DIY Tips and Tricks for Canoe Cruising

When you are cruising on a canoe, carry food supplies and utensils in a box or chest. It is important to keep all supplies in one place to cook a meal.

Choosing the best material

There are three different materials that should be used to build your supply box, wood, tin and galvanized iron.

1. Wood

This is the most affordable option. A wood supply box can be made by hand and if properly taken care of, will protect your food without issues.

2. Tin

This option is more expensive than wood, but tin is sturdier and more durable.

3. Galvanized Iron

Galvanized iron is more expensive than wood, however can be handled roughly without fractures.

Building Your Supply Box

Figure 1. Wooden Box

The size of the supply boxes vary depending on how much food will be stored and the size of the canoe.

Building a wooden box

To ensure that wood boxes are water-tight, the box must be joint firmly and be varnished inside and out with shellac or boat varnish. Use a quarter inch or 5/16 stuff (pine). If the box is to be used as a seat the top and bottom pieces should be heavier by 3/8 of an inch. The cover should be two inches deep and the handle should be a thin, wide, flat strap tacked to the cover.

If the box is not used as a seat but is stowed under the deck, have the flanges of the cover fall over the side pieces of the box and the strap tacked to one end piece, carried over the cover and fastened by a hook. This allows for the cover to be removed and you can take supplies from the box without taking it from under the deck.

If used as a seat the cover may be hinged on one side and two hooks fastened at the ends on the other. On the back, screw two pieces of three-quarter inch pine to the sides, running horizontally six or eight inches from the end of the box. Make the holes an inch apart and cut opposite each other. This opening is for a quarter-inch brass rod to be inserted into. When using the supply box you may change the brass rod into different holes.

Carrying food in your supply box

To carry food in your supply box without mixing or spilling, use several water-tight tins. The Consolidated Fruit Jar Company, makes tin screw tops for jars and canisters that are water-tight.

Tips for using tin cans

• Tin in cans can carry coffee, tea, sugar, flour, rice and alcohol
• Carry salt and pepper in small spice boxes with two covers, make sure the bottom cover is perforated.
• Carry eggs in the tins with the flour, coffee and rice. Wrap bread and bacon in macintosh and place at the top of the chest.
• Place vinegar in a marked whisky flask and place canned goods, condensed milk, baking powder, etc., in their own cans.

Tips for storing utensils

• Place an alcohol stove and cooking utensils such as a coffee pot, cup, fork, knife, spoon, frying pan and plates inside of the supply box.
• The coffee pot should be small , with handle and lip riveted.
• Cups or plates should be of tin or granite ware.
• Forks and knives should be sheathed.
• plates should rest in the no handle frying pan and be fastened inside the chest cover by two buttons for easy access.

How to use a portable oven

A canoeist's portable oven is made of two small basins, one of which has "ears" riveted to its rim, so that when placed bottom up, the ears will spring over the rim of the second basin, allowing gases to escape.

There is no perfect canoe stove.. It takes up more room than the folding "pocket" size stove and doesn't give more heat; but it burns for a longer time, and is not top-heavy.

When cooking large meals, have three flamme force alcohol lamps. Light them and place them side by side, and you can cook a dozen slapjacks at once on a big griddle

Avoid using "folding stoves" to use ashore and burn wood in. Don't carry an oil stove either. However if you must, place in a large bucket, and only remove when necessary.

Preparing food

According to the American Canoeist, Mr. Hicks, a member of the Toronto Canoe Club, prepares certain kinds of food in cans for ballast as follows.

1. Get a number of flat square tin cans made like oyster cans, of a handy size to lie under your floor boards.
2. Cook a turkey, some chickens, a sirloin of beef, etc.
3. Cut the hot meat up into large dice-shaped pieces, and put it in the tins hot
4. Pour melted fat in till the tins are full, and then solder them tight. Get as much meat in as you can before putting in the fat.
5. Put up fruit in square flat cans in the same way.

When supplies are low, let the crew feed on the ballast. The preparation is more nutritious than canned corned beef, is more palatable, and will last forever.

The Brunswick canned soups are the cheapest made and are easy to prepare. Dried beef, corned beef, lemons and sardines make good additions as well. Potatoes, onions and other vegetables can be made as necessary.

How much do I carry?

If you're wondering how much of each food should I bring with me? Here is a list of food I brought on a trip with me. I never ran short, but I didn't have enough supplies left for three square meals by the end of the week, so you may bring more. 1 lb. sugar (cut loaf)

• 1/8 lb. tea
• 1 lb. flour
• 1/2 lbs. Crackers
• 1/2 peck meal
• 1 pint molasses
• 2 oz. pepper