"Chalatso" wrote...
Well, the boat is the bateau.com "cheap canoe," and they suggest a butt
joint, with a block glued over the butt. I think the method suffers a lot
for looks. The joint is right across the fattest part of the canoe,
exactly
at the middle. There's added stiffness in the sides from a rubrail, and I
might add a little inwale and a bottom runner, if the taped butt makes me
nervous.

You might be able to make it a bit more elegant by tapering the block edges.
From the photo of the NC16 on the site, the thwart will draw a lot of
attention away from the blocks. Also, I note they say the blocks may be
made from fiberglass, so a thin strip of tape, followed by a couple layers
of cloth built up with feathered edges may work out just fine.

From the curve of the hull, it appears the tensile stress on the outside of
the hull (where they show no blocks) will predominate over the compressive
stress inboard. Also, if the thwart is glassed in, it will help
considerably in stabilizing the joint. You might also add a fillet or block
under the edge of the thwart, if not already in the plans.

If you're going to paint it, using Kevlar instead of glass may provide more
stiffness with less build-up...