Anyone Copied a Huron Canoe?

[Scot T]

Finally getting my new shop into some sort of order and looking over the canoes I'm hoping to put back into the water this year. I've got a couple Huron's so as I was doing some research here for some of the finer details I started to think (Not necessarily a good thing!), wondering if anyone out there has ever taken the time to build a reproduction or "styled after". With a little (er..lot) more care in the building. My two show a pretty rustic woodworking style.

Now before you all run to the toilet with gag reflex...I hear nothing but good things about them as far as their paddling ease, stability, load capacity, ability to take a beating and so on. I haven't paddled one as an adult but we had one when I was a child. It disappeared, as things from childhood often do, and I don't remember much about it except that it was greenish blue.

Anyways, just a question.

 

[sandpiper]

Good day B.C. Here, in Quebec, the winter is really showing her teeth. It won't let go! Concerning Huron's canoes, I repaired a few of them. Well, Huron's canoes are rustic woodworking but they serve the purpose. I think that we must respect the arrow head decks, the rawhide seats and the flat gunwales. Do not forget the Verolite covering.The rest is 'academical'. Of course, you can make yourself a mold. Enjoy working on canoes.
Here today, it is too cold to work in the shop. Have a good spring or summer in B.C. We are still far away from the Tulips flowers. Here, in a few weeks, the maple syrup production will be starting. Bye bye everybody.


Sandpiper

 

[davelanthier]

Verolite on Hurons?

It is my understanding that Verolite was used on all Tremblays but only a very few Chestnuts and Hurons . Is this true?
This leads one to ask: 1- What other manufactures used Verolite? 2- Is there a Verolite type of product still available? 3- How were the Verolite stem seams sealed?

 

[john hupfield]

You can't get the virilite anymore unless Noahs' placed a special order.
Hurons are good.Rustic aint in it.Not a Peterborough but utilaterian.
I use phenoseal at the stems.Tis a vinyl adhesive with filler.Nothing else holds.
John@Lost in the Woods

 

[Douglas Ingram]

I've lost count of the number of huron's I've restored. I've never seen a verolie covered one. All the Tremblay's I seen, if the skin is original, had verolite. I've heard that Verolite can still be had for a minimum order of 1000 yards. I'll wait for someone else to do it.

As far as the canoe itself, its OK. A lot of people paddle them. If built WELL, the lines could be quite nice. I've always thought them small for the length. If I was to build a new one, I'd adjust the sheer and lower the seats, and I'd absolutely make sure that the bolts could be gotten at!

 

[Blue Viking]

I have a 16' Chestnut out in the "plastic work shop" that I replaced 3 ribs and will be ready to re-canvas as soon as the snow melts below the roof! When I stripped the canvas way back last summer, I was confused as to how light the canvas was and that it did not seem to have the tradional filler..It appreared very soft as though it was mostly oily with some sort of sealer....This evidently was not that "Verolite" as it had the tradional tacks....Any comments on weight of canvas I should get and what that filler was?...I most probably will get the tradional filler fom B. Clement when the time comes...Just a short drive down there...but the canvas appeared light to me.... This model is the 2 thwart and was made sometime back in the 60's............Thanks (Seems like there is some interest here at this site so thought I wold keep it going)...........OH YEAH!....Anyone know of or hear of an original H.H.Hosmer that might be avaialbe?..Have a potential Client from Norway Maine who is interested in getting an original with the little brass plate still attached...

 

[davelanthier]

Dan Boles came up with a Verolite covered Huron canoe. The only one I know of and I've restored lots of them. I still have a piece of the Verolite from it which includes a decal that reads " Sears Gamefisher". It appears to be about 10 oz. [not # 10] canvas without any filler, just the thin pliable coating. The 1969 to 1972 Simpson Sears catalogs in Canada advertised the Hurons they sold as having only #8 canvas. Go figure????
PS: To those in the cold out East. The snow is gone here, was working outside in a T shirt yesterday. If this keeps up I might have to mow the lawn next week.

 

[john hupfield]

Sears bought from everybody,Furber,Tremblay,Harvie the fishmonger.
You keep building so we don't lose you when that Island of yours tips over into the sea.T shirts.Bah.True boatbuilders wear their longjohns all winter.
Graciously,
John

 

[Blue Viking]

Think I got one of those HARVEY canoes once!...IT melted in the sun I will have to tunnel my way into the "garage" and take a look at the stems...I am sure that I had to pull tacks out!...But that light weight canvas appears to be right and that thin layer of some kind of sealer definitely fits that description....I put a #10 on the OT Otca and ws thinking of a #12 on the Chestnut as that is how light that material was....any more input on that thought! (How about just one or 2 coats of the traditional filler to seal it?)

 

[john hupfield]

You go that light and you really have to fair that hull.Every bump,plank end and tack head wants to show.
Stick with #10 and do a good job.Fillers help hide those minor imperfections and you wont get dry viralite weight excepting Dacron or Viralite anyway.
John

 

[Blue Viking]

Thanks for that input!...............#10 it is and the traditional filler....There is no such thing as "The easier softer way!".........Got up to 36 here today and I had the urge to tunnel into the work shop but if I did there was nothing to do but stand there and look at whats needs to be done before canvasing....Soooooooooo...Took a ride on the DRY hiways instead...

 

[Scot T]

Wow! Amasing how this thread started from a fleeting thought I had and decided to ask about and then it took a twist into a very different direction.

Thanks gang, not exactly what I expected for an answer but I have to say I learned some good things. That's what I find so great here, someone always has some valuable and interesting information to pass on.

I spent the last couple mornings tightening up the planking on my 14'7'' Huron and getting ready to fit some new planks. Half a dozen short sections or so. Over all it's in pretty good shape with just a few problems. Been thinking about replacing the stems before I go much further as they started out not much bigger than my first finger around. And though they are in reasonably good shape they seem pretty flimsy. Not much to tack onto. I'll sleep on it for a couple days.

Douglas, could you speak further to what you mean when you say you think the Huron's are small for their length?

Thanks.

 

[Douglas Ingram]

Generally their bilges are quite slack so the underwater volume is low, thus they sit lower in the water for their given length. They are built quite shallow, especially at the padlers position. So they won't carry a load as safely as another canoe that floats higher and has deeper sides, especialy where it counts. And the seats are always set too high and you can't adjust them without taking off that $&^%#*& gunnel cap.

That being said, there are an awful lot of these canoes around and lots of people using them for all sorts of purposes. Who can argue with that?

Being small for their length, I only mean that you need to consider the capacity of each canoe for the use you expect of it, and not to just judge its capabilites by the length only.

 

[RHaslam]

Our school club bought quite a few tremblay's in the 70's...they were cheap and functional.....all of them except one have been recanvased.....the verolite that is still on the one remaining one has faded from red to a disturbing yellow kind of colour...very soft and ripped easily.....have to get to work on that one soon too.