wooden canoe repair – Canoeguy's Blog

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

People email regularly asking me to identify their canoe and/or give them an estimate on a restoration. When I ask them to send me some pictures, I often see a big difference between what people regard as a helpful image and what I require, so here is a little tutorial on the art of photographing a wood-canvas canoe.

Before taking any pictures, pull your canoe out of storage and get it into the light. Pictures of your canoe hanging up in the garage are not helpful. Pictures of your canoe in the basement are equally useless.

1. A General Picture (3/4 Profile)

The first picture I ask for is a general picture in a three-quarter profile. It is a view taken from an angle to show both the inside and outside of the canoe. You are standing off to one side near one end. The picture shows the decks, seats and thwarts as well as giving a good view of the hull shape. Many people send me a series of pictures of the bottom of the canoe from every conceivable angle. Other than the presence or absence of a keel, these pictures do little to help identify it or determine the condition of the canoe. For identification purposes, along with a picture like the one presented above, it is useful to let me know the overall length from tip to tip as well as the maximum width and depth in the centre of the canoe. If the canoe has a serial number (often stamped into the stern stem), that information is also useful. This canoe is 16’ long, 33” wide and 13¼” deep. I can see two caned seats, a centre thwart, a stern-quarter thwart and two hand thwarts (one at each end near the deck). From this single picture and the accompanying dimensions, I can identify this canoe as a Chestnut Cruiser (called the Kruger).

2. Both Decks (Top View)

Take a picture of each deck from directly above. Be sure to show the entire area from the tip of the canoe to the base of the deck. If a hand thwart is present (as illustrated above) include it too. These pictures help me see the condition of the various components at the ends. There is almost always some degree of rot in this area. The decal on this canoe shows it to be a Chestnut Canoe built in Oromocto, NB. The Chestnut Canoe Company was located in Fredericton, NB from 1897 to 1974. They moved to Oromocto in the mid-1970′s and stayed there until they went out of business in 1978. Therefore, this canoe was built in the period between about 1974 and 1978.

3. Both Stem-Ends (3/4 Profile)

It helps to have close-ups of the ends taken at an angle off to one side, near the end and slightly above. In some cases, as in the bow deck above, the damage is obvious. However, in most cases, it is helpful to remove a few screws from the outwales (and perhaps the stem-band) to reveal the ends more fully. In this canoe, rot in the stern-end is seen only once the interior surfaces are exposed.

4. Both Seats (Above 3/4 Profile)

Take a picture of each seat from above at an angle. Stand to one side near the centre of the canoe. This view shows the bolts and spacers as well as the seat. In this canoe, the original 3/16” carriage bolts have been replaced with 1/4″ threaded rod and nuts. The original cane is in good condition. Although it is weathered, it could be revitalized with a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine followed by the usual finish of shellac to seal it followed by a number of coats of spar varnish. However, in most cases, it is best to re-cane the seats (hand-woven with natural cane — rattan).

5. Gunwales and Thwarts (Above 3/4 Profile)

The rails along each side of the canoe are called gunwales. They consist of an inside rail called the inwale and an outside rail called the outwale. Stand near the bow seat off to one side and take a picture (or two) from above to show the inwale and outwale as well as the centre thwart. In most cases, it was difficult for the builders to find full-length wood for the gunwale components. They spliced pieces together by gluing a scarf joint. Often the glue lets go and needs to be re-glued. In the final years of the Chestnut Canoe Company, they attached the ribs to the inwale with steel tacks. Over the years, they corrode causing the entire canoe to come apart. Most companies assembled their canoes completely before applying paint and varnish. As a result, the inside surface of the outwale is bare wood and the top-edge of the canvas is raw as well. If the canoe has been used at all over the years, water collects under the outwales creating a moist environment for the fungi that cause rot. Often, the canvas rots and begins to fall away from the canoe. The outwales may look fine on the outside but are often rotting from the inside out. Most canoe builders used steel carriage bolts to attach the thwarts and seats to the inwales. Again, the original carriage bolts often look fine until you try to remove them. I replace these with silicon bronze bolts as a matter of course in most restorations.

6. Obvious Damage (Above 3/4 Profile)

Please photograph any areas with obvious damage. As with most photos of the canoe, take these at an angle (to one side and slightly above). Sometimes the canoe is stored away in the back of a shed. It may be a real hassle to haul the canoe out into the daylight, but please make the effort. Good lighting is essential for these photos and taking the shots from an angle emphasizes areas of light and shadow. In this canoe, the broken rib and cracked planking are brought into clear view by the angled light.

All of the pictures are best in a fairly large format (between 500 KB and 1 MB). It is not necessary to overload an email with huge picture files. That said, tiny images are pretty much useless to me. As long as the photos are large enough to allow close examination, they will work well. Also, be sure to attach the actual files to the email rather than embedding them in the email. I need to be able to put the images in a file for my records.

In all of this, there is light at the end of the tunnel. All of the damage can be repaired and all of the rotted components can be replaced. The restored canoe will be part of the family for many decades to come.

The entire canoe restoration process is described in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Peter and Christ Thompson built wood-canvas canoes in Peshtigo, Wisconsin (about 50 miles north of Green Bay) as the Thompson Brothers Boat Manufacturing Company. The company built canoes from 1904 until 1962.

The specifications I present here are for the Ranger model ̶ a 16′ canoe designed for general recreational use. As in all of my blog articles presenting specifications for canoes, I do not present the lines for the hull.

That said, the hull has a shallow-arch bottom with lots of tumblehome through the full length of the canoe. The ends have very little rocker and are quite full. I am presenting specifications of component parts for anyone faced with the restoration of a Thompson Bros. canoe. As such, it is not a builder’s guide but rather a restorer’s guide. The specifications for various components changed over the years, so if possible, base your dimensions on those of the original piece from your canoe.

One little note here: I am listing all of the dimensions in inches. I apologize to all of you who are working in metric. The canoes were originally built with imperial measurements, so I find it easier and more accurate to stick with the original measurements.

One more note: You may notice that the two canoes featured in this article do not have external stems. Although they came into the shop with external stems, the clients did not want the keel re-installed. Without a keel, the external stem is out-of-place.

Inwales – Thompson Ranger inwales are made of mahogany with chamfered edges. The ends are tapered to ½”. The sheer-line of the Ranger is flat with no rise at the ends. Therefore, the gunwales do not require any pre-bending.

Outwales – The outwales are also mahogany and are well rounded making for a comfortable and good-looking rail on the canoe.

Decks – Thompson Bros. decks were originally made of softwood (probably spruce) with a metal strap secured across the underside for extra stability. When faced with the task of replacing the decks, I chose to use maple which foregoes the need for a metal strap.

Stem-Top – It is unlikely you will ever have to replace the entire stem. However, I rarely see an original stem-top that is not partially or completely rotted away. The top of the stem-profile is straight thereby making the repair fairly straight-forward. The end assembly is held together with a 1½” #8 bronze wood screw. The external stem is attached with the same 1½” #8 bronze wood screws.

Keel – If you want to keep the keel as part of the canoe, it is a simple piece to make. Use a piece of hardwood (originally white oak) and taper each end gradually to join smoothly with the external stem. Since the external stem protects the canvas seam at the ends, there is no need for brass stem-bands.

Ribs – The ribs are 5/16” thick and 2¼” wide. The edges are chamfered 15° on both sides with the top corners rounded off slightly. The ribs are tapered to 1¼” wide at the tops. One distinctive feature of Thompson Bros. canoes is clipped corners on the rib-tops.

Planking – The planking is another distinctive feature of Thompson Bros. canoes. The boards are usually 3¾” wide, 3/16” thick and beveled to make for a very tight fit.

The planking pattern also identifies Thompson Bros. canoes. The sheer planks run straight from end-to-end. The bottom planks run up to the sheer planks and are cut to form a sharp point near the ends of the canoe.

Seats – The Ranger was built either with hand-woven cane in white oak frames or with extra thwarts placed where the front edge of the seats would normally be located. If present, the seats are woven with standard warp and weft weaving in the six-stage pattern. The bow seat is hung from the inwales with 10-24 carriage bolts and solid blocks of mahogany as spacers. The front edge of the stern seat is attached directly under the inwales while the back edge has ¾” hardwood dowels as spacers.

Thwarts – The thwarts are made of 7/8” white oak that is 2-1/8” wide. They are shaped with tapers for hand-grips and are nicely rounded but not elegant. Canoes built for use at summer camps were set up with four thwarts and no seats. Presumably, this avoided the need to repair or replace seats two or three times a season due to the inevitably heavy wear-and-tear from hundreds of kids at the camps.

Here are specification sheets with most of the components presented together for easy reference.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Frequently, I get an email from someone who is looking to sell their wood-canvas canoe. Typically, they tell me, “The canoe has been stored under-cover for the last twenty or thirty years and is in excellent shape. What would be a reasonable price to ask for my canoe?” Conversely, a person is considering the purchase of an old canoe and wants my opinion on whether or not the asking price is a reasonable one. In both cases, the best I can do is refer them to what I see on classified ads offering other wood-canvas canoes for sale.

I guess the simplest answer is: “It is worth whatever someone is willing to pay.” I have a hard time seeing these canoes as commodities. That is why I am in the business of repairing and restoring wood-canvas canoes. My clients tend to value their canoe based on a set of criteria far removed from monetary concerns. That said, wood-canvas canoes are bought and sold. Most of them are at least thirty years old and range in condition from pristine to ‘ready for the burn pile’. So, let’s look at the market and what tends to be ‘the going rate’.

