1947 Old Town 16ft Square Stern

[CraigS]

This boat has been sitting upside down on two cross timbers in my barn loft for 50+ years. I have the serial number and build record, it is the square stern sponson model. The boat belonged to my great grandparents (likely the second owners, we think they acquired it in the mid 1950s), and my Dad and my Uncle grew up using this boat at my great grandparents house on Lake Sunapee with a 1950s Johnson 5.5hp outboard and a set of oars for propulsion (both of which I also have). In the 1970s, my great grandparents gave the boat to my grandfather, and it ended up stored in the loft of his (now my) barn, never to be used since.

I've been eyeing the boat and contemplating getting it fixed up so I can use it with my kids and explore local waters and do some fishing, similar to how it was used in the '60s when my Dad was growing up. This winter, I finally started to evaluate more carefully and built some horses for it and got it out of the loft. Thus far, I've vacuumed out the cobwebs and some of the dust and debris from 50+ years in a hayloft and started looking at condition/needs.

I'm an amateur with respect to wood/canvas boats, but here's what I have deduced so far:

• Canvas - deteriorated and split near the keel at the bow. Must be replaced.
• Stem band - broken
• Varnish - worn away in some places, ugly/failing in some others. Must be stripped for refinish.
• Outwhales/Inwhales - wood is worn from use, but seems sound aside from some dings and gouges.
• Ribs/Planking - I haven't seen any issues with what is exposed thus far, but I am a little concerned about the bow area near the keel. Getting the floor racks out and cleaning up underneath may reveal more.
• Wood overall is very dry and needs to be revitalized

I was hoping that this would be a strip/refinish/re-canvas project with replacing a couple planks if needed. However, my biggest concern as I look at the boat is that the vertical supports under the center of the two middle seats are not perpendicular to the seat or plumb with the boat level side-to-side. Is it possible the entire hull is out of shape to one side? As I look down the centerline of the boat, I don't see anything that visually appears out of shape, but based on the seat support it could be a half inch or so? Should I be concerned about this/am I in over my head? The knees also aren't flush against the seats, which is odd because they are carriage bolted through. Were they likely always like that? My other concern is the hull might be slightly hogged in the middle from being upside down so long - although I would need to run a string or batten along the keel to get a better sense of that. If it is slightly hogged, should I be thinking about trying to fix that or just live with it? Are there any concerns with not addressing any of these potential issues for a user boat (the goal is not for a showpiece)?

I've included a few photos to illustrate what I mean. I think my next step is getting the floor rack out, which probably will require removing the stern seat. Then the whole boat probably needs a good scrub with soap and water once the weather gets a little warmer.

Thanks in advance for any advice/thoughts!

 

[Worth Gretter]

Craig, that is a wonderful project! You don't have some of worst problems, like rotted ends from storage on the ground, or a layer of fiberglass, which is very promising.
I think your idea about the string is a good one. Perhaps also run it straight down the center, with the boat right side up, and take measurements to both sides, to help determine if the hull shape is distorted.
If you have already explored these forums, then you will have seen plenty of discussion about certain areas that will be applicable, such as sponsons, transoms, canvassing, etc.
Thanks for posting pictures -- everyone on this site loves to see the projects that others are working on!

 

[MGC]

Craig, your boat looks pretty good to my eye. I've worked on a few of these, and also my current Thompson. Presuming a good stern, your boat is not going to need an enormous amount of work to get it back to perfect condition. The single most challenging detail to sort out are those sponsons. Unlike a canoe where the common cure is to leave them off, on these hulls they help to keep splash down and also lend the stability you want when you are dealing with a rough lake. If you are fairly handy, your starting point is to carefully start removing the outside rails and those sponsons. Keep very close track of the hardware and also to how things are attached. Put things in zip lock baggies and label them clearly. These projects can stretch out for years, best intentions aside. Once the rails and other stem hardware and keel are removed, take the old canvas off. Take note of how it was attached and where it was calked. A new one will need to go back in it's place.
Before that happens, you will want to strip the old varnish...if it needs to be stripped. I would start out by carefully washing the inside of the boat using TSP and once it dries out, you can then decide if a good sanding will suffice. More often than not, stripping is required, but my little Thompson only needed sanding and 5 fresh coats of quality marine spar.
At some point in the cleaning, stripping, sanding process you will need to pull the seats and brackets. Be sure to put a cinch strap around the hull to hold its shape. If planking needs to be replaced, this is when that will happen.
I would not be too worried about squareness unless there are obvious flaws and even then, unless you take the hull apart quite a bit, you can't do an awful lot to change the center. I use a laser level placed on the floor to check the position of the stem. In a canoe, you can move the stem around when you have the planking off...here it looks like that should not be necessary.
WRT the braces under the seats. be careful trying to move those around. You can split the seats if you don't have those where they belong. More often than not, they are not very square to the hull. These boats, as good as they are, were not built in Rollins shop where those details are carefully attended to.
If all of that is more than you care to do, you can get the boat properly sorted by a nearby shop. There are builders and suppliers listed here on this site. It might be worth getting an estimate on those repairs. That said, this is all work that a handy person can do themselves if they have time and the expectations are realistic.
Good luck! That's a good one.

