’t wait to read his journals. It’ll give me something more to think about next time I’m out kayaking 👍
“It’s gonna float it’s a boat” 🤣🤣🤣
I've been watching your programs since Dec. 2021. I started at the very beginning and have slowly watched all of them up to this particular show. I really enjoy your programming. May I please say how very refreshing it was when I noticed guitar music playing in the background rather than the music from the CD that's title refers to someone's red pants. It's gotten so very tiresome, as nice as it is. I TRULY appreciated the change! Knowing that this particular show is from over 3 years ago, my hope is that the pleasant change of music will continue. Again, thank you for the great programs, I admire all of the men in this particular episode. Commitment-all of you have it, dedication as well.
You're the coolest guy on TH-cam.
watching this all the way through was awesome. all of the time, effort, & dedication is to be admired. to see how a canoe was made 200 years ago was mind blowing. imagine doing all of that work, getting to 95% done & something happening? man... & people today complain if they don’t have wifi.
Maybe I missed it, but how would you store these over winter? If the body of water you plan to put it in will freeze solid should you store it on land? If so, will it being soaking wet and then freezing damage it, should it be pulled out and dried prior to the first freeze of the year?
From what I understand, based on conditions you will go 5 or more feet out into the lake and perhaps in an area 4 foot deep to sink the canoe. In northern Indiana it would have to be an excessively cold winter to freeze down more than about 12 to 14 inches. Their is no way it would freeze 3 or 4 foot down
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure you never want that sort of boat to dry out. It would be very likely to crack and although the crack may swell shut when the boat re-hydrates, probably best not to count on it. Up here in Canada the most common indigenous watercraft adopted by settlor's is the birchbark canoe. My understanding is that birchbark canoes were commonly buried in bogs over the winter, they can apparently last for many years in that state.
@@brocktechnology Exactly..NEVER dry a wooden boat out ever. Even modern ones. At the worst you can store it in open air for the winter where snow can fall on it and melt, but even that is risky since the freezing winter air can get pretty dry and as water gets into the grooves and then freezes, it could also crack it. Sinking it is a brilliant solution to be honest. Or maybe a heavy pitch coating to prevent moisture from getting in or out to stabalize it.
Wood only rots when its humidity changes continuously. These canoes are store underwater to prevent damage, for the same reason that the buildings in Venice are still holding up: the logs supporting them are always underwater.
Check out the construction of Brooklyn bridge....
You'll be surprised...lol
I know you did a lot of research on this, and you probably know this all ready, but I was wondering if you considered contacting Plymouth plantation in ma. The native Americans there actually make these types of boats in the traditional way. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and there were making another one.
By far the best dugout canoe i've seen!
Incredible video. The editing and music were really stand-out in this one. Thanks for putting in the work to make all this happen.
9:50 Those are the smallest glasses i have ever seen for sure
He kooks exactly like Peter Griffin :)
Well great. Add a dugout canoe to the things I "have" to have...lol.
Enjoyed watching the process and the product.
What a cool project! Thanks for sharing!
How in the heck can 139 people give a thumbs down vote to a wonderful and historically informative video like this? My grandfather told me "individually you will find some super people but collectively I would drown the whole lot of them"...I'm beginning to understand him now :) .Townsends, thank you so much for sharing all of this great forgotten knowledge. And, you not only talk ye old talk you walk ye old walk.
Dirk's Chicken Pimpin - the thumbs down people are the tree huggers that thought a canoe's worth of ash dumped in the river was an ecological disaster.
WTG!!! I rember as a child I always dreamed about making a dugout canoe! I glad I never tried as a kid, it would have been a waste of a tree, but you and your friends did a great job!
My uncle makes birch bark canoes. One he made is in the Smithsonian. Takes about a year.
Awesome work guys! Love people who build their own stuff!
One of the best things I've ever seen on TH-cam! Hats off to the team!
I'm curious if anyone accidentally went for a swim? It looked cold!
Wow! well done guys, superb effort. Very educational,,great that you're keeping the art alive for the next generation of history buffs, re enactors, living historians and the like.And you persevered without using modern power tools. Can't wait for you guys to go on a voyage and film it. Shinin' times indeed .
Erik got that fire going in no time. Continues to impress!
Wow, excellent 3 part video guys! Nice work! I freaking LOVE this channel! You guys do an excellent job telling the story, cinematography and beautiful editing. The power is in the edit! You guys have turned out to be one of my favorite TH-cam channels! Much appreciated during the Great Quarantine of 2020!
And the snarky part of me thinks, "Sand under the fire? If they burn it hot enough, they can have a glass-bottom boat!"
Ryan has been so dedicated to the canoe across the three videos. Good to see him and Mr J take it all the way from tree to complete.
Smoke on the water.
Fire in the hull!
SOME STUPID WITH A FLARE GUN
Burned the place to the ground
0.3.5.0.3.6.5.0.3.5.3.0
So enjoyed the 3 parts. Loved seeing the process and loved the excerpt at the end. All you guys involved are power houses. Well done.
Wow thank you for including me in your canoe Journey this is Richard I really appreciate your post into the past keep on posting Love It
Thanks for coming along!
Richard, thank you for showing everyone how reenactors learn the skills by reaching out to dedicated experts.
Thanks for sharing your skills with us
The look of satisfaction on your face was so wonderful to see!! It is as if someone snuck a camera back in time, colorized the film and is letting me watch in April 2019. Well done good man. Well done.
@8:10 "I can tell, it's gonna float ... IT'S A BOAT ... MMHMM" XD XD XD IM DEAD!
You folks put out really interesting, honest and well made content. Thank's for sharing these fantastic gems with us
Made one just like it last weekend, only took about 2 hours.
1/16 scale
Well figures.
Your video has given me an inspiration to use the large pine tree I had to cut down in my backyard with its 30 feet of log.
Major accomplishment! Congrats
You CAN use metal tools where there’s sand- you just have to sharpen the tools very, very often. Woodsmen used to use double-bit (two-bladed) axes. One edge would be kept as sharp as possible for regular woodcutting. The other edge would be used for rough work, like chopping roots in the ground, and would be allowed to get pitted and chipped and less sharp.
Some kinds of wood naturally have silica inclusions- similar to grains of sand embedded in the wood. They, too, have a tendency to dull tools used on them.
I've been waiting for this
You guys are so inspiring! I still can't believe you did this. What a remarkable journey from tree to hollow log canoe. I am so impressed- I'm ready to do it myself! Now to find that perfect tree!
Il be honest, Ive been watching these movies because WW3 is coming and not because im in love with American history..
It is easy to see that this construction method has remained unchanged for 10,000 years, the similarity with the Pesse canoe is astonishing
Erik Vosteen, sounds like he has Dutch origins :D
Just discovered this channel, great content, subscribed right away
Last time I was this early that tree was still a sapling.
Vlasic
Neat! After seeing your results it's hard to imagine a craft like the dugout being broken in half, buffalo or no!
There's a neat dugout canoe video done by the Northmen channel. They used 'mostly' handtools. I suspect the modern tools were used to speed along the hogging out of waste material.
just found this channel today and with this as the first video so wholesome and calm just a pleasure to watch. keep up the great work. New Sub here !
check out his cooking series, its the best!
Fantastic, best video of it's sort yet! The music! The filming! The content!
Hello adventure daddy
@Nicole Marly
You and nutmeg are two best things to spice thing up on this channel. Pls never change
Thanks for all the Fun Nicole!
Never change, Consistent Topical Comment Mommy.
lol
Good ol' Nicole
What an amazing experience but tiring I'm sure. I just ordered that book from your store today. Stay safe. And thank you.