1932 Old Town made for Abercrombie and Fitch
- Thread starter tjscheppat64
- Start date
pklonowski
Unrepentant Canoeist
I'm thinking the "threaded brass hole" is the head of the screws that hold the keel onto the hull... perhaps someone got a little too aggressive with the screwdriver?
The build record for this canoe is available at the link below from a previous request. My guess is that the keel was removed and not replaced during the last recanvassing. This is similar to what Paul suggested. The cup washers may have been left behind. Pictures would help.
Benson
Benson
tjscheppat64
Curious about Wooden Canoes
tjscheppat64
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Also, why do you think the build record is so informal compared to others? I wonder what 110186, if it exists, looks like. Or maybe they lost 110185 and hastily replaced it.
The "threaded brass holes" are the cup washers left behind when the sponsons were removed. The "informal" build record is probably due to light colored ink date stamps which didn't show up on the black and white scan. The link below demonstrates another example of this issue. Let me know if this doesn't answer your questions.
Benson
tjscheppat64
Curious about Wooden Canoes
My apologies for the ignorance but what would one do with all these sponsons?
Many people did not know how to swim well in the early 1900s so safety in a canoe was a big concern. Sponsons can help prevent a capsize and add additional boyancy if one occurrs. See https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/55241/ for a description from the 1927 Old Town catalog. Many restorers will omit them when replacing the canvas.
Benson
ALCEDO ATTHIS
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
Air chambers canvassed , fixed by nuts & bolts?
Each sponson is canvased separately and then they are attached with wood screws from inside the canoe. Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.
Benson
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ALCEDO ATTHIS
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
OK it' clear , thank you
I was able to get a color picture of this original build record at the factory yesterday as shown below. The blue ink stamps that were missing on the black and white scan are much more visible on this version.
Benson
Benson
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tjscheppat64
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Thank you so much!!!
MGC
Scrapmaker
Guilty as charged. I have been a sponson (and keel) remover. Somewhere in Northern NY there is a barn and also a carriage house that has a set (in each) of sponsons left for posterity. These were youthful indiscretions. I have since learned to stop buying canoes that have them, or buy sponson canoes that are good enough to "flip" as is.
Sponsons add weight and add a dimension to the hull that makes the canoe awkward to paddle well. They do add buoyancy and (I think) they are especially well suited for a canoe that is used for sailing or one that is located at a camp where it will be used by inexperienced paddlers.
The dirty little secret about these OT's is that the hull that they are attached to is a good one that is greatly improved by their removal.
This particular canoe has not suffered for their removal.
Sponsons add weight and add a dimension to the hull that makes the canoe awkward to paddle well. They do add buoyancy and (I think) they are especially well suited for a canoe that is used for sailing or one that is located at a camp where it will be used by inexperienced paddlers.
The dirty little secret about these OT's is that the hull that they are attached to is a good one that is greatly improved by their removal.
This particular canoe has not suffered for their removal.
