Fitz:
In answer to your question, she rides well, and moves very easily and quietly through the water, even when burdened with a larger cargo such as me. She is now tight and dry but, most of all, a safer and sounder boat. Prior to Dick's handiwork, she floated, but had 28 fractured ribs (with 61 separate cracks), some unsightly splits to decks and other damage due to being dropped from a hoist. There were also indications of a very poorly done previous restoration. She was an eBay purchase, though I was badly misled as to the extent of her actual condition at the time, and the photos used then did not fully depict her true state. I over-paid and learned a lesson about the necessity of more thoroughly checking out condition, pre-sale. However, I loved her lines and the way she moved in the water, so committed myself to the re-build. I'm happy and pleased to have preserved a bit of history, no matter the eventual cost and likelihood that the financial input will never be recouped. There are some pleasures that one can't ever quantify in $$ terms, and enjoying this canoe is one of them.
There is only one question left: since the canoe's make-up is now pretty much equal parts of original creator and current restorer, should I describe her as being a 'Robertson with Persson repairs', or a 'Persson with Robertson influence' ? Can't wait for next spring. I would have paddled more, but the weather is turning bad and the water is quite chilly, soon to become hard. Of course, that could be an excuse to car-top and go south over the winter.
Thanks to all for the kind comments on the result.
Roger