Fully restored wood-canvas canoes tend to be listed in classified ads in a range from about $3,500 to $7,000. Bear in mind that a brand-new Old Town 16′ Guide canoe – made by hand on the original mould – currently sells for $9,000 USD (about $12,000 CAD). Serviceable canoes that need some work tend to be offered somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1,500 to $2,500. Canoes requiring a full restoration can be picked up for $50 to $500 (and sometimes you can get the canoe because you are willing to cart it away).

When people ask for my opinion on a specific canoe, I base my answer on what a professional canoe restoration shop would charge to bring it back to ‘like new’ condition. Almost any ‘original canoe in mint condition’ will require a new canvas. Unfortunately, the original canvas will only last about forty years (Oh, how I long for a return to the days before planned obsolescence). If the work is done by a professional canoe restorer, you are looking at spending about $2,000 to $3,000 after you have bought the canoe (all of these prices are in Canadian dollars). If the canoe ‘needs a little work’, be prepared to pay for a full restoration which could cost in the range of $3,500 to $5,500. And if it is a ‘basket-case’, the bill could far exceed what you would get for it if you ever decided to sell it (not unlike the cost of renovating an old house). So, when you see a fully restored canoe listed in a classified ad for $4,500, they are probably just trying to recoup the cost of the restoration.

About fourteen years ago, I bought an original Greenwood Canoe for $900. The bulk of the woodwork was in excellent condition and the interior varnish was still in very good condition. The canvas was original (about forty years old) and although it was not rotting, it needed to be replaced. Greenwood canoes are well-known to wood-canvas canoe enthusiasts in British Columbia. Bill Greenwood built canoes in Richmond, BC from the mid 1930’s to 1975. His workmanship was unequalled not to mention all of the Philippine mahogany (luan) used in components such as gunwales, decks and thwarts. Anyone who knows these canoes bows their head in reverence whenever they speak of Bill Greenwood and his canoes.

In my shop, I brought the canoe back to life. The original mahogany outwales were shot, so I replaced them with exact copies. I added a couple of coats of varnish to the woodwork and painted the new canvas the dark green that was typical for Greenwood canoes.

The next spring, I replaced the original slat seats with mahogany-framed hand-woven cane seats in the style of Greenwood canoes. I removed the bow-quarter thwart, installed a mahogany carrying yoke and moved the stern-quarter thwart to a position halfway between the stern seat and the centre yoke. I had no intentions of selling this canoe and, at that time, I had not seen a restored canoe sell for more than $2,500. So, when anyone asked me how much I wanted for it, I told them, “The canoe is all yours for $4,500.” In 2008, someone fell in love with my canoe and handed me a check.

Two years ago, I finished restoring a 16′ Chestnut Prospector for myself. I replaced the original solid-wood slat seats with hand-woven cane seats replicating the Chestnut style of cane seats. I then painted the canvas the original light green colour and installed copies of the original Chestnut deck and hull decals. These days, I rarely see a fully restored canoe selling for more than $4,000. If anyone asks me what I want for it, I will say, “$8,000 — but it’s not for sale.”

If you are selling, it is possible to get the price you are looking for. Just be prepared to wait a long time for that ‘special someone’ to come along. If you are buying, be prepared to factor in the cost of a full restoration once you have purchased the canoe.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

(photo by Nick Dennis)

Fundamental to any canoe restoration is understanding what you are dealing with. The scope of this blog is limited to factory-built canoes held together with metal fasteners. More recent types of wooden canoe construction employing materials such as glue, fiberglass, resin, etc. will not be included. This blog presents a rough guide to the form and structure of factory-built wooden canoes and the ways in which they developed and diversified over time.

Since this blog concerns itself with the repair and restoration of antique canoes, I will not enter into an academic examination of canoe history. For that, I refer you to such books as The Wood & Canvas Canoe by Jerry Stelmok and Rolin Thurlow (1987); The Canoe: A Living Tradition by John Jennings (2002) and; Canoes: A Natural History in North America by Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims (2016). Instead, I will present the evolution of factory-built canoes with an emphasis on the variety of construction methods employed.

Dubbed Copper Nail Construction

In Ontario, Canada in the mid-1800’s, a number of boat builders in the region in and around Peterborough were experimenting with canoe construction methods. Their ideas were influenced by the dugout canoes in the region. They built their canoes over a solid wood form (perhaps using a dugout canoe as the basic shape). They employed many building techniques borrowed from European boatbuilding traditions to create all-wood canoes with no exterior waterproof cover.

Rib-and-Batten – By 1859, John Stephenson and Tom Gordon were producing canoes using a ‘rib-and-batten’ method. A keelson (usually made of white oak) is set into the form. Notches are cut along the length of the keelson (at 4½” or 11.4 cm centres) into which half-round rock elm ribs (about 5/8″ or 16mm wide) are set and steam-bent over the form. Wide-board planks (made of basswood or Spanish cedar) are bent over the form on top of the ribs and are held in place with 16-gauge copper nails. Pilot holes are drilled through the planks and ribs. Then, the nails are driven straight into the solid wood form. Once this is done for the entire canoe, it is pulled off the form and turned right-side up. A chunk of iron shaped specifically for the purpose (called a dubbing iron) is used to bend the nails along each rib with the points oriented toward the keelson in a process called ‘dubbing over’. The dubbing iron is then used as backing against each rib while each nail is hammered flat into the wood with a cobblers hammer. The wide-board planks run longitudinally the length of the canoe and are placed against each other with butt joints. These joints are covered with battens on the interior which are also attached with dubbed copper nails. ‘Labour-intensive’ is a mild way of describing this process. A 16′ (4.9 meter) canoe is held together with approximately 4,000 nails.

Cedar Rib – In 1879, John Stephenson patented the ‘cedar-rib’ canoe construction method. White cedar ribs are steam-bent over a solid wood form and are fitted tightly together with tongue-and-groove joints. Once completed, the canoe is disassembled in order to remove it from the form. It is then reassembled and held together with a number of stringers running longitudinally. The stringers are attached to the ribs with copper nails which are dubbed over and flattened in the usual fashion. As we looked at one of these canoes at the Canadian Canoe Museum, Jeremy Ward, the museum curator, said, “I want to build one of these just to prove it can’t be done.”

Longitudinal Strip – John Stephenson continued his design efforts with a third construction method patented in 1883. This method starts by bending the half-round rock elm ribs over the solid wood form at 3″ (76 mm) centres (notched into the keelson). Then, longitudinal strips of edge-grain white cedar are placed on top of the ribs and are fitted together with shiplap joints. These strips are 2″ (51 mm) wide in the centre of the canoe and are tapered by hand to about 1¼” (32 mm) at the ends. Again, dubbed copper nails are used to hold the entire canoe together. Over time, this method emerged as the standard for what became known as the “Peterborough” canoe.

Flush Batten – The rib-and-batten method was refined by William English with the introduction of his patented ‘flush batten’ construction method in 1888. His method begins in the usual way with half-round rock elm ribs steam-bent over a solid wood form (notched into the keelson at 4½” or 11.4 cm centres). Wide, white cedar planks with rabbeted (rebated) edges run longitudinally on top of the ribs. Thin rock elm battens are set into the channels formed by the rabbeted edges. These battens sit flush with the interior edges of the planks. As usual, the entire canoe is held together with dubbed copper nails. This construction method was widely used in racing canoes.

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(photo by Nick Dennis)

All of these construction methods rely on expert craftsmanship and tight joints to produce watertight canoes. Once it has been sitting in water for a day or two, the wood in the canoe swells and the joints become very tight indeed. That said, a large sponge is a standard piece of equipment in these canoes.

Clinched Tack Construction

Double-Plank – Dan Herald was another of the inventive canoe builders in the Peterborough region of Ontario. He patented his ‘double-plank’ construction method in 1871. This method employs a solid wood form sheathed with metal. White cedar planks are steam-bent transversely (from one side of the canoe to the other) and are fitted together with butt joints. Next, cotton muslin or canvas soaked in pine tar is laid on top of the first layer of planks. The treated cloth helps waterproof the canoe. The next step in this method is to place a second layer of thin, white cedar planks onto the form. These planks run longitudinally and are attached to the first layer of planks with small, thin copper tacks (later simply referred to as ‘canoe tacks’). The tacks are driven into the wood with a cobblers hammer. They hit the metal sheathing on the form and curl back on themselves to clinch the wood together.

Capped Gunwale – A number of salmon fishing guides and canoe builders lived and worked along the Penobscot River in Maine in the late 1800’s. They worked with and often built birch bark canoes. They had become used to using canvas (waterproofed and painted) to cover their canoes and keep them watertight. It appears they heard about Dan Herald’s double-plank construction method in the mid- to late 1870’s and started adapting his ideas to create canoes emulating the birch bark canoes in their region. They began building their canoes over solid wood forms sheathed with strips of metal. White cedar ribs (about 2″ or 51 mm wide and 5/16″ or 8 mm thick) are steam-bent over the metal strips on the form. No keelson is used since birch bark canoes do not employ this feature. White cedar planks run longitudinally on top of the ribs and are fitted together with butt joints. The planks and ribs are held together with copper canoe tacks that clinched when they hit the metal strips upon which each rib is bent. The ends of the ribs are attached to hardwood (usually ash) inwales – another feature of birch bark canoes. To emulate the look of bark canoes, the ends of the ribs are either tapered and attached against a chamfered edge of the inwale or they are set into pockets carved into the inwale (usually with a forstner bit). Once most of the canoe is completed, it is removed from the form and turned right-side up. The stems and decks are then installed and the hull construction is completed. Canvas is then stretched over the hull and held in place with canoe tacks. The canvas is then waterproofed with a canvas filler and trimmed along the sheer-line. The look of a bark canoe is completed with the attachment of thin hardwood caps on top of the inwales and thin hardwood outwales used to cover the top edge of the canvas. Evan H. Gerrish has been acknowledged as the first canoe builder in Maine to use this method. Others quickly followed. Among them were Edward M. White, Bert N. Morris and Guy Carleton.

