Fast, fun and lightweight
16' x 30" {4.9m x .76m}
Maximum recommended capacity is 450lbs {204kg}.
J. Henry Rushton owned a New York boat building shop in the late 1800's, and his skilled craftsmen turned out many varieties of small boats. Among them were his famous "Canadian Canoes," and the most user friendly of those was his IGO. A few years ago I converted Rushton's IGO design to skin-on-frame and built one as a wedding present. Test paddles revealed a very fast boat with impeccable handling. She's the most enjoyable double canoe I have ever paddled.
The IGO is easier and faster to paddle than many modern canoes, but the trade-off is that she has somewhat less stability and carrying capacity. An IGO is ideal for messing about on ponds, marshes, lakes and slow moving rivers, and is great as a day paddler or solo expedition boat. She tracks well, turns easily, and can readily be handled by either one or two paddlers - with room for gear, kids or pets. At only about 40 lbs {18kg}, this skin-on-frame version of Rushton's IGO is very easy to carry and cartop.
Plans for the IGO contain instructions for both the easy to build non-traditional version - using just a few plywood frames - and (in somewhat less detail) for the more traditional construction I used on the prototype. Plans include a complete and well illustrated building guide, and full sized frame and stem patterns. Both English and Metric measurements are provided, so there's no need to do any converting!
Plans available here: Plans
