Qws 2010

[Dave Wermuth]

Quiet Water Symposium is in the books. Had a great time and got to see many members. Not to mention the small boats. All kinds. Gil canvassed three using the clamp-free method. I especially enjoyed getting to check out a Baker canoe that got new canvas and is being restored to immaculate condition. I took some photos.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

And a few more.

And here are a few more photos.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Great pictures, Dave-- thanks for posting them. I recognize some of the stars of the show...

 

[Dave Wermuth]

and

here are the last two. i shoulda' done better takinng pics. Next year. Especially the canvassing and all the other canoes. I enjoyed seeing all the skin on frame and stitch/glue and strippers. Quite a variety and all high quality. A very well run event. AND I won a door prize-canoe tie downs. And Randy Hunt won Subaru caps/fobs. Got to visit with Debbie Darga and Russ Hicks and Dave McDaniel and Connie, and Wendy and John Kimpel of the Mi chapter, and Gil, and many others. Including Pete Matthews, who gave me pointers on getting a better finish. I even got a private fly casting lesson from a qualified TU instructor.

 

[Denis M. Kallery]

Dave,
Thanks for posting the photos.
Denis

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Dave, clamp free - as in no stretching? regular weight canvas?

 

[woodcanoenut]

Great show

It was a good show. And to see so any WCHA members was wonderful.
I enjoyed getting to say hello to Rob from Canada! Can't wait for the spring paddle when we all can visit , paddle, and make plans for NH. Thanks Russ
for all your hard work through the years. Enjoy retirement!

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Andre'

Clamp free, yes. But still stretch and tug. Gil lays out the canvas on the overturned canoe on sawhorses. He then puts a couple staples in one end thru the canvas into the stem beyond where the canvas will later be split. These staples are later removed. He goes to the other end and pulls it tight by hand (put your foot on the stem and pull) and puts a couple more temporary staples in the other stem. He then works from the middle to the ends as usual. Sometimes you have to remove a couple staples to readjust but that's normal under any circumstances. Once the temporary staples are in, you can put a couple staples amidships and then roll the canoe rightside up or upside down, any way you want. Butter up the ends and fasten as usual. one of the photos shows the normal pucker at the staples along the sheer. Gil makes it look easy. All the while explaining the process. Gil mentioned, and I believe it, that more problems come from stretching too tight than not tight enough. A good trick to eliminate loose spots or large puckers is to wet the canvas with water (spray bottle) and shrink fit with heat gun or a flat iron. Well, that's enough gossipping about Gil. for now.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Ah

I knew I was forgetting something, I wanted to meet Rob in person, and didn't. Rats. Sorry Rob.

 

[Rob Stevens]

Dave, clamp free - as in no stretching? regular weight canvas?

I was somewhat amazed to see the canvas being applied (on 3 canoes) with out significant effort to stretching. Not sure of the weight of canvas, but it was an 18ft canoe. There were no come-alongs or bracing to the ceiling (it was done upside down). It was mostly done manually, without too much visible effort, and the finishing touches done with artists canvas stretcher pliers.

 

[Rob Stevens]

I knew I was forgetting something, I wanted to meet Rob in person, and didn't. Rats. Sorry Rob.

I thought of you while passing through Lapeer, but thought I'd see you at MSU. I was there until 2PM. Guess we weren't wearing big enough name tags?

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Rob, I also didn't get to say hi again, though we were probably standing in the same crowd watching Gil.

Name tags might be a good thing.

Dan

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Rob

I was the good looking one.
Dan was the intelligent looking one.


I think the canvas was number 10 standard stuff.
I think Gil actually does quite a bit of stretching and pulling, by hand. He just makes it look easy. Gil is one tough man for all the work times three.
Oh, and I think it was two 17' and one 16' canoe. Not positve. Where's Gil when you really need him?

 

[Gil Cramer]

It was really great to see so many WCHA members @QWS. It's always nice to talk canoes with old friends and new ones. It was good to meet Dan and Rob in person. Once again, the QWS board did an outstanding job. Russ Hicks, the Michigan Chapter coordinator, has been the QWS executive director for 4 years, and has been instrumental in its success and growth. Thanks Russ and family( they were in charge of door prizes and lots of other things).
Thanks to Debbie Darga for operating the WCHA table, and Mike Darga for helping her and especially for HELPING me with canoe canvassing. It has always been a fun day. Thanks to KK for the end of day refreshment,and Dave, thanks for the photos.
As for canvassing by hand; A lot of Years ago at an assembly, I overheard Harold Gates describe how he canvassed canoes. He claimed that he always placed the canvas next to the furnace overnight and canvassed by hand the next day. One year, Jack McGreivey was on the program demonstrating canvassing by hand.
Some time after that Chris Merigold, Ric Puls, and some other Wisconsin members sailed across Lake Michigan on the ferry to hold the first WCHA Michigan chapter event somewhere along the Ausable close to Red Oak. We "gang" canvassed a canoe. From that, it looked to me as though hand canvassing wasn't too difficult. We did the first hand canvassing demo @ a Michigan Woods and Waters show in Imlay City that fall; Rakwetpaddle , Bud Luce and I. The following day, we filled the canvas with Blue River aircraft dope which eliminated any wrinkles.
Since then, I've helped hand canvas many canoes. Most of the time it has been with #10 canvas, but one 18' guide used untreated #8. Michigan member Skip Gibson and I supervised hand canvassing two 25' war canoes for the Boy Scouts with untreated #4 canvas. Gil

 

[Gil Cramer]

Dave,
The canoes were an 18' guide; a 17' Otca, and a 16' Baker. I didn't provide the canvas, but I believe that it was all untreated #10. Gil