 

[pklonowski]

Having these boats handed down within the family is special... you're the 4th generation, and your kids will be the 5th. WOW! Very cool...

 

[Dave Osborn]

There have been several posts documenting the restoration of OT Square Stern and Square Stern Paddling Canoes. Different boats, but similar in construction and method to restore. The search function is your friend.
We are here for ya!

 

[CraigS]

Thank you for the prompt replies! This boat definitely doesn't have the typical issues that come from poor storage/abuse. When my great grandparents had it on Lake Sunapee, it lived in a boathouse and spent pretty much all summer in the water, being used pretty extensively. When it left the lake, it moved into the loft of the barn, high and dry and out of the weather, and stored upside down resting on two cross timbers under the gunwhales. The only sad part of the story is it has been sitting there 50 years! Boats are meant to be used and enjoyed on the water. To me, it looks like a perfect boat for packing a cooler and loading up the kids to do some exploring, so I couldn't let it go to auction with many of the other items from my grandfather's estate a few years ago. I'm particularly curious to see how it rows, as it looks like it would handle well and track straight. My sons are more interested in the prospects of motor propulsion...

I really appreciate Worth's expansion of my suggestion with the string. I think my next move will be to do that and take measurements of centerline to inwhale at different sections along the hull - perhaps every 5 ribs or so. I think to check the bottom I will need to go right beside the keel. The keel itself looks like it has been rubbed/worn from some beaching or bottom contact, so the bottom of the keel may not have a straight edge, even if the hull is true and not hogged. The keel also seems to have variable depth from the bottom of the hull - greatest at the stern, and less where it meets the stem.

After I get data on the boat's shape, unless it's really bad (which does not appear to be the case) I will probably proceed as MGC describes with cleaning, stripping, etc. once the weather gets a little warmer. I don't think I've seen original TSP in a store for some time. They all seem to have phosphate free TSP (which I don't get how they can still call it TSP, but they seem to). Is the new stuff as effective? I've never worked on a boat, but I do have some hobby woodworking experience, patience, and determination, so I think I can do this. It also seems like it would be really hard to ruin the boat. As long as I'm diligent with keeping track of hardware and components, it seems like a professional shop could make repairs pretty readily if I reach a point where I decide it's too much.

Dave - I had previously looked at your post on attaching canvas at the stern. A little different from all the procedures I've read for attaching canvas to a traditional double-ended canoe, but looks pretty straightforward. The biggest concern I have about attaching at the transom is preventing leaks. The boat in the photos you included is gorgeous - gleaming hardware and perfect looking varnished wood and glossy topsides. I wasn't really envisioning that level of finish for this project and the intended usage (particularly given the dings in the inwhales and outwhales, but I don't see a need to replace them), but it's nice to see what's possible! I notice in the photos the boat has a trim piece around the transom. Was that added during restoration to allow wrapping canvas around the edge and attaching to the face of the transom? My boat does not have that trim. I also notice on mine that there is a seam between two planks in the transom about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the hull. It shows as a crack in the paint on the transom. Will that disappear with stripping/sanding and refinishing? It looks like at one time the transom was varnished, but was later painted green to match the hull (perhaps to simplify maintenance).