Double Gunwale – By the 1890’s, the look of the gunwales was refined with the development of the ‘double gunwale’ system. The tops of the ribs are still set into pockets in the inwales but the gunwale-cap is no longer used. Instead, the outwales are widened to look very much like those found on canoes built in Ontario. This results in a very elegant look to the gunwales.

Open Gunwale – Bark canoes are held together with tension as the ribs are hammered into place thus wedging the rib-tops between the inwales and outwales. Each fall, the ribs are hammered out of position and the canoe is stored away for the winter. In factory-built canvas-covered canoes, the rib-tops are held permanently inside pockets cut in the inwales. Over time, water is held in the pockets and the moist environment is perfect for the growth of the fungi that cause wood rot. Around 1905, builders developed the ‘open gunwale’ system. This allows water to drain quickly from the canoe and keep the rib-tops rot-free for a longer time. By the mid-19-teens, the entire canvas-covered canoe industry had adopted this system.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Fundamental to any canoe restoration is understanding what you are dealing with. This blog examines a number of ways to answer some basic questions:

1) Who built my canoe?;
2) When was it built?;
3) How was it built?;
4) What supplies and materials were used? and;
5) What did it look like originally?

Mike Wootton asked the WCHA about his Old Town canoe. It was built in 1937 and was shipped to Portland, Maine. The decks, thwarts and seats are oak, the gunwales are spruce and the canvas was painted dark green. He added the Old Town design number 1 as a finishing touch. He then showed it off at the 2016 spring meet of the Northwest Chapter of the WCHA.

WCHA – The first place I go for information about a new restoration project is the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (http://www.wcha.org). They are an amazing resource. One of the things they do is to host an on-line forum. When you ask a question, there are often several people quick to respond with help, advise, guidance and historical information.

Mike Wootton asked the WCHA about his Old Town canoe (serial number 120233). They sent him a scan of the original build record. He used the information to complete the restoration.

Part of the forum is a build record search. They have archived a complete collection of Old Town, Carleton and Kennebec canoe company build records. If you have the serial number from your canoe, they will send you a scan documenting when it was build, the model, colour and style as well as to whom it was shipped.

(photo by the Canadian Canoe Museum)

Canoe Museums – The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario houses a collection over 600 vintage canoes and kayaks from around the world.

(photo by the Canadian Canoe Museum)

In addition, they house a large archive of canoe-related documents. It is worth becoming a member and spending the time to dig through their collections for the information you are looking for.

(photo by Jamie Dunn)

Another source of information is the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum in Spooner. It has a small, yet comprehensive collection of primarily American-built antique canoes.

(photo by the Canadian Canoe Museum)

Both of these museums include workshop facilities and run regular classes teaching canoe restoration techniques. They can also connect you with canoe restorers who have experience dealing with specific types of antique canoe.

It is also worthwhile to venture into every small museum and gallery you come across in your travels. Old canoes often create a focal point in community collections. When you find a canoe you are looking for, ask the curator for permission to measure the canoe and take notes on its construction.

Old canoe company catalogues are sold regularly on ebay and other on-line sites.

On-Line Searches – Once you know the make and model of your canoe, it is often helpful to enter those words into on-line search engines. You never know what may happen to be available for a week or two. Written articles, blog posts and images from boat shows (to name a few) will be available on-line for a limited time. Check on a regular basis to see what is newly posted. Also, see what is being sold on ebay. There may be a listing for exactly the same canoe you are working on. Canoe catalogues are also sold regularly on ebay. If your canoe is an Old Town, and you known the year it was built, it is possible that the catalogue for that year is being sold on-line.

Catalogues – As you begin to plan your restoration, the canoe catalogue for your make, model and year can often provide a wealth of specific information about how your canoe was constructed, the woods used for the various components and perhaps examples of decorative designs painted on the canvas.

The WCHA has developed an impressive collection of historic canoe company catalogues for sale. From their on-line store, you can buy reprints of a wide variety of vintage canoe company catalogues (both Canadian and American). Large collections are also available on USB memory drives. These include: 1) a collection of 73 catalogues from 12 Canadian companies; 2) a collection of 50 Canadian and American companies; 3) a collection of every page of every Old Town Canoe Company catalogue from 1901 to 1993 and; 4) a collection of Thompson Brothers catalogues from 1907 to 1970.

The front cover of the 1978 catalogue for the Chestnut Canoe Company. My client designed the catalogue which turned out to be the last one ever produced.

The Last Chestnut (How research helped bring a canoe back to life) – In 2006, a client came to me with his Chestnut canoe which was in desperate need of restoration. He designed the 1978 catalogue for the company. When asked what he wanted in terms of payment, he requested they build an Indian Maiden canoe for him.

It had been almost 20 years since they last built that model. They found the building form buried in mud behind the factory. They rebuild it and decided to build a special edition series of 300 canoes. They worked out the process by building a prototype and then built the canoe for my client (a special plaque on the bow identifies it as 001 of 300). He took possession of the canoe directly from the factory in December 1978 and they closed the doors behind him. They were out of business.

When the canoe arrived in my shop, many components were missing and I had never seen another like it. In an on-line search, I found an article from the University of New Brunswick talking about a canoe that had been hidden away in the basement of a building on campus. The article identified it as a Chestnut Indian Maiden built in 1978. The university had just donated the canoe to the Wild Salmon Nature Centre in St. Andrews by-the-sea, NB.

My sister and her husband live in Maine about two hours drive from St. Andrews. I told them about my project and asked them to collect dimensions for a number of components on the canoe. They readily agreed and took on the research project as only two wildlife management PhD’s can. A couple of weeks later, I received a package full of photos, measurements, drawings and notes.

My restoration concluded successfully thanks to lots of research.

After publishing the story, I received an email from someone in Toronto. His brother had seen the Indian Maiden on display at the Canadian National Exhibition in the fall of 1978. Apparently, he was the only person to order one. The plaque on the bow identifies it as 002 of 300. To my knowledge, it is the last canoe ever built at the factory.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Of the lesser known canoe manufacturers in Canada, Tremblay Canoes Limited (Les Canots Tremblay Limitée) from St. Félicien, Québec stand out from the crowd. They are well constructed with mahogany trim and their sweet lines make for a lovely paddling canoe.

The specifications I present here are for the standard line of canoes produced by Tremblay known collectively as the Chibougamau canoes. There were six canoes in the Chibougamau line ranging in length from 14’ to 20’. As in all of my blog articles presenting specifications for canoes, I do not present the lines for the hull. I am presenting specifications for anyone faced with the restoration of a Tremblay canoe. As such, it is not a builder’s guide but rather a restorer’s guide. Most of the dimensions can be taken from existing components in the canoe.

One more note: In the later years of production, Tremblay canoes were known for their use of vinyl impregnated canvas (Verolite). Although a couple of canoe builders still use this material, I have yet to find a single canoe restorer who will touch the stuff. The vinyl coating acts as a plastic bag wrapped around the canoe and effectively holds water against the hull for extended periods of time. This lack of ‘breathing’ in the canvas cover results in extensive rot through many (if not most) Tremblay canoes that were paddled on a regular basis.

Inwales – Tremblay inwales are made of mahogany with nicely rounded edges. The ends curve sharply necessitating soaking the wood and heating the wood with hot water. This facilitates the bend through that section. I have repaired inwales that were cracked through the bend originally. Mahogany is temperamental at the best of times.

Outwales – The outwales are also mahogany, but being only 7/16” wide, they do not require heat-bending. For such a thin outwale, they are surprisingly robust. The 3/8” rabbet helps keep the piece stable.

Decks – Tremblay usually made their decks from birch or maple, but I have seen mahogany used as well. They are simple in design but nicely finished.

Keel – If you want to keep the keel as part of the canoe, it is a simple piece to make. Use a piece of hardwood and taper each end gradually to ½” wide. It will accept the brass (or copper) stem-band which is ½” wide.

Ribs – The ribs are simple slats 3/8” thick and 2-1/8” wide. The edges are chamfered 10° on both sides with the top cornered rounded off slightly. There are 1¾” spaces between the ribs.

Planking – Tremblay did a nice job on the planking. The boards are usually 2¾” wide and 5/32” thick.

Seats – The seat frames are made of ¾” birch or maple that is 1-1/8” wide. Both seats are attached to mahogany braces on either side of the canoe with 1½” #8 bronze wood screws. The seats are approximately 2” below the inwale. The body of the seat is laced rawhide done the same way snowshoes were laced.

Thwarts – The thwarts are made of 5/8” birch or maple that is 2” wide. They are simple pieces with no taper. They are attached directly under the inwales with steel 10-24 bronze carriage bolts.

Portage Yoke – If present in your canoe, you will appreciate the lovely shape of this yoke. It is made of ash 5¾” wide tapering to 2¼” at the ends. Like most designs that are pleasing to the eye, it is also very comfortable to use.

Hand Thwarts – These are used as carrying handles on both ends of the canoe. They are positioned about 7” back from each deck. They are made from birch or maple 3/8” thick, 1½” wide and about 13” long with nicely rounded edges.

Here is a specification sheet with most of the components on one page.

All of this (and much more) is described in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

In Canada, the canoes from the Chestnut Canoe Company set the standard by which all others are measured. Now, thirty-nine years after the company went out of business, they are still held up as classic canoe icons. So, how can you identify a canoe as a Chestnut and what makes a Prospector a Prospector?

