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Sassafras 16 Canoe on the Wye River, MD
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Sassafras 16 Canoe
Sale
Sassafras 16 Canoe
Sale
Sassafras 16 Canoe
Sale
Sassafras 16 Canoe
Sassafras 16 Canoe on the Wye River, MD Thumbnail
Sassafras 16 Canoe Thumbnail
Sassafras 16 Canoe Thumbnail
Sassafras 16 Canoe Thumbnail
Sassafras 16 Canoe Thumbnail

Sassafras 16 Canoe

Builder Testimonials

The Sassafras 16 is a fine family-sized canoe with versatile seating. Can be converted to a rowing craft with our Canoe Rowing Rig.

  • Skill Level Beginner
  • Estimated Build Time 90 Hours

Build this boat if...

  • You enjoy solo or tandem paddling and prefer caned seats to sitting on the cockpit sole.
  • You appreciate the graceful lines of the classic Rushton canoes.
  • You want a light cartoppable boat that will hold two people and your gear.
  • Easy to Build

    Your first boatbuilding project!

  • Classic Appeal

    Traditional looks that will never age

  • In-Depth Manual

    Meticulous, fully-illustrated instructions

Build Your Kit

Take One of our Boatbuilding Classes

We offer classes for many of the boats we sell. Teaching sites stretch from Maryland to Washington State and from Maine to California. Click here to find out more.

Specifications

Length
15' 7"
Beam
39"
Cockpit Size
Open Cockpit
Hull Weight
68 lbs.
Paddler Weight
250-400 lbs.
Max Payload
500 lbs.

Performance

Stability

5 out of 5
Very Tippy
Very Stable

Speed

3 out of 5
Cruiser
Racer

Cockpit Room

5 out of 5
Close Fit
Huge Cockpit

Payload

4 out of 5
Day Tripper
Freight Hauler

Ease of Construction

5 out of 5
Requires Patience
Very Easy
A family paddling their Sassafras 16 canoe
A family paddling their Sassafras 16 canoe

Overview

The lapstrake canoe is an ancient craft. In its recreational form it had already reached a very high pitch of refinement by the 1880s, in the hands of artisans like J. Henry Rushton. Something about the combination of lightweight utility and easy, graceful lines makes the lapstrake canoe a very desirable creature indeed.

Chesapeake Light Craft first introduced the lapstrake Sassafras canoes in the late 1990’s.  Named after a placid and scenic river on the upper Chesapeake, these handsome canoes are at home in rivers, lakes, and bays, able enough to surmount wind chop and powerboat wakes, and to carry a good load.

Lapstrake canoes built the way Rushton built them require extremely sophisticated skills and equipment. Using CLC’s exclusive LapStitch™ process, assembly in  similar manner is accessible to beginners.  There’s no mold, no lofting, no spiling, no tricky joinery.

By 2011, hundreds of Sassafras canoes had been built, and the 13-year-old designs were ready for freshening. The Sassafras 16 design was overhauled for the 2011 WoodenBoat Show, where a dozen were built during a “family boatbuilding” event

Another 18 of these tandem canoes were built at the show in 2012, with additional refinements, and still more were built at classes and shows in 2012 and 2013. This is probably an unprecedented field test for a new boat kit design!

With much feedback in hand, by 2014 we were ready to make the Sassafras 16 Mark II available to the public. Improvements over the 1998 original include more stability and payload without the loss of speed and handling, and much-simplified construction. Plans, which for the early models had been all but schematic, were upgraded to include full-sized patterns for every part, and the manual was given an expansive rewrite.

The Sassafras 16's hull is 6mm okoume with fiberglass cloth on the lower strakes, inside and out. Watertight flotation compartments are fitted at the bow and stern. The kit features ash-caned seats, sapele decks, mahogany outwales, and an ash thwart. Like many traditional canoes, the Sassafras 16 is symmetrical, bow and stern. This allows a solo paddler to sit facing "backwards" on the forward seat for better trim. Her hull is slightly rockered - not for maneuvering in whitewater, but rather to reduce wetted surface area - making her almost effortless to paddle. She has a smooth or "well dampened" feel that is characteristic of good wooden canoes.

The Sassafras 16 Mark II also boasts an entirely rewritten and vastly expanded builder's manual, with 115 pages and 400 photos and illustrations. Those building from plans will also appreciate the detailed instructions for parts fabrication. Along with improvements to the kits, which include pre-drilled wire holes, puzzle joints, and computer-indicated bulkhead locations, the manual makes this kit extremely friendly and accessible to first-time builders.

