I began removing the old canvas from my 1942 Old Town square stern sponson "paddling" canoe. This boat was re-canvased at some point in the distant past, so this is not an autopsy of the original factory canvas job.
From what I found, it seems that the boat was canvased in a simialar way as a standard canoe. The sponsons were already on the canoe when the canvas was put on over the hull, and sponsons at the same time. It seems that a "tuck", or fold, of canvas was cut off along the outer, top, edge of the sponson where the sponson's outwale covered the remaining seam. This seam extended almost to both ends of the sponson and then ended. At this point, the canvas of the hull began to fold over the top of the sponson in a continous piece. I'm guessing that the canvas was folded over the top of the sponson and attached, pulled tight along the outer edge of the sponson and attached, and the only way to get this to lay tight, required a fold of extra canvas be cut off along the length of the sponson.
There was a line of brass tacks along the bottom edge of the sponson that was later covered with a wooden strip - like a lower outwale. There was also a double line of brass tacks along the outer edge of the sponson where the seam from cutting the tuck off was -and covered by the sponson's outwale.
Looking at the sponson itself, I'm not sure how it would ever be canvased separately, and then attached to an already canvased hull. Primarily because the ends of the sponson appear to be independent wooden parts that are screwed to the hull from the outside. Looking at the picture of the sponson canoe in the Old Town catalog, it really does not look like there is a seam in the canvas at the front egde of the sponson - as there would be if the sponson was attached after the hull was canvased. Also, the attached picture of the same style boat (from ebay) shows that this boat was also canvased in one piece.
So, as I begin to think about recanvasing, I really wonder if this method was that used by the factory in the first place?
Does anyone have a picture, or personal experience, of a sponson canoe that indicated otherwise?
In the end, this makes the sponson a much more integral part of the canoe, with no seams to allow water entrance behind the sponson.
From what I found, it seems that the boat was canvased in a simialar way as a standard canoe. The sponsons were already on the canoe when the canvas was put on over the hull, and sponsons at the same time. It seems that a "tuck", or fold, of canvas was cut off along the outer, top, edge of the sponson where the sponson's outwale covered the remaining seam. This seam extended almost to both ends of the sponson and then ended. At this point, the canvas of the hull began to fold over the top of the sponson in a continous piece. I'm guessing that the canvas was folded over the top of the sponson and attached, pulled tight along the outer edge of the sponson and attached, and the only way to get this to lay tight, required a fold of extra canvas be cut off along the length of the sponson.
There was a line of brass tacks along the bottom edge of the sponson that was later covered with a wooden strip - like a lower outwale. There was also a double line of brass tacks along the outer edge of the sponson where the seam from cutting the tuck off was -and covered by the sponson's outwale.
Looking at the sponson itself, I'm not sure how it would ever be canvased separately, and then attached to an already canvased hull. Primarily because the ends of the sponson appear to be independent wooden parts that are screwed to the hull from the outside. Looking at the picture of the sponson canoe in the Old Town catalog, it really does not look like there is a seam in the canvas at the front egde of the sponson - as there would be if the sponson was attached after the hull was canvased. Also, the attached picture of the same style boat (from ebay) shows that this boat was also canvased in one piece.
So, as I begin to think about recanvasing, I really wonder if this method was that used by the factory in the first place?
Does anyone have a picture, or personal experience, of a sponson canoe that indicated otherwise?
In the end, this makes the sponson a much more integral part of the canoe, with no seams to allow water entrance behind the sponson.
Attachments
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canvas under strip.JPG910.8 KB · Views: 754
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sponson canoe front side.jpg124.2 KB · Views: 1,596
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old town square stern page-14.gif128.6 KB · Views: 1,275
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many tacks along bottom of sponson.JPG819.5 KB · Views: 800
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end of tuck seam along sponson edge.JPG896.7 KB · Views: 699
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sponson canvas detail.JPG874.3 KB · Views: 758
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