King of the Wilderness-Chapter 34: Building a Canoe

Lin Yu’an’s plan conceived a few days ago is already halfway completed after finishing the stinging net, and today he decided to execute the other half.

"I have a new idea! I plan to use waterproof tarpaulin, combined with some lightweight trees, to make a simple canoe!"

"This way, I can more easily cast nets or fish more flexibly in the nearshore area."

Without further ado, Lin Yu’an packed his gear and entered the nearby spruce Forest, selecting suitable spruce trunks as material for the canoe’s Dragon Bone.

Using the logging axe, he cut them from the root and removed the excess branches, obtaining about seven or eight Spruce Logs each three to four meters in length.

"Spruce’s wood is light and soft, with good flexibility, easy to bend, and quite common in this area."

"No exaggeration to say, with one person, a knife, a bundle of rope, and a piece of waterproof tarpaulin, you can make a simple canoe."

Before formally constructing the frame, Lin Yu’an first needed to preprocess these spruce poles.

He picked up a spruce pole, leaned one end diagonally against a stone, fixed the other end with his foot, and drew out the multi-functional knife from his waist to peel the bark.

"Peeling the bark not only reduces the weight of the pole but, more importantly, ensures more even bending during subsequent fire heating."

The dark brown spruce tree bark quickly curled and peeled away under the knife, revealing the lighter-colored part underneath with clear wood grain.

He carved carefully, trying to keep the surface of the spruce wood pole smooth and avoiding leaving deep cuts.

After all the spruce wood poles finished the peeling process, he meticulously shaved off any excessive wood knots and uneven areas to make them overall more rounded and smooth.

Three of them, each about three and a half meters long and the sturdiest and straightest peeled spruce poles, served as the Dragon Bone at the bottom of the canoe.

"To naturally curve the bow and stern upwards for better hydrodynamics, I need to fire-bend the ends of these three Dragon Bones."

He lit a small fire, picked up a Dragon Bone pole, and placed its end needing bending over the flames, slowly and evenly rotating it while heating.

When he felt the end of the pole becoming slightly warm and sensed increased flexibility upon applying pressure, he quickly removed the wooden pole.

With the heated end resting on a large stone as a fulcrum, he gripped the pole with both hands and forcefully pulled it upward to create a gentle upward curve.

Once it cooled and set, the end of the Dragon Bone had a natural upward tilt, and the ends of all three Dragon Bones underwent the same treatment.

After all three Dragon Bone ends were processed.

He placed the other two auxiliary Dragon Bone poles parallel on either side of the main Dragon Bone rod, spaced about fifteen centimeters apart,

then gathered them inward to precisely converge at the predetermined bow apex.

"Now, it’s crucial to reinforce."

Lin Yu’an took out the Steel Wire fishing line, using an infrequent small metal tool on the multi-functional knife as a simple tightening wrench.

He cut a suitable length of Steel Wire fishing line, first looping it several times parallel below the junction point of the three rods.

Then, he brought the ends of the Steel Wire fishing line together to pass through the hole of the small tool on the multi-functional knife, and wedged the flat end of the tool between the two strands of Steel Wire.

"This method can generate tremendous tension. If you’re in the wild, this can be replaced with other tools; the logic is the same."

Lin Yu’an gripped the wrench and began to rotate it; with each turn, the two strands of Steel Wire fishing line twisted tighter around the rings below.

The Steel Wire fishing line was about to embed inside the spruce wood, firmly "locking" the three Dragon Bone rods together, immovable.

"After tightening the Steel Wire, the junction point’s strength greatly increases, but this isn’t enough, I need to use parachute cord for external protection and secondary fastening."

Then he used parachute cord to wrap and tie tightly on the outside of the Steel Wire reinforcement layer in a cross-flower knot method.

Creating a solid and beautiful bow convergence point, the stern was treated in exactly the same way, tightened with Steel Wire first, then reinforced with parachute cord, meticulously handled.

After the foundation frame of the boat bottom was completed, preparation began for installing the left and right sides of the boat hull.

"These two gunwale poles will determine the width and side curvature of our canoe, and they also need fire-bending to form the desired hull curve."

First, he used the small saw on the multi-functional knife to cut the ends of these two gunwale poles to suitable lengths matching the bow and stern.

Then he began bending and shaping, placing the middle segment of a gunwale pole above the fire slowly rotating for even heating to make the whole rod more flexible.

Once the pole reached the appropriate softening level, he gripped its midsection with both hands, using his body weight and arm strength to gently bend the spruce rod outward.

Earlier, he had temporarily secured one end of the spruce rod with parachute cord on the outside of the bow Dragon Bone convergence point. Meanwhile, he guided the other end of the spruce rod gradually closer to the stern Dragon Bone convergence point.

The spruce rod emitted a slight "creaking" sound in his hands, as he closely observed the pole’s bending degree, ensuring the curve was smooth and natural.

When the gunwale pole bent to the anticipated curve and its ends fit well with the bow and stern, he started securely binding it with parachute cord.

The other side of the gunwale also underwent the same fire-bending and precise installation.

The final step of installing the rib rods soon arrived to make the boat frame more stable and maintain proper width between the gunwales.

After selecting three peeled Spruce Wood Segments of varying lengths, repeatedly fire-bending, they ultimately formed into a gentle "U" shape, quickly set by cooling with cold water.

"These three wood segments, like ribs, connect laterally the bottom Dragon Bone and the gunwales on both sides; they are key components for ensuring lateral strength and shape stability of the hull."

Lin Yu’an began installing the lateral supporting ribs, placing these three U-shaped ribs laterally above the three Dragon Bones, ensuring the two ends of their U-shaped curves abutted against the inner walls of the gunwales.

At the contact points between the ribs and the gunwales and the Dragon Bone, he had previously cut shallow slots with a knife to enhance connection stability.

"The treatment of connection points must ensure each rod is firmly locked in place, forming a stable whole."

He cut sections of parachute cord, securely tying in cross-connections at the intersection points between the gunwale’s inner side and the ribs.

Once all rib spruce rods were installed and fixed, Lin Yu’an forcefully shook the entire frame with his hands, which remained immovable, demonstrating good overall rigidity.

An entire canoe skeleton, composed of eight spruce branches and dozens of solid knots, now lay completely visible before his eyes.

Especially the connections at the bow and stern that were tightened with Steel Wire and wrapped in parachute cord, appeared exceptionally sturdy, instilling confidence.

It lay quietly on the grass, with sharply tapered ends and a slightly arched waist, exuding primal beauty.

"Great! The canoe frame is finished! Tomorrow, I will cover it with waterproof tarpaulin and let it embark on its first water journey!"