The Chestnut Canoe Company – William and Henry Chestnut started building wood-canvas canoes in 1897. They bought a canoe in Maine (probably a Gerrish canoe) and made exact copies of it which they then sold out of their father’s furniture business in Fredericton, New Brunswick. They incorporated the canoe business in 1905 which most historians view as the birth date of the company. However, the 1972 Chestnut Canoe Company catalogue proudly celebrated 75 years in business. It seems the company viewed its birth as 1897. Be that as it may, the company grew into the largest canoe manufacturer in Canada and, at their height, were producing in excess of 3,000 canoes/year. In 1923, Chestnut Canoe Company and Peterborough Canoe Company (and later Canadian Canoe Company) amalgomated under an umbrella group called Canadian Watercraft Limited. As a result, the wood-canvas canoes for all three companies were built in Fredericton by Chestnut. The Peterborough Canoe Company ceased operations in 1961 while the Chestnut Canoe Company continued until it closed in 1978.

Chestnut produced over 50 different canoes in a wide variety of models. In this article, I will focus on the most common Chestnut canoes — Ogilvy, Cruiser, Bobs Special, Pal and Prospector.

The Chestnut Ogilvy – Although never as popular as the others, fishing guides on the salmon rivers of New Brunswick helped create a working canoe that is unmatched for its purpose. They needed a river canoe they could stand up in all day long. They were often poling the canoe upstream through shallow rapids in order to offer the prime fishing spots to their clients. The canoe had to be stable and tough with a shallow draft so as to avoid many (but not all) of the rocks. They come in six models that range in length from 16’ to 26’ – real, honest working canoes.

The 16’ model has a 36” beam and 13½” depth at the centre. The ribs are 3” wide, 3/8” thick and have only ½” space between them. This creates what amounts to a double-planked hull. The rugged nature of the Ogilvy comes with a price in terms of weight. The 16’ has an average weight of 84 pounds and a carrying capacity of 850 pounds. It has a flat-bottomed hull, straight sides, full entry lines and modest rocker in the ends. This makes for a canoe that is slow and steady – exactly what is needed when moving through shallow, rapid rivers.

The Chestnut Cruiser – This canoe was one of the first canoes that Chestnut developed. It was influenced very heavily by (if not copied directly from) Gerrish canoes built in Maine in the late 1890’s. The lines are sleek, narrow and graceful – designed to handle rivers with speed and efficiency. This narrow canoe has an arched bottom, fine-entry lines and generous rocker at the ends. Therefore, it was not for the novice paddler. However, in the hands of someone who knows what to do, this canoe is a dream to paddle.

Three models are 16’ 17’ and 18’ long. The ribs are 2-3/8” wide, 3/8” thick with 2” spaces between the ribs. The 16’ model has a 34” beam, is 13” deep and weighs 70 pounds. They are also built with ribs 3” wide, 3/8” thick and ½” spaces between the ribs. These heavy-duty models are called the Guide Special. The 16’ model weighs 75 pounds. Both 16’ models have a carrying capacity of 600 pounds.

The Chestnut Bobs Special – This 15′ canoe is one of two lightweight pleasure canoes built by Chestnut. Before I talk about the canoe, I’d like to clarify the name. According to Roger MacGregor in his book “When the Chestnut was in Flower”, Henry and Will Chestnut were real history buffs. The telegraph code for the 15’ 50-Lb. Special was BOBS and made reference to Lord Roberts, a major figure during the Boer War in South Africa. Over the years, as this wide, light-weight canoe became more difficult to keep under the weight limit of 50 lbs (the average weight is 58 pounds while the carrying capacity is 700 pounds), they changed the name. I have seen a variety of Chestnut catalogues call it “Bob’s Special”, “Bob Special” and “Bobs Special”. So, feel free to take your pick.

Many outdoor enthusiasts were looking for a lightweight, stable canoe that would allow them to enjoy fly fishing or just a quiet paddle on the lake. With a 37” beam and 12½” depth at the centre, the Bobs Special is very stable — ideal for those who find a regular canoe too ‘tippy’. At the same time, it is surprisingly quick and maneuverable in the water. This is due to the shallow-arch bottom combined with moderate rocker and fine entry lines in the ends. The ribs are 2-3/8” wide and ¼” thick with 1½” spaces between them.

The Chestnut Pleasure Canoes – It is no accident that Bill Mason used a 16′ Chestnut pleasure canoe in most of his films. It is stable, yet quick; steady, yet agile. It has a 36” beam, 12¾” depth at the centre, weight of 72 pounds and a carrying capacity of 700 pounds. It is as close to being a perfect recreational canoe as you ever hope to get. It had a variety of names over the years and was one of the Chestnut pleasure canoes which also came in 14’ and 15’ lengths. Until 1958, the 16’ pleasure canoe (called the Ajax or Moonlight) had a 34” beam. Then, the mould was widened. The economy version of the 16’ pleasure canoe had been called the Pal for several years (from about 1954). The pleasure canoes came in both narrow and wide versions until about 1960 when the wider versions were adopted exclusively. Over the years, the ribs of the pleasure canoes came in two different sizes – either 1½” wide and 3/8” thick with 1½” spaces between ribs or 2-3/8” wide and 3/8” thick with 2” spaces. The 16′ was called the Pal or the Deer, the 15′ was called the Chum or the Doe and the 14′ was called the Playmate or the Fox.

The bottom has a shallow-arch hull with tumblehome extending through the entire length of the canoe. The fine entry lines and moderate rocker make it very easy to paddle. In his film, “Path of the Paddle: Solo Whitewater”, Bill Mason demonstrated very well that the Pal (or Deer) was not designed for Class 3 rapids. But, that didn’t stop him from trying. The Pal (or Deer) is a great general-purpose canoe and was the canoe of choice for many generations of canoeists – even if many of them called it a Chestnut Prospector.

The Chestnut Prospector – This is the real deal – often copied, never matched. A quick search on the internet produces at least ten modern canoe companies with a “Prospector” in its catalogue. However, the Chestnut Canoe Company invented this winning combination. With high sides, substantial arch in the bottom and lots of rocker in the full ends, it is designed to transport heavy loads quickly through rapid rivers and large, challenging lakes. It is essentially a deeper, wider Cruiser and is still regarded as the ultimate wilderness tripping canoe. Like the Cruiser, many people unfamiliar with these canoes find it a little “tippy”. The round bottom of the Prospector makes for a “shaky” feel when you first get in. However, it becomes much more stable as weigh is loaded into the canoe — making it perfect for extended trips. It also settles into a stable position when heeled over to one side. As a result, many people love it as a solo canoe.

They were made in five lengths from 14’ to 18’. The 16’ model has a 36” beam and a 14½” depth at the centre. The 16’ model weighs 76 pounds and carries 850 pounds. Although there is good tumblehome at the centre, the hull flares about 4’ from the ends in order to throw water away from the canoe while hitting big waves in rapid rivers. The ribs are 2-3/8” wide, 3/8” thick with 2” spaces between them.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

In my book, This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, I describe how to weave natural cane (rattan) in Chestnut canoe seats. However, most canoe builders used their own weaving pattern for their canoe seats.

The Peterborough Canoe Company (1879 – 1961) installed hand-woven cane seats in many of their wood-canvas canoes as well as many of their all-wood canoes. Their pattern is similar to the six-stage “quick” pattern used by the Chestnut Canoe Company (1897 – 1978). Only the sixth stage in the pattern is different. In the Chestnut pattern, both diagonal weaving stages (fifth and sixth stages) weave under the vertical strands and over the horizontal strands. In the Peterborough pattern, the sixth stage weaves over the vertical strands and under the horizontal strands.

In my book, I describe the full process of preparing the seat frames, preparing the cane and handling the cane during the weaving process. Here I will present the basic look of each stage and give details for the sixth stage only for the Peterborough pattern.

First Stage ̶ Vertical strands

Second Stage ̶ Vertical strands arranged beside the strands of the first stage

Third Stage ̶ Horizontal strands

Fourth Stage ̶ Horizontal strands arranged beside the strands of the third stage

Fifth stage – Diagonal strand woven under the vertical strands and over the horizontal strands

Sixth stage – Begin the pattern in the empty corner on the transverse rail of the seat. Feed one end of the cane strand through the corner hole from the top-side to the under-side. Secure the strand-end in the usual manner. Secure the strand in the corner hole with a caning peg on the top-side.

Trim the working-end of the cane strand to create a sharp point. This makes weaving easier. Make sure the shiny side of the strand faces up and is not twisted. Start the weaving pattern by going under the diagonal strand next to the corner hole on the transverse rail of the seat. Then, weave over the first set of vertical strands in the pattern and under the first horizontal strands. Continue in this way (over the second set of vertical strands and under the second horizontal strands) until you reach the opposite transverse rail.

Make sure you weave under the diagonal strand on the transverse rail before threading the strand down through the hole. Pull the strand snug (but not tight) and secure the strand with a caning peg.

Continue with this pattern for each diagonal strand as you work toward the empty corner in the bottom transverse rail of the seat frame. As usual, the corner hole has two strands since it is both a hole along the transverse rail and the side rail. The strand going into the corner hole as part of the transverse rail strands weaves under the final diagonal strand before entering the hole. The second strand from the corner hole begins by weaving over the diagonal strand, then under the first set of horizontal strands and over the first set of vertical strands. Continue in the way until you reach the top transverse rail of the seat frame.

I rarely weave the Peterborough pattern. Consequently, I have to check and re-check my work constantly. I work slowly and carefully to ensure that my mistakes are made as quickly as possible.

Complete the sixth weaving stage at the corners of the seat. Make sure the strand weaves under the diagonal strand from the transverse rail and over the diagonal strand from the side rail.

Complete the seat weaving with the usual “couching” to cover the holes in the seat frame. The couching is held in place with loops of cane in every second hole around the seat frame.

