deWogan was fascinated by Nathaniel Bishop's travels down the East Coast of the US in a paper canoe. So much so, that he planned for a journey of his own in Europe in a similar canoe. (Bishop is discussed on my "Short History" page).
I recently received the link to a web page that you really need to take a look at! (Click Here) On it the author has a detailed account and lots of photos of making a classic native American canoe using an "artificial birch bark" made from strips of laminated paper. This is currently a work in progress. Good luck and keep us informed!
The rest of the web site is pretty snazzy as well, particular for those in NE PA and Southern NY, so make sure you also go to the home page of this site. BobBear
I recently acquired the book "Voyages du Canot en Papier" written by Tanneguy deWogan and published in 1887 in Paris. I've deciphered about this much so far. Details will follow as I get more information.
deWogan was fascinated by Nathaniel Bishop's travels down the East Coast of the US in a paper canoe. So much so, that he planned for a journey of his own in Europe in a similar canoe. (Bishop is discussed on my "Short History" page).
A canoe was constructed to his specifications and in July of 1884 he left Paris southbound on the Seine. His canoe, named the "Qui Vivre" was 16 feet long (5 meters) and 25 inches wide (65 cm). It weighed approximately 55 lbs. (25 Kg). According to deWogan the skin was about 3 mm thick and the decks but 2 mm. He gives no further detail of the construction, but refers the reader Bishop's book (in French translation by then). From the illustrations in the text it appears to be a decked canoe design typical of the time.
He traveled up the Seine and it's tributaries (cheating at least once, by transferring to a train to avoid the numerous locks on a canal in Burgundy; there are currently 191 locks!) and then continued on to the Mediterranean via the Saone.
He then puttered around the Lakes of Switzerland and parts of the upper Danube, before beginning a systematic descent of the Rhein from Basel. At Cologne he terminated the first part of the trip as his canoe was weakened by the "hard knocks" that it had taken during his trip through Germany (as if "kicked by a Prussian boot" to use De Wogan's phrase). Apparently there was some infiltration of water into the paper and he was concerned about continuation of the voyage.
The canoe was returned to Paris for refurbishment at the builder's workshop and after a 6-month hiatus he continued north to the ocean and returned to Paris via Calais.