The sponsons do look like the trickiest aspect, and I definitely wouldn't get rid of them. I started looking at ways folks have handled them on regular canoes in the forum, but I think it may make more sense if I see how they come off/apart. Same goes for the canvas on the hull and how it is sealed. I'm sure I will have more questions as I proceed!

I'll post updates with my progress and questions here - seems like a phenomenal resource.

 

[Dave Osborn]

On the boat in the photos, there was an original trim piece on the transom to seal and cover the canvas which was stretched over and attached.
Old Town did canvas to transom attachment in that way or by having a rabbet around the transom and using a fold and tuck attachment in the rabbet. I’ll look for photos, but I may have posted a series of rabbet attachment photos on here some time ago with descriptions.
Remove the canvas from the transom and sponsons like an archeologist. Note the method of attaching.
As far as the seam goes, most transoms were more than a single board, so shrinkage over time will allow them to part ways.
I usually mix sawdust and epoxy in a syringe and force the mixture into the seam to seal it.
We are here for ya!

 

[Dave Osborn]

Here is the link to my old post with details

Post in thread 'Restoration details for 1953 Old Town Square Stern (row boat)'

Feb 5, 2023

Here is how I do the flush method canvas at the transom.
“Cheater” staples hold the canvas at the transom. Stretch canvas as you would normally on the whole boat. Trim the canvas short at the transom so that 1/2” can be filed underneath and flush with the transom.
Use a flexible boat caulk (SikaFlex) in a syringe and apply liberally under the fold. Then staple through the fold.
Remove the cheater staples that were holding the stretch. All done. Haven’t had any leakers yet.

• Dave Osborn

 

[chris pearson]

Dave Osborn. That restoration is absolutely stunning!!!!!!

 

[CraigS]

As an update, I took measurements from centerline to inwhale along the hull, with results summarized in the table below. I'm sure my measurements aren't perfect stretching the tape measure from inwhale to inwhale and leaning over to site the string on the tape, but it does look like centerline to starboard inwhale is generally slightly narrower than centerline to port inwhale. This is true of the inwhale even at the transom - despite the fact that the transom wood itself is symmetric on the centerline. Visually, I don't see the deviation on the inwhale looking along the hull.

Furthermore, it turns out the center seat supports are not vertical based on where the holes in the seat for the bolts were drilled as opposed to the hull being out of shape. The second seat (from bow) has the support bolt at 19 inches from the starboard side of the seat, and 19.65 inches form the port end. The third seat (from bow) has the support bolt at 20.25 inches from the starboard side of the seat and 21 inches to the port side of the seat. With hole placement like that, the supports have no choice but to be on an angle when the seat is centered over the keel. Maybe it was a bad day at the shop and they didn't measure twice and drill once . You can see this deviation in the vertical supports pretty clearly in the photo of the string down the centerline right over the keel. This is something I can live with, as I don't want fuss with creating new holes just to get the support vertical.

As for the bottom, there is a slight dip in the bottom edge of the keel, but I think this is due to the keel wood itself and not the hull shape, as I do not observe the same in the hull adjacent to the keel.

My conclusion from all of this is that despite some deviations, nothing seems to be really off in the hull shape - at least not to the level of trying to change it. The underwater running surface is what matters most, and that seems to still be pretty true. Forward we go! Next I will take out the bow and stern seats and remove the floor rack to facilitate cleaning. It looks like there's still some lake sand down there in the crevices between the ribs and keel...

Final question - there are two nipples on the undersides of the sponsons that almost look like grease fittings. Does anyone have any idea what they are (see photo)? They've been painted over. In fact, I can tell there are a few layers of paint on the hull.

49 total ribs (including rib at transom)​

[td]

Rib Set
(from bow)​

[/td]
[td]

Centerline to Inwhale​

[/td]
[td]

Beam
inwhale to inwhale
(in)​

[/td]​

[td]

Port Side
(in)​

[/td][td]

Starboard Side
(in)​

[/td]​

[td]

4 (behind deck)​

[/td][td]

5.75​

[/td][td]

5.75​

[/td][td]

11.5​

[/td]​

[td]

10​

[/td][td]

13​

[/td][td]

13​

[/td][td]

26​

[/td]​

[td]

15​

[/td][td]

17.75​

[/td][td]

17.125​

[/td][td]