Complete instructions on seat caning (and much more) are available in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

If there is an area of controversy in the world of wood-canvas canoes, the question of the keel would be it.

Historically, canoes (and kayaks for that matter) never had keels. Edwin Tappen Adney documented hundreds of indigenous water craft throughout North America in the early part of the 1900’s. His meticulous notes, drawings and scale models are presented in the book “Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America”. It was compiled and edited by Howard Chappelle after Adney’s death. The canoes and skin boats range from small hunting boats around 11’ (3.35 meters) in length to large cargo vessels over 36’ (11 meters) long. None of these vessels had a keel.

As people of European ancestry came in contact with canoes through the 1800’s and tried to build them, they tended to approach the task of boat building from a European perspective. For them, building a boat begins with a keel. The rest of the vessel is built around it. As canoes became a commodity for the general public, canoe builders also had to appeal to a market that didn’t trust a boat unless it had a keel. Many people unfamiliar with canoes feel unstable in them and have trouble travelling in a straight line. As a result, most canoes sold in the better part of the 20^th century were equipped with a keel. However, it is interesting to note that true working canoes built at the same time (such as the Chestnut Prospector, Cruiser and Ogilvy) were usually keel-free.

The Chestnut Ogilvy was designed to be stable. The wide, flat bottom allows a person to stand up in it all day long. A true working river boat, it never had a keel. Safe travel in rapid rivers requires a canoe that can side-slip easily to avoid encounters with large rocks. A keel makes this maneuver more difficult and puts the canoeist at risk.

To look at it from a design perspective, the stability of a canoe is determined by the hull shape. Wider canoes – 36” (90 cm) or more – with flat bottoms tend to have greater “initial stability”(feel more stable when you first get in them) than narrow canoes – 34” (85 cm) or less – with arched bottoms. What is gained in stability with a wide, flat bottom is lost in hull speed and vice versa (what is gained in hull speed with a narrow, arched bottom is lost in stability). Attaching a strip of wood an inch (2.5 cm) high to the bottom of a canoe does little to affect stability one way or the other.

The Chestnut Prospector was designed to dance around rocks in rapid rivers. Although it has a more rounded bottom than the Ogilvy, the tumblehome and high sides in the centre of the canoe gives it very good “secondary stability” (gets more stable as you add weight to the canoe). When the Chestnut Prospector it is tipped over on one side, it becomes stable in that position. Also, the waterline width increases as more weight is loaded into the canoe. Greater width at the water-line equals more stability.

Tracking – the tendency of a canoe to travel in a straight line – is determined by its length. The longer the waterline length, the better the canoe tracks in the water. Note here that I refer specifically to the waterline length rather than the canoe’s length overall. The hull of a Chestnut Prospector lifts dramatically at the ends. As a result, an unloaded 16’ (4.9 meters) canoe will only be about 14’ (4.2 meters) long at the waterline. What is gained in maneuverability in a shorter waterline length is lost in tracking and vice versa (what is lost in maneuverability in a longer waterline length is gained in tracking). If you are simply looking for a canoe that will travel in a straight line, get a long canoe – 17’ (5.2 meters) or more – with no rocker. If you want your canoe to be able to dodge rocks in a rapid river, choose a canoe with lots of rocker at the ends – and no keel.

Functionally speaking, most canoes are designed to navigate rivers. The rivers of northern Canada present the traveler with many challenges – chief among them; rapids filled with large rocks. The Chestnut Pal was equipped with a “shoe” keel. At 3/8″ (9 mm) high and 2¼” (57 mm) wide, it provided protection to the bottom without interfering with the canoe’s ability to sideslip past rocks in rapid rivers.

In lakes, many people complain that a canoe without a keel will be blown around by the wind. Again, it comes back to learning how to handle the canoe. When travelling on a large lake with the wind in your face, the canoe must be loaded with a majority of the weight in the forward half of the canoe. It will always tend to “weathervane” – that is, it will orient itself with the lighter end downwind. As long as the weight of the canoe is slightly upwind, the canoe will track easily into the wind.

Speaking as a canoe restorer, I wince slightly whenever I finish preparing a beautifully watertight canvas cover and then proceed to drill a dozen or more holes straight down the centerline of the canoe. I solve the watertight issue by using a top quality marine bedding compound to set the keel. Eventually, the bedding compound dries out and/or the keel is jarred by one too many encounters with rocks in rivers. When the seal is broken, the canoe begins to leak. It is difficult, if not impossible, to remove the keel without damaging the canvas. Therefore, when the canoe starts to leak, it is usually time to for a new canvas.

If the question of keels in canoes were strictly one of form and function, there would not be a discussion – a canoe is a water-craft designed to travel on rapid rivers, and as such, is better off without a keel. You only have to look at any modern Royalex or Kevlar canoe on the market. None of the canoes built today have keels. However, in the world of wood-canvas canoes, there is more to consider. Many people have grown up with their canoe. It is part of their life and part of their family. Their canoe has had a keel for fifty years, so it seems only natural that it stays that way. In this context I say, “Fair enough.” It turns out that wood-canvas canoes are more than form and function. They must be seen in the context of family history and tradition. For this reason, I have no problem re-installing a keel in a wood-canvas canoe.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Many “fancy” antique wooden canoes have beautiful up-swept sheer-lines at the ends. The curved end profile in many canoes built by canoe companies such as Old Town, Kennebec, Robertson, Monohon, Canadian, Lakefield and Peterborough elicit gasps of admiration from passersby and groans of despair from would-be canoe restorers. Let’s look at the Model 44 all-wood cedar-strip canoe built by the Peterborough Canoe Company (1879-1961).

Generally speaking, long decks are comprised of several distinct components. In addition to the deck itself, there is a king plank which covers a central joint and a coaming which covers the end-grain of the deck components. Some of these decks are built around a frame which is then covered with a thin veneer. In the case of Peterborough and other companies based in Ontario, the deck is built with solid wood.

When I started restoring this canoe, it looked fairly good considering that it was 87 years old. However, I had my doubts about the integrity of the decks and suspected to discover some issues there.

Sure enough, the decks were full of rot and had to be replaced. Each deck was comprised of two pieces of butternut (white walnut). They were braced together from below by two pieces of hardwood. The joint between the deck pieces was covered by a cap of white oak and the end grain was covered by a white oak coaming. When disassembling the deck system, make notes and diagrams of every component and screw. Make sure you know exactly what every part is and where it fits in the system. Many of the original screws are impossible to source now, so keep them, clean them and reuse them.

The original butternut sections were bent to fit the up-turned profile of each end. Sourcing four-quarters (4/4) butternut in boards 8″ (20 cm) wide is a challenge. I was able to locate a supplier in Pennsylvania. The inside edge of each half of the deck had an 8° angle to create a gentle arch to the entire deck. The first step in the construction was to cut that angle into the new butternut planks. It is absolutely essential that the camber be cut before anything else is done.

Now, build solid wood forms for steam-bending the butternut. Each half of the deck requires both a top and a bottom form of solid wood. The new wood is soaked and steamed before it is placed between the two halves of the bending form. The forms are them pressed together and held there until the newly bent wood dries. To build the forms, transfer the curve of the deck directly from each half of the deck onto ¾” plywood. Add a bit more curve to the forms (about 1/2″ or 13 mm) to compensate for spring-back in the wood when it is released from the bending press. Cut the shape of the bending forms from pieces of plywood. Laminate a number of identical pieces together until you create a solid form that is wide enough to accommodate the new wood. In this case, I created top and bottom forms for each side of the deck — four components all together — each 7½“ wide.

Construct a press to hold the bending forms. In this case, I made the press out of 2×6 lumber and used a scissor jack from my car to generate the pressure required in the press. The top and bottom beams were comprised of three 2×6’s and a piece of ¾” plywood. The entire press was glued and screwed together for maximum strength. This system only allowed one half of one deck to be done at a time. Each piece of new butternut was soaked for two days, steamed for an hour and then placed in the press for two days. It took almost two weeks to bend all four deck pieces.

Once you have the new wood bent and the curve matches the curve in the original deck pieces. Matching the curve in the new deck pieces to the curve in the original decks may take a number of attempts (with adjustments to the curve in the bending forms). Don’t expect the curves to match the originals after the first attempt. Once the new wood matches the original curved pieces, draw reference grid lines at 2” (5 cm) intervals onto each piece of the original decks. Measure the distance from the centre line of the deck piece along each reference line to the outer edge of the deck. Transfer these measurements onto the new deck pieces. Next, cut the outside edge of each piece on a band saw. In this case, the outside edge was also angled. It is important to copy that angle from the original deck pieces onto the new wood. Cut just outside the line to allow for final fitting in the canoe.

Assemble the two halves of each deck with the original brace pieces on the underside of each deck. If the brace pieces are weak, make exact replicas with the originals as templates. Jointing the two halves of each deck takes a great deal of careful shaping and fitting to create a surface on the underside which is an exact copy of the original. In this case, I ended up making both decks twice. During my first attempt, I rushed into shaping the top surface of the decks without checking the underside surface against the original deck pieces. I discovered – too late – that both the top and bottom surfaces of the decks are shaped in very precise and complex ways.

With the underside shaped and braced, dry fit the decks into the canoe. In the Model 44 Peterborough, the end of each deck fits into a notch in the inner stem. Make that notch as the first step in fitting the deck. In the Model 44 Peterborough, three ribs fit into notches in the underside of each deck on each side. Line up these notches and cut notches in the new decks using a dovetail saw, a chisel and a mallet. The final assembly of each deck includes a coaming that covers the end-grain of deck at a precise location in the canoe. Mark this position and draw the curve of the deck onto the new wood using the original coaming as a template.

Cut the curve of the deck on the band saw. In the Model 44 Peterborough, there is an angle to the curved face of the deck which must be copied from the original.

