Hey Folks!

My name is George. I have an Old Town Otca 17 that I bought about 21 years ago for $100. and it has been in my basement ever since. it is in decent shape, needs a few ribs and a couple of planks need to be replaced. When i bought it had been store upside down,out side on the ground. So naturally both end decks are rotted as well as the stem heads. The hull was glassed over some years earlier and the glass was failing,and has been stripped off since then. She has been sitting on saw horses waiting patiently for me to find the time to restore her. I've worked on boats most of my life, but could use some pointers on the in and outs of canoe restoration. I want to restore her back to her original condition right down to the original paint color and accents as close as possible. I have the serial # and will submit it for a search shortly. What I do know is it was built some time in the 30's and is AA grade with mahogany trim. Should be a fun project.
Cheers, George

 

Hi George--

The first thing most of the folks here will suggest you do is look up a copy of "The Wood and Canvas Canoe" by Stelmok and Thurlow. It provides a lot of good, basic information you can use as a springboard for your project... and there are many here who will walk you through anything specific to your canoe. You might also discover you are near a chapter of the WCHA or some members who would give you in-person advice and help.

Welcome!

Kathy

 

In addition to asking questions here, there are three good sources of information about canoe restoration which you would do well to get, or at least look at -- "The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance" by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok, and/or "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" by Jerry Stelmok, and "The Old Town Canoe Company" by Susan Audette and David Baker.

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction, and the third is a great history of the company and its canoes. These are available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon. Sue Audette also sells her book directly ( http://www.thebaglady.tv/ ).