50 lber outside stems

[ticonderoga]

I've been looking for an old Town 50lber for years and found one yesterday in good shape on CL. I got it from the original owners grandson who said it spent it's entire life in the Adirondacks and went to Alaska twice in '53 and '56. A great back story! It was shipped in 1941 and was ordered with outside stems and a keel. I will be restoring it in a couple of months and am not crazy about putting keels on new canvas. Could you order a canoe with outside stems and no keel or did one require the other? If I don't put the keel back on would I just taper the outside stem to the bottom of the canoe? Thanks for any advice or pictures.

 

[Dave Osborn]

Yes, you can taper the outer stem back. Attached are a couple of photos that I got from west coast member, Martin Ferwerda's website.
The outer stem looks cool when finished natural, but I think for the most part the factory painted them. I always strip the paint and leave them natural...
If I were going to do this, I would make sure the brass stem band continued on past the thinned end.....Probably the full length of the stem. That will help to protect the thinned termination of the outer stem.

 

[Craig Johnson]

I don't understand this obsession with no keel. I have never had one leak. If you think it is going to leak around your keel fastenings , what makes you think your below water line outside stem fasteners won't leak. I think the outside stems with no keel looks goofy. Just my opinion and it is your boat so you should do whatever you like. How about also leaving the outside stems off. you would need to narrow the stem to make this look right and then the empty keel screw holes would be the only tell.

 

[martin ferwerda]

If you search the forums, you will find a lot of info on the pros and cons of keels. A properly bedded keel should not leak, so that should not be an issue. The Old Town 50lb have some good rocker to them, at least mine does (see attached) when I rebuilt mine, I kept the keel, as I think it helps the canoe track a little better.

 

[Dave Osborn]

I'm with Martin on the keel. Also it adds a little rigidity to a 50 lb model. I think that helps on a canoe like that with has thinner ribs and planks.

 

[ticonderoga]

Thanks for all the insight and opinions, but I never thought of the rigidity and tracking of such a small and lightly built canoe. I think that I will keep the keel on this one, but just this one!

 

[shelldrake]

Ticonderoga,

Here's a 50 lb model with outside stems and a keel.

Good Luck with your restoration,

Matt