While the decks, prepare the deck coaming pieces as well as the deck-caps. Cut new wood for these pieces and plane them to the thickness of the originals. Then, build steam-bending forms for the coaming pieces. Next, soak and steam-bend the new wood. In this case, the original coaming pieces were white oak. In early (circa 1900) canoes, the coamings and deck-caps were mahogany. Make sure there is extra height and length in the coaming pieces to ensure that a perfect fit can be achieved in the final assembly.

Fit the deck components through a long and painstaking process of shaping and dry-fitting until everything comes together with precision.

Now, clamp the deck in place and secure it with the original fasteners.

Begin shaping and sanding the top surface of the deck by making a flat surface for the deck-cap that will cover the centre-line joint.

Shape and sand the deck into the graceful curves of the canoe. Use a random-orbital sander in progressions from 60-grit sandpaper to 120-grit and then 220-grit. Wet the top surface of the deck with water to raise the grain of the new wood. Once dry, use hand-sanding in progressions from 320-grit to 400-grit and finally 600-gir to polish the wood satin smooth. I complete the sanding by using a piece of paper from a brown-paper bag to get a delicious, glossy finish. The craft paper in a brown-paper bag is the equivalent of 1200-grit sandpaper. Next, stain the new wood to match the colour of the original wood in the rest of the canoe.

Attach the coaming pieces with 1.25″ (32 mm) #8 silicon-bronze round-head slot wood screws. Attach the deck-cap with ¾” 16-gauge silicon-bronze ring nails or copper canoe nails.

The final finishing is the usual process I have described in previous blog articles as well as my book.

Be sure to get your copy of my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Many fancy canoes have “pretty” end profiles. Canoes such as the Old Town HW, Yankee, Charles River and OTCA models are familiar examples along with those made by Kennebec, B.N. Morris and J.R. Robertson (to name a few) all sport distinctive characteristics. The stems curve back in a semi-circle or extend forward to produce a long “torpedo” shape. The sheer-line curves to produce high ends in the canoe. This high sheer-line means that the solid wood in the decks must be bent to follow the curve. Also, the ends of the inwales and outwales must also be bent to match the sheer-line curve.

Restoring canoes with high sheer-lines can be very challenging. I replaced the outwales in a Chestnut Indian Maiden. The extreme bend required to follow the sheer-line necessitated building a custom bending mold for the outwales.

When forcing such a large bend in outwales, they have a tendency to twist or collapse. To avoid this, prepare a support batten that fits in the outwale rabbet. Make the bending form wide enough to accommodate both outwale-ends at the same time. You have an “outwale sandwich” with the support battens in the middle. The bending form must allow have enough “over-bend” to allow for some “spring-back” when the wood is released from the form.

Follow the instructions for making and bending outwales that are presented in my book. Soak the wood (usually ash, white oak or mahogany) for three days — this includes the support battens as well as the outwales. Clamp the outwale sandwich into the curved end of the form. Then, pour boiling water over the soaked wood and bend the outwale sandwich onto the form. Firm, steady pressure brings the wood into place on the form. Allow the wood to dry for about a week before releasing it from the form.

Attaching new planks to the ends of the canoe requires two people. I had an assistant hold a small axe-head against the ribs on the inside of the canoe at the ends while I hammered the tacks. The axe-head is an improvised clinching iron that can fit into the narrow ends of the canoe.

Fit the newly bent outwales onto the canoe and sand them smooth. This makes sure the edges of the outwales fit exactly with the curve of the inwales and decks. Remove the outwales and apply stain, shellac and varnish as per the instructions in my book. Once completed, your fancy wood-canvas canoe is a delight to behold.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

As I was completing the restoration of an 18′ Chestnut Prospector Vee-Stern canoe for a client, he asked me to create a wood-canvas canoe field repair kit for him. He lives in Whitehorse and plans to use the canoe on hunting trips in the Yukon. A few basic supplies along with a hammer, a screwdriver and the ubiquitous roll of duct tape are all you need to hold your canoe together until you get out of the bush and back to civilization.

The kit fits into a small food container (900 ml or 30.4 fluid ounces) and consists of the following items:

a piece of #10 (14.5 ounce) canvas 12″x12″ (30 cm x 30 cm)
10′ (3 meters) of 3/16″ rawhide lacing (babiche)
a tube of waterproof glue (Ambroid glue is no longer available but you can use a polyurethane glue instead)
30 – 3/4″ (19 mm) brass canoe tacks
20 – 3/4″ (19 mm) silicon bronze 14-gauge ring nails
12 – 1″ #8 silicon bronze flat-head square-drive wood screws
a small container of alkyd enamel paint

You also need to pack a clinching iron (auto-body dolly) in order to clinch the tacks when the time comes to use them. Most of the supplies are self-explanatory except for the babiche. It is very useful for lashing a broken thwart back together or holding a make-shift thwart (tree branch) in place. Soak the babiche for about 6 hours, do your lashing and let it dry overnight. The babiche will tighten and hold anything without fail.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Many of the original canoe builders in the USA (Old Town, Carleton, Rushton, Morris, White ̶ to name a few) used a standard 6-stage warp-and-weft pattern in their seats. Here are instructions on how to weave this pattern. For this demonstration, I made new cherry seat frames for a 1905 J.H. Rushton Indian Girl.

First Stage ̶ Vertical strands

Second Stage ̶ Horizontal strands strung across the strands of the first stage

Third Stage ̶ A second set of vertical strands set next to the first set. These vertical strands create what weavers refer to as the “warp”. To this point, each set of strands is set on top of the previous set without any weaving.

Fourth Stage ̶ A second set of horizontal strands woven next to the first set. In this example, start on the right side rail. You will notice, moving from right to left, the first horizontal strand passes under the first vertical strand and over the second. In order to lock all four strands in a woven pattern, the second horizontal strand is woven over the first vertical strand and under the second. This creates what weavers refer to as the “weft”. Weave the strand over and under three or four pairs of vertical stands. Then, pull the entire strand through. Pull the strand firmly but not tight. Make sure that the strand is woven with the shiny side up and is free of twists. This process is hard on the cane. The tight bends required to weave this stage causes the cane to crack or even break on a regular basis. Be prepared to redo a strand if it breaks.

Continue weaving small sections of the first strand until you get to the left side rail. Pass the strand down through the hole to the underside and come up through the next hole in the left side rail and hold it in place with a caning peg. Now, continue the pattern by weaving from left to right.

This process is very slow. As you get more strands woven in the fourth stage of the pattern, use your fingernails to adjust the positions of the various strands until they are arranged more or less evenly.

Fifth stage – Diagonal strand woven under the vertical strands and over the horizontal strands. In this example, I started in the top right-hand corner and wove the strand under the first set of verticals and over the first set of horizontals. The pattern continues moving from right to left and from top to bottom. As with all weaving in these patterns, work in small sections of three or four strands before pulling the entire strand through. Check your work frequently in order to catch mistakes before you get too far into the pattern.

As you continue this diagonal stage, weave two strands into the corner hole.

Continue the pattern, until you have a complete set of diagonal (/) strands.

Sixth stage – Begin this stage in the empty corner on the transverse rail of the seat. In this example, it is the top left-hand corner. Trim the working-end of the cane strand to create a sharp point. This makes weaving easier. Make sure the shiny side of the strand faces up and start the weaving pattern by going under the diagonal strand next to the corner hole on the transverse rail of the seat. Then, weave over the first set of vertical strands in the pattern and under the first horizontal strands. Continue in this way (over the second set of vertical strands and under the second horizontal strands) until you reach the opposite transverse rail.

Continue with this pattern for each diagonal (\) strand .

The final step in the seat weaving is to do the usual “couching” to cover the holes in the seat frame. The couching is held in place with loops of cane in every second hole around the seat frame.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

While restoring a 1905 J.H. Rushton Indian Girl canoe, I made new seat frames and wove natural cane (rattan) in a standard 6-stage warp-and-weft pattern. What makes these seats special is the trapezoidal stern seat. Weaving this seat has a number of unique challenges.

The Rushton seats are made of cherry stock 3/4″ thick and 1¾” wide. The holes are set ½” from the inside edge of the frame and are drilled with a 13/64″ bit. The holes on the top and bottom rails are approximately ¾” centre-to-centre while the holes in the side rails are set at 7/8″ intervals.

In my book, This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, I describe the full process of preparing the seat frames, preparing the cane and handling the cane during the weaving process.

In last week’s blog article – September 08, 2017, I gave instructions on how to weave the standard 6-stage warp-and-weft pattern used in Rushton canoe seats (as well as many other builders in the USA).

First Stage ̶ Begin by lacing vertical strands into each side portion of the seat. Anchor one end of the strand in R08 with a caning peg. Be sure to leave 4″ (10cm) of cane extending out of the bottom of the hole. Set a vertical strand from R08 to B15. Lace the strand up through B14 to R04 and anchor the strand with a caning peg. Again, be sure to leave 4″ (10cm) of cane out of the bottom of the hole.

Next, anchor a new strand at T10 and create a set of vertical strands ̶ T10-B13, B12-T09, T08-B11, B10-T07, T06-B09, B08-T05, T04-B07, B06-T03, T02-B05, B04-T01. Complete the first stage by running vertical strands from L08 to B02 and from B03 to L04. Again, be sure to leave 4″ of cane extending out of the bottom of L08 and L04.

Second Stage ̶ Horizontal strands laid on top of the first stage strands. Once these strands are in, tie off the strands left from the first stage.

Third Stage ̶ Repeat the first stage and set these strands next to the first strands. As mentioned in the previous blog, this creates the “warp” in the weaving pattern.

Fourth Stage ̶ Weave these strands next to the second stage strands as per the instructions in the previous blog. This creates the “weft” in the pattern.