Convert your Sassafras 16 to a rowboat using our Canoe Rowing Rig. We also offer a drop-in sliding seat rowing rig. 

Buying Options

Choose Your Boatbuilding Experience

Select the components that are the best fit for your strip-planking project.

  1. Select Your Configuration

    Build From a Kit:
    Most builders start with the Base Kit. It’s all there.
    Build From Scratch:
    Build from scratch using our Plans & Manual.
    Build From a Wood Parts Only Kit:
    For those who have their own supply of epoxy, fiberglass, and hardware.
    Forms and Strongback Only Kit:
    Just the computer-cut stuff: the forms and strongback.
    Order Study Plans or Manuals:
    Like to study up a bit first? Download study plans or a copy of the assembly manual.

  2. Choose Options and Add-ons

    Additional Options

    You can choose from a range of popular options to outfit your boat, many of which are intended to ship with the Base Kit

  3. Get Building!

    Kits feature all of the latest tweaks to ease assembly, including slot-together CNC-cut molds and precision-milled strips.

Standard Configuration

Sale
$1,549.00 $1,239.20

The Sassafras 16's kit includes all hull parts computer-cut f...

Alternative Configurations

$119.00

The plans-and-manual package for the Sassafras 16 includes fu...

$25.00

This spiral-bound 115-page manual is extravagantly detailed, ...

$20.00

This option comprises the latest version of the illustrated a...

$2.99

You can get printable study plans for most of your favorite ...

$1,125.00

The Sassafras 16 "Wood Parts Only" kit is intended for builde...

Additional Options

$6.99

Keep water from running down your paddle shaft. Use as replac...

$84.00

By Grey Owl, this laminated cherry paddle with pear grip is g...

$84.99

Convert your canoe to a recreational rowboat. Universal desig...

$409.00

Ideal for pulling boats and fine rowing craft, spoon oars are...

A Sassafras 16 canoe has ample storage space for this camping trip on the Delaware Water Gap.
A Sassafras 16 canoe has ample storage space for this camping trip on the Delaware Water Gap.

What builders are saying

We finished construction of the Sassafras 16 on Sept 10th and enjoyed the canoe for a month or so until it got too cold to paddle. We took it on a weekend canoe/camping trip down the Delaware River with my son's Boy Scout troop and it performed great.  We received lots of compliments too! We had a great time with you all in Mystic.  Many thanks to you and your team.

Howard H. | NJ
Verified Builder

I, finally, successfully built and varnished the Sassafras 16 with lots of enjoyable struggles.  In addition, I installed a sliding-seat row-wing, which I designed and built by myself to make it fit in the boat for marine use.  I very much enjoyed rowing with my 11-year-old grandson out of Hiroshima, Japan, during our summer vacation.  The Sassafras-16 runs fast on the sea.

Masa T. | JPN
Verified Builder

The build of my Sassafras 16 was both challenging as well as very satisfying. I am already thinking about another building project. As a first project, I feel it came out well. Your tech support was outstanding as well as comforting, the hand holding was appreciated.

Patrick F. | NJ
Verified Builder

I'm sending a few pics of Ken Moody's Sassafras 16 built at Mystic Seaport during the Family Boatbuilding event.  It's modified for rowing with center seat and oarlocks.  Rows beautifully, stable and fast.  Photos are the first row and they speak for themselves.  Thanks, John Harris, for your sketch of a layout for rowing.

Bob C. | MI
Verified Builder

Thank you for the complementary t-shirts and cap… you guys know how to take care of your customers. My family Sassafras is almost complete, and not soon enough, because the cedar strips for the Night Heron, sitting on the garage floor, are haunting my dreams.  In addition, my wife has her eye on the Kaholo 14 so… not sure I should say thanks, but more like you, personally, have ruined us for life!  Ha.  At least she gave me until after retirement (30 years from now) for the Pocketship!  Just wanted to personally thank you and your people again for all of your hard work and dedication!

James K. | AL
Verified Builder

Everyone who sees my Sassafras 16 asks, “Did you build that yourself?” And I say, “Yes, I did…with a little help from my friends.” Thank you all for helping to create this new family heirloom. She glides through the water nicely!

Bill R. | FL
Verified Builder

I have really enjoyed every minute spent working on my Sassafras 16. I don't know what next year's project will be but I'm sure its gonna be fun and most probably be a CLC boat of some dimension.

Aubrey W. | SC
Verified Builder

Videos

Sassafras 16 Canoe Build

Chesapeake Light Craft Sassafras 12

Chelan Christening - 12' Sassafras Canoe Build

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I order this kit?

Click on the Buying Options tab the top left of this page and follow the directions.

