1972 Rhinelander 15ft Guide boat

mtnkleiner

New Member
Apology if this post isn't appropiate as I think it's not technically a canoe but I have the opportunity to buy a very original Rhinelander guide boat from a good friend. The boat has seen extremely low use and has a 1970 johnson outboard. Previous owner had it fiberglassed on the exterior for ease of maintenance. It appears to be a beautiful boat but I have a couple of questions:
1) should I be concerned with the application of the fiberglass if well done? Is this an advantage and does it essentially eliminate the typical care required of swelling a wooden boat?
2) He did say, and I'm sure its a 1972, but I did not think Rhinelander was in existence as late as the 70's.

Thanks for any input you have....
 

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The information at the link below indicates that the Rhinelander Boat Company went out of business "circa 1946" so is isn't likely that they made your boat in 1972. The market for wooden boats collapsed in the 1960s so this one is likely to be older than that. Fiberglass doesn't solve all of the issues with a wooden boat, even if it is well done. Many companies made boats like this so identification can be a challenge. Have fun with it,

Benson


 
Ok so I have more info on the boat. The boat was in fact built in 1972. Apparently the Thrall brothers and father bought the original bucks from rhinelander boat company. Thralls owned Thrall boat and canoe that eventually became arbor vitae marine. In 1972 the then president of Banta corp commissioned two guide boats, one for his place on plum lake and one for lake Winnebago. My friend was able to finally pry one out of his hands about 25 years ago. I recall he said that the thrall brothers did the fiberglass work. Apparently this boat has seen about 10 hours in the water in its entire lifetime. History is so damn cool!!
 

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I've owned a couple of wooden boats that were fiberglassed and lived many years afterward. If the glass is sound and tight, and the wood firm, I would use it as is.
 
If it was built and fiberglassed in 1972, then it is almost certainly done with polyester resin, rather than the epoxy resins that we have today. There is no reason to suspect this to be a big problem but do be aware that the biggest danger to any boat which is glassed on the outside and wood on the inside is the potential for delamination of the fiberglass, and polyester resin is much more prone to this than epoxy resin is. This generally shows up as bubbles in the fiberglass, which can then fill up with trapped water, leading to rotten wood and further delamination. The best way to prevent this is to avoid leaving standing water in the boat and to make sure that the inside paint and/or varnish is in good shape. Indoor storage or a good water-resistant, yet breathable cover are the best ways to avoid this sort of problems, even if the cover doesn't cover the entire boat and just keeps rain out. My favorite materials for such covers are Sunbrella acrylic canvas and Odyssey polyester fabric, which is a little less bulky.
 

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That’s good and interesting info Todd. I do know that the boat was stored indoors and not even used for the first 25 years. My friend bought it 25 years ago and used it four times. Had a custom cover and hoops built. I believe when he had it, it was outside in the summer but I know was stored inside in the winter. I haven’t been able to put eyes on it yet and won’t be able to until I head back to WI in august. Will check the fiberglass out.
 

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I live in the Minocqua area and have had conversations with Ed Thrall. He told me that Thrall Marine in Woodruff built Rhinelander boats in their shop. I don’t know the years they did that. Ed gave me a copy of some of the plans they used for the boats as well as some modified clamps that were used in the process. I have only seen one Thrall built boat in my 16 years of full time boat and canoe restoration in this area.
 
Thanks Dave. This is one of the Thrall built boats. I’m new to wood boats but this one is intriguing because of the condition and history. Thanks for your input. I’m originally from fond du lac and my wife from door county. The boat is currently in door county.
 
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