Weave through three or four pairs of vertical strands, then pull the entire strand through (firmly but not tight).

Continue until all of the side holes have two strands of cane woven from side to side.

Fifth Stage ̶ Beginning in T10, weave under the vertical pairs and over the horizontal pairs until you reach L11.

Then, weave from L10 to T09 and from T08 to L09.

Skip L08 and weave from L07 to T07, T06 to L06 and L05 to T05.

Continue by weaving from T04 to L03 (skipping L04), L02 to T03 and from T02 to L01.

Starting again at T10, weave over the horizontal pairs and under the vertical pairs until you reach B02 (skipping B01). The next diagonal woven strands in the fifth stage are as follows: B03-R01, R02-B04 and B05-R03.

Next, weave from R03 to B06 (two diagonal strands in R03), then: B07-R04, R05-B08, B09-R06, R07-B10, and B11-R07 (two diagonal strands in R07).

Continue the pattern as follows: R08-B12, B13-R09, R10-B14 and B15-R11. Skipping some holes in the side rails of the seat frame and doubling up in others, allows the fifth stage weaving to work out evenly through the trapezoidal frame.

Sixth Stage ̶ This stage is the same as the fifth stage except the weaving goes over the vertical pairs and under the horizontal pairs. Starting at T01, the pattern is: T01-R11, R10-T02, T03-R09, R07-T04 (skipping R08), T05-R06, R05-T06, T07-R03 (skipping R04), R02-T08, T09-R01.

Starting again at T01, the pattern is: T01-B15 (skipping B16), B14-L01, L02-B13, B12-L03, L03-B11 (two diagonal strands in L03), B10-L04, L05-B09, B08-L06, L07-B07, B06-L07 (two diagonal strands in L07), L08-B05, B04-L09, L10-B03, B02-L11.

The border cane is set around the frame as usual with couching loops of cane in every second hole. Note that both the top and bottom rails have even numbers of holes. Therefore, I set loops of couching cane in T02, T04, T05, T07 and T09. In the bottom rail, I couched the cane in B02, B04, B06, B08, B09, B011, B13, and B15.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Once you’ve got your canoe out of the shed for the season, you’ll need some way of supporting it off the ground when it is not on the water. I can still hear my father saying, in no uncertain terms, “The bottom of this canoe touches two things: air and water”. One of the most convenient support systems is a pair of canoe cradles.

They are quick and simple to build and can be stored easily when not in use. They are also essential tools when repairing or refurbishing your canoe.

For the cradles I build, each one consists of two vertical struts, two base struts, two horizontal brace struts, two sling clamps and a cradle sling. All you need to build a pair of cradles are:

4 – 8’ 2×4’s (spruce) to make the struts;
A bunch of 2½” deck screws to hold the whole thing together and;
2 strips of material 3½” wide for the slings (I use pieces of carpet or scraps of canvas leftover from a canoe project). I have seen some people use 3/8” rope for the slings.

As far as dimensions are concerned, I find a stable design that still holds the canoe off the ground at a comfortable height have vertical and horizontal struts that are 28” long. The base struts are 24” long and are oriented parallel to the centre-line of the canoe to create stable “feet” for the cradle. The sling material is about 50” long. The clamps are just scrap pieces used to hold the sling material to the vertical struts. These can be about 6” long – whatever you end up with.

To build a cradle, start by creating the two sides. They each consist of a base strut attached to the end of a vertical strut to form a T-shape.

Next, the 28” bottom brace strut is attached between the two sides and the 28” upper brace strut is positioned somewhere in the middle of the vertical strut.

I take a minute to round-off the inside corners of the vertical struts. Otherwise, the sling material wears out quickly and has to be replaced frequently. I use an angle grinder to round the corners, but the same job can be done with a rasp and a little elbow-grease.

Construction of the cradle is completed by attaching the sling by means of the clamps. The whole process takes the better part of an hour for both cradles. If you want to pretty them up a bit, the struts can be rounded off and sanded smooth.

Any cradles that are going to spend a lot of time outside are finished with an opaque oil-based stain to protect the wood.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Wood-canvas canoes are works of art. However, in Canada, they are also working boats. They help their owners navigate large, rapid rivers on a regular basis. In the course of these journeys, the stem-bands will knock against rocks. After a while, the canoe will begin to leak as water seeps in through the screw-holes. I restored a canoe for a client a few years ago and now he brought it back to the shop for a little repair work.

The screws holding the bow stem-band to the hull had worked loose and the seal had broken between the hull and the stem-band.

I started by removing the stem-band. Some of the screws had been worn down to the point where a screwdriver was no longer effective. A cats-paw pry-bar and a mallet popped the stem-band off in short order. The stem-band was set aside to be re-installed later.

The location of every screw-hole was marked with a grease-pencil.

Small pegs were whittled from a scrap piece of cedar. The pegs were dunked in water, coated with polyurethane glue and tapped into the screw-holes with a mallet. The glue was allowed to cure overnight.

Each of the cedar pegs was cut flush with a Japanese cross-cut saw.

The entire painted surface of the canvas was sanded with 120-grit paper on a random-orbital sander. Most of the bottom was scuffed and/or gouged by encountered with rocks. The sanding smoothed out the surface and prepped it for a fresh coat of paint.

The stem-band was re-installed with new bronze screws (in this case, ¾”- #4 flat-head, slotted screws). It was sealed with Dolfinite marine bedding compound and allowed to set overnight.

The outwales were masked with tape before a fresh coat of oil-based alkyd enamel paint (thinned 12% with paint thinner) was applied with a disposable foam brush.

The masking tape was removed about an hour after the paint was applied. Any paint that ended up on the outwales was removed with a little paint thinner on a clean rag.

The entire restoration process is described in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Speaking strictly in terms of form and function, canoes and keels don’t belong together. Canoes are designed to sideslip easily in large, rapid rivers in order to avoid various obstacles along the way. However, wood-canvas canoes have often been part of the family for decades. In this context, they must also be seen through the lens of family history and tradition. Many wood-canvas canoes were built with a keel installed and that is the way the owner wants it to remain. For this reason, I have no problem re-installing a keel in a wood-canvas canoe.

Most keels were removed at the beginning of the restoration project and are being re-installed. Therefore, the first step is to clean it and remove old paint and bedding compound. This is usually a two-step process. I start with an angle grinder set up with a 24-grit sanding disk. This cuts through the worst of the old material and gets down to the original wood. Care must be taken in order to remove only the old paint and bedding compound. Finish the job with a random-orbital sander set up with 80-grit sandpaper. This removes any marks made by the grinder and creates a smooth surface for new bedding compound and paint.

Having just spent a lot of time and effort creating a waterproof canvas cover, it seems a little strange to then poke a dozen or more holes through the bottom of the canoe. It is essential, therefore, to use a bedding compound that seals the keel to the canoe, creates a waterproof barrier and stays flexible for decades.

Having tried a variety of products, I have returned to the old school. Dolfinite 2005N Natural Bedding Compound is a linseed oil-based compound with the consistency of peanut butter. It is the same as the bedding compounds used a century ago. Unlike more modern compounds (such as 3M 5200 or Interlux 214) it stays flexible for the life of the canvas (several decades), seals well, accepts paint well and yet allows the keel to be removed from the canvas if necessary some years down the line.

Most canoes use 1” (25 mm) #6 flat head silicon bronze screws combined with brass finish washers. Begin by driving one screw into each end of the canoe. Turn the canoe on its edge to allow access to the bottom of the canoe inside and out at the same time. This is where it is useful to have the canoe set up on two canoe cradles.

With one screw at each end, move to the outside of the canoe and line up each screw with the original holes in the keel. Use a permanent-ink marker to show the position of the keel on the canvas. Then mark the location of the screw where it comes through the canvas and mark the location of the screw hole on the side of the keel to facilitate attachment later.

Apply bedding compound generously to the keel with a putty knife. Any excess will be cleaned up later. For now, it is more important to ensure a good seal along the entire length of the keel. Then, open the original screw-holes at each end to make it easier to find them.

Not everyone has my “wingspan” – 79” (200 cm) from finger-tip to finger-tip – so not everyone can hold the keel in place with one hand and drive the screw with the other at the same time. Installing a keel is normally a two-person job. Get someone to line up the original holes in the keel with the screws coming through on the outside of the canoe while you drive the screws from the inside. Sometimes, the original holes in the keel have been stripped. In this case, use larger diameter 1” (25 mm) #8 screws to secure the keel. If the keel has warped a little, you may need 1¼” (32 mm) screws to draw it tight to the canoe. In this situation, especially with Chestnut and Peterborough shoe keels (3/8” thick), the screws may go right through the keel and poke out on the outer surface. That will be dealt with later.

Once both ends are attached, check to make sure that the keel is properly lined up with the centre of the canoe. Once aligned, drive the rest of the screws along its full length. Usually, it is necessary to apply some pressure on the keel in order for the screws to catch properly. Sometimes, I need to get under seats to drive the screws. This is where a flexible drill extension comes in very handy. Most of the time however, I have removed the seats to refinish or re-cane them, so access to all of the screw-holes along the canoe’s centre-line is not a problem.

Remove excess bedding compound from the edges of the keel and apply more to areas that are not completely sealed. Remove any bedding compound stuck to the canvas using medium steel wool soaked in lacquer thinner. Use a file to take care of any screw-tips poking through the keel. Finally, let the bedding compound cure for a few days before applying paint.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Sometimes, in the course of your restoration, you may discover a cracked rib in your canoe. The damage may not warrant replacement of the entire rib or you may want to strengthen the rib while preserving as much of the original canoe as possible. In this case, a back-side rib repair is your best option.