34.875​

[/td]​

[td]

22 (2nd seat)​

[/td][td]

20.375​

[/td][td]

20.25​

[/td][td]

40.625​

[/td]​

[td]

27 (oar lock)​

[/td][td]

21.25​

[/td][td]

20.75​

[/td][td]

42​

[/td]​

[td]

33 (3rd seat)​

[/td][td]

21​

[/td][td]

20.25​

[/td][td]

41.25​

[/td]​

[td]

38​

[/td][td]

20.125​

[/td][td]

19.5​

[/td][td]

39.625​

[/td]​

[td]

44 (stern seat)​

[/td][td]

18.25​

[/td][td]

17.625​

[/td][td]

35.875​

[/td]​

[td]

Transom (inwhales)​

[/td][td]

15​

[/td][td]

14.75​

[/td][td]

29.75​

[/td]​

[td]

Transom (wood)​

[/td][td]

16​

[/td][td]

16​

[/td][td]

32​

[/td]​

 

[Benson Gray]

Final question - there are two nipples on the undersides of the sponsons that almost look like grease fittings. Does anyone have any idea what they are

These were for snaps that went with a canvas cover. The link below has more details.

Benson

What are Lift the Dot fasteners and how to fit

Lift the Dot Intro Lift the dot fasteners were first invented to hold curtains back on horse drawn carriages. They then moved into the military industry used for keeping satchels bags closed and also gun holsters shut. Due to their strength and durability they elevated onto the marine and...

www.jclarkemarine.com

 

[Worth Gretter]

Craig, you seem to have reached the conclusion that your boat is pretty "true", and I think your pictures support that.
But I would still be interested in your table of measurements, which didn't post clearly. Maybe you could take a screenshot and post it that way.

 

[CraigS]

Sorry, I’m not sure what happened to the table. I’ve attached it as an image. The worst deviation from one side to the other (if my measurements are accurate) is about 0.75 inch. I don’t think it’s worth fighting it for “perfection.”

 

[Worth Gretter]

Craig, after looking at the table then at the photo again, I ..might.. be able to convince myself the boat is a little flat on the starboard side, but it sure isn't obvious. And sighting down along the string, the seat supports look pretty close to vertical.

 

[CraigS]

I’ve continued picking at the boat. I’ve got the stern and bow seats removed and the floor rack out. The floor rack needs some attention, but that’s straightforward woodworking.

I also removed the broken stem band and the wooden outside stem. That was a chore. The stem band screws were worn down from beaching so there wasn’t much slot to get a screwdriver into. While I saved those screws, they aren’t reuseable. When removing the wooden outer stem, I discovered that during the initial build they drilled for a stem band screw right into the head of the last stem screw (right before the keel). I couldn’t unscrew that one. After a little wiggling of the stem I was able to slip a hack saw blade between the outer and inner stem and cut the screw. After the stem was off, I got the screw stub unscrewed from the hull by gripping it with pliers. Slow and careful!

After the stem was off, I decided to go for the sponsons. I removed the mahogany rubrails/outwales from the sponsons, and then started on the sponson canvas on the starboard side. It was interesting to find that not all the screws in the sponson outwales were the same size, and it wasn’t consistent where larger ones were from one side of the boat to the other. I marked and labeled the larger screws so I can put them back in the same place, as those holes are larger.

The canvas on the sponsons wraps from the top edge (under the sponson outwale), around the back (against the hull), and then over the top with an overlapping flap tacked along the top outside edge of the sponson under the sponson outwale. At the ends of the sponson, there is about a half inch fold over of canvas so that no raw edge of canvas is exposed. It was filled into the hull and faired. The ends of the sponsons seem to be a separate piece, screwed to the hull from the outside.

I removed all the screws and washers holding the sponsons to the ribs inside the boat, but the sponsons are not free. Even the one where I opened the canvas up is still holding to the hull. I think the outwale probably needs to come off to free the top edge of the canvas, which is still holding the sponson wood. I’ve been resisting removing the outwales because they help hold boat in shape, and I still haven’t cleaned the interior.

I’ve included some photos that show how the canvas is wrapped around the sponson, and how it opened up. Too bad it couldn’t be saved, the sponson canvas is in pretty good shape; the hull is what really needs new canvas.