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Specifications for a Chestnut Bobs Special Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes The blogs I do on the specifications of canoe components for various types of canvas-covered canoes seem to be quite popular. Apparently, I am the only one out...
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How to Remove Fiberglass from a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes For those of you new to this blog and have not heard me on this topic, let me be as clear as I can be: To anyone thinking about applying fiberglass to a wood-canvas...
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Zen in the Art of Restoring an Old Wooden Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes A Zen Master and his student were walking together across a bridge when the student asked, “Master, What is Zen?” Before the student had a chance to react, the Zen...
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How To Repair Damaged Rib-Tops in a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes While repairing your wood-canvas canoe, you may come across some ribs that are perfectly good except for a small portion attached to the inwale. Rather than...
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How To Strip Varnish From a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes Without a doubt, the most horrible job in the restoration of a wood-canvas canoe is the process of stripping the old varnish from the interior. It is messy,...
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The Chestnut Pal Wood-Canvas Canoe: A Restorer’s Guide
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes If you are preparing to restore your wood-canvas canoe – especially in Canada – you are often looking at a canoe built by the Chestnut Canoe Company based in New...
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Chestnut Bobs Special For Sale: Adopt This Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes A Chestnut Bobs Special wood-canvas canoe is available “for adoption”. $4,500 to get it restored to your specifications. Let me provide some background...
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Chestnut Prospector For Sale: Adopt This Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes A Chestnut Prospector wood-canvas canoe is available “for adoption”. $4,500 to get it restored to your specifications. Let me provide some background information...
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How to Photograph Your Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes People e-mail 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...
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How Much Is My Wood-Canvas Canoe Worth?
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes Frequently, I get an e-mail from someone who is looking to sell their wood-canvas canoe. Typically, they tell me, “The canoe has been stored under-cover for the...
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How To Bend Wood for a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes One aspect of canoe restoration that seems to confound many people is the process of bending wood. It is puzzling, and sometimes terrifying, until you know what is...
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The Question of a Keel in a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes 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...
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The Wooden Canoe as Third Space
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes On October 23rd, I was a guest speaker at the 2014 BC Museum Association Conference in Penticton. I had the pleasure of delivering my presentation in the beautiful...
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How to Install a Keel on a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes Speaking strictly in terms of form and function, canoes and keels don’t belong together. However, wood-canvas canoes that have been in the family for decades must...
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How to Varnish a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes A little research into traditional wood finishing methods will tell you that, for over a hundred years, there were three basic steps to finishing the interior of...
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How to Canvas a Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes At first glance, stretching the canvas onto the canoe appears to be very tricky – and you would be right. It is a complex process that requires a lot of time and...
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How to Paint your Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes Once the canoe has been canvassed, the filler has been applied and the keel and stem-bands have been installed, it is ready for paint. Here are five secrets for a...
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How to Remove Fiberglass from a Wooden Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes For those of you new to this blog and have not heard me on this topic before, let me be as clear as I can be: To anyone thinking about applying fiberglass to a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Restorer’s Guide to the Chestnut Bobs Special Wood-Canvas Canoe
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes The blogs I do on the specifications of canoe components for various types of canvas-covered canoes seem to be quite popular. Apparently, I am the only one out...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Zen and the Art of Wood-Canvas Canoe Restoration
by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes A Zen Master and his student were walking together across a bridge when the student asked, “Master, What is Zen?” Before the student had a chance to react, the Zen...
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