Start by removing the planks to expose the area on the rib to be repaired.

With a permanent ink marker, draw the boundaries of the repair and the shape of the “dish” that will be carved out on the back-side of the rib.

Use a belt sander to dish out the back-side of the rib around the crack.

Shape a new piece of cedar that is slightly longer than the repair area. I don’t have a disc sander, so I use my belt sander turned upside-down.

Work in small stages, checking regularly, until the convex profile of the new cedar matches the concave profile dished out on the original rib.

I find polyurethane glue creates a very strong, waterproof bond. Wet the new cedar as well as the dished out area on the original rib. Apply glue to both surfaces.

Clamp the new cedar to the original rib and let it cure overnight.

The next day, use a random-orbital sander to shape the repair until the new cedar has the same profile as the original rib before the repair.

When the crack is on a curved section of a rib, the back-side of the rib is sanded flat with a random-orbital sander ̶ removing the curved portion of the original rib around the crack.

When shaping the new piece of cedar, the glued surface is flat while the top surface is curved to replicate the original rib section.

The new cedar is then glued and clamped as before.

Once the glue has cured overnight, the repair is sanded and shaped to replicate the shape of the original rib.

A back-side rib repair employs a methodology similar to that used in a rib-top repair. Once the new wood is stained to match the original wood, the repair is all but invisible.

The entire restoration process (including rib-top repairs) is described in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

Water tends to collect in the ends of wood-canvas canoes when they are used on a regular basis. This moist environment creates perfect growing conditions for the fungi that cause wood rot. I have described the process of rebuilding the rotted ends of a wood-canvas canoe in my book ̶ This Old Canoe. However, when the canoe is built with a stylish upward sweep in the sheer-line at both ends, the repair job is much more involved. For this discussion, I rebuilt the rotted end of a 1967 Old Town OTCA sailing canoe with sponsons.

Often, the damage is not apparent until the end is taken apart. Only then can you see the rotted inwale-ends and stem-top.

In this canoe, the bow deck was also rotted in the end. There are many ways to approach this repair. Sometimes, all that is required is the application of wood-hardener and two-part epoxy putty. In other cases, a new tip of solid wood can be spliced into the original deck with a scarf joint. However, the damage is most often so severe that an entirely new deck has to be made. In many canoes with highly-curved ends, the solid wood decks (almost an inch thick) are bent to follow the curve in the sheer-line.

I have seen some people make a new deck by carving the curve into a piece of 8/4 (2″ or 5 cm thick) hardwood. Others laminate several thin slices of hardwood together on a form to create the curved deck. In this example, I employed the same methodology used by the original builders ̶ namely stem-bending the curve using a press. The first step is to cut a new deck from a piece of 4/4 (1″ or 25 mm thick) hardwood (in this case I used white oak).

The set-up is comprised of the new deck steam-bent between two solid-wood bending forms. They are both fashioned from a number (in this case, four) of 2×8 pieces of spruce lumber sandwiched together into a 6×8 block (held together with 2½” deck screws). The bottom block has the concave shape of the deck-bend cut into its top surface while the top block has the convex shape cut its bottom.

The curve required to achieve the correct bent in the replica deck is greater than the actual curve. This is due to the fact that a solid piece of wood will spring-back a little once the tension is removed in the press. To save you the trial-and-error process involved in getting the proper curve, I present a diagram that will allow you to get it right the first time.

Pressure for bending the deck is generated with an automotive scissor-jack forcing the bending forms together in the middle of a press-frame constructed from 2×6 lumber. In this case, the inside dimensions of the press are 26½” (67.3 cm) high by 31″ (79.7 cm) wide.

The new deck is left in the press for a week to dry completely. When removed, the new deck has exactly the same bend as the original. Once the deck is ready, new inwale-ends have to be spliced into the original inwales. This will be discussed in part 2 of this blog.

The entire restoration process (including stem-top, inwale-end and deck repairs) is described in my book – This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood Canvas Canoe.
If you live in Canada, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the USA, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE to buy the book.
Si vous habitez en France, CLIQUEZ ICI acheter le livre.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or any other review site.

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
email: artisan@canoeshop.ca

I started describing the process involved in rebuilding the end of a 1967 18′ Old Town Otca canoe in part 1 of this blog. In it, I described how to replicate the deck. Now, I will describe how to rebuild the stem-top and inwale-ends of this canoe.

Unless the stem-top repair is very short, it will require the use of a new piece of ash that is pre-bent to fit the curve of the original stem. Since you are not replicating the entire stem, the curved section can be created by bending the new ash onto any stem-form. I used a stem-form built to make new stems for a 1905 J.H. Rushton Indian Girl canoe. The 4/4 stock was soaked for four days , steamed for 60 minutes and bent over the form with a backing strip. It was left to dry for a week before removing it from the form.

Hold the newly bent stock up to the OTCA stem and shift it around until you find a section that matches the portion to be repaired. Mark the new stock as well as the point on the inwales where the stem meets them. Cut a scarf joint in the original stem and match the scarf joint in the new ash stock. Use polyurethane glue and clamp the new section of stem into the original overnight.

Use an angle grinder fitted with a 24-grit sanding disk to shape the new section roughly to the dimensions of the original. Leave extra material until you are ready to carve the stem-top to its final dimensions near the end of the project.

Since the inwale-ends have to be pre-bent to match the original curve of the sheer-line, the first step is to build a bending form. Clamp a large piece of cardboard to the sheer-line of the canoe at one end.

Use a permanent ink pen to mark the curve of the sheer-line on the cardboard.

Remove the cardboard from the canoe and cut out the sheer-line profile. You now have a template to transfer onto the bending form stock.

The original curve was increased to compensate for spring-back. Here is the diagram of the bending form used for the OTCA gunwale-ends.

I used two pieces of 2×8 spruce held together with 2½” deck screws to create a 3×8 bending form.

The white oak stock is wide enough to create two bent inwales at the same time. Once the stock is bent, it will be sliced into two inwales on the table saw. Soak the white oak stock for three days and steam it for about 60 minutes. Then, you have about 30 seconds to bent it onto the form. The bend is not large, so a backing strip is not required. Allow the wood to dry in the form for about a week.

Use a flexible straight edge (I use a steel rule) and a permanent ink pen to mark the angle of the scarf joint on the original inwale at a location well into solid wood. Also, mark the point at which the underside of the inwale meets the new stem-top.

Use a saber saw or Japanese cross-cut saw to remove the rotted inwale-end along the scarf angle line.

Smooth the scarf angle with a random-orbital sander set up with 60-grit sandpaper.

Cut the newly bent inwale stock on the table saw to create the desired dimensions for both port and starboard inwales.

Hold the new inwale directly under the original inwale and shift it around until you match the bend. Use a permanent ink pen to mark the location of the scarf joint on the new inwale. Check to make sure the new inwale-end meets the new stem-top in the same place as the original. Use a band saw to cut the scarf angle (other saws can do this job, but the band saw is the safest option and gives the best control).

Dry-fit the new inwale-end and clamp it in place.

Use a flexible straight edge and a permanent ink pen to mark the taper in the inwale-end.

Cut the taper in the new inwale-end on the inside surface of the new stock. Be sure to leave extra material in order to allow for precise fitting later. Then, dry-fit the tapered inwale-end.

Sand the inside surface of the new inwale-end until it is a precise fit. I use a belt sander turned upside down.

Create new inwale-ends for both the port and starboard sides. Use polyurethane glue, clamp them in place and allow them to cure overnight.

The next day, cut the new stem-top to length so it fits snugly under the new inwale-ends. I find it best to cut the stem a little long and sand it gradually (checking frequently) until it fits. Then, sand the sides of the stem until it is flush with the outside surfaces of the new inwale-ends. Again, work gradually and check often.

Dry-fit the new deck and make sure everything is lined up with the centre-line of the canoe. Mark the location of the deck and attach it with 1½” #8 flat-head bronze screws (counter-sunk into the inwales).

Use a random-orbital sander and 60-grit sandpaper to bring the deck flush with the top of the inwales.

Cut the inwale-ends flush with the outside surface of the stem. Then, sand the deck and inwales smooth. Complete the project by staining the new wood to match the orginal.

If you have read the book, please post a review on Amazon, Goodreads and/or any other review site.

How To Photograph Wood-Canvas Canoes

A Restorers’ Guide to a Thompson Brothers Ranger Wood-Canvas Canoe

How To Buy or Sell a Wood-Canvas Canoe

The Evolution of Factory-Built Wooden Canoes

How to Get Information About Your Old Wooden Canoe

A Restorer’s Guide to Tremblay Wood-Canvas Canoes

Chestnut Canoes: An Identification Guide to their Wood-Canvas Canoes

Weaving the Peterborough Pattern in Wood-Canvas Canoe Seats

The Keel Question in Wood-Canvas Canoes

How to Rebuild Solid-Wood Long Decks in Fancy Antique Canoes

How To Repair Highly Curved Ends on Wood-Canvas Canoes

How To Assemble a Repair Kit for a Wood-Canvas Canoe

How To Weave a Standard 6-Stage Pattern for Caned Canoe Seats (Old Town, Carleton, Rushton, Morris, etc.)

How To Weave the Stern Seat in a Rushton Indian Girl Wood-Canvas Canoe

How To Build Cradles (Display Stands) for Wood-Canvas Canoes

How to Repair Loose Stem-Bands in a Wood-Canvas Canoe

How to Install a Keel on a Wood-Canvas Canoe

How to Repair Cracked Ribs in Wood-Canvas Canoes

How to Rebuild a Rotted End in an Old Town Otca Wood-Canvas Canoe — Part 1

How to Rebuild a Rotted End in an Old Town Otca Wood-Canvas Canoe ̶ Part 2