If I buy one of your boat kits, what else will I need?

Chesapeake Light Craft kits contain all the parts and materials you need to build the boat. The kit includes pre-cut parts, hardware, epoxy, fiberglass, plans and instructions. Our standard kayak kits also have the seats, hatches, bulkheads, footbraces, and the deck-rigging. About the only thing kits don't include is the final finish: paint or varnish. Your boat's color scheme is entirely up to you.

You'll need a few ordinary tools, like a cordless drill, a decent 5-inch sander, and for most boats a wood plane. You'll need disposables such as sandpaper and paint brushes and mixing cups.

You need a workspace a couple of feet bigger all the way around than the boat you want to build, and you'll need to be able to maintain temperatures between about 55 degrees F and 95 degrees F during steps when epoxy is being applied or curing. Since a lot of boatbuilding gets done during winter, we've written up some tips on how to heat a cold space cheaply, easily, and safely.

What is LapStitch Construction?

CLC'S LapStitch™ Construction

Patent No. 6,142,093 

Our system combines the unquestioned grace of lapstrake hulls with the proven ease of stitch-and-glue construction. The strength of the LapStitch™ joint is such that the designs require comparatively little fiberglass or fillet work, making them especially easy to build.

Lapstrake hull shapes evolved over millennia. Many would suggest that the type reached a high-water mark with the Viking longboats, but the actual building method was little changed right up into the 20th century. Planks were riveted together, and the technique required prodigious skill on the part of boatbuilders.

Over the last few decades, the advent of modern adhesives and high-quality marine plywood brought about the first major innovation in lapstrake building methods: "glued plywood" lapstrake hulls. This method of planking produces very strong, stiff, and beautiful hulls that never leak. This is progress, to be sure, but glued lapstrake boats still require molds and arcane joinery skills. It isn't a process suited to amateurs.

In 1997, Chesapeake Light Craft developed a way to build lapstrake boats without molds or complex "rolling bevels" on the lapstrake planking. Using sophisticated computer design software, we are now able to devise hull shapes that will assume a round-bottomed shape without a jig or "torturing" of the wood. A special "rabbet," or groove, is machined into each strake so that they are self-aligning. They are wired together just like a stitch-and-glue kayak. When these joints are filled with epoxy, the result is a remarkably stiff and strong hull that is visually indistinguishable from traditional lapstrake planking.

LapStitch construction is featured in these CLC boats:

After more than 15 years of development, the evolution of LapStitch™ has reached the stage where we can render complex lapstrake hull shapes in complete confidence without "strongback" molds.  Chesapeake Light Craft can design and build for you LapStitch™ hulls of any shape or size.  

How much does this boat weigh and how much can it carry?

The weight and payload of this boat, along with other statistics such length and beam, can be found under Specs in the Specifications section, which is just below the lead image seen at the top of this page.

Can you send me the plans digitally?

Sorry, but until digital rights management technology for marine architectural work catches up to that used for books and music, we are unable to transmit digital plans. Currently, only study plans and manuals can be sent digitally.

A Boat that Goes with You. A Boat that Grows with You.

A Perfect Wedding Limousine

What could be a more perfect way to start new lives as a happy couple than a little wedding cruise in their new Sassafras 16 canoe?

Have you Considered a Camping Honeymoon?

While the Sassafras 16 may not be all that common at weddings, it has taken part in a few honeymoons, a perfect romantic getaway and an outstanding opportunity to learn who your spouse really is.

Perfect for Growing Families

As your family grows, the joy of sharing the Sassafras 16 with your kids only grows with time.

Nine families built Sassafras 16 canoes over a weekend at the 2010 WoodenBoat Show.  Image by Grace Ombry
Nine families built Sassafras 16 canoes over a weekend at the 2010 WoodenBoat Show. Image by Grace Ombry
Extras

Sassafras 16 Family Build Weekend

by Grace Ombry, from EpoxyWorks magazine

WEST SYSTEM®, Chesapeake Light Craft and nine family groups joined forces at the 2010 WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut for the Family Build Weekend to build nine Sassafras 16 kit canoes. With only a blue and white striped rental tent to shield them from the unseasonably hot weather in Mystic that weekend, everyone labored hard to get their boats a long way toward completion in just three short days.

The Family Build event drew a lot of attention . . . (read more)



Classes

Take One of our Boatbuilding Classes

We offer classes for many of the boats we sell. Teaching sites stretch from Maryland to Washington State and from Maine to California. Click here to find out more.

View Classes

Need Help Building it?

We’re here to help with any questions you might have during the build process.

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Available Mon – Fri, 9am–5pm EST

410.267.0137

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