"Baking" canoes in Chestnut catalog

[paddler123]

I was looking at the 1972 Chestnut catalog, and this is how they describe their construction process:

Light cedar planking and ribs (with brass fastenings) comprise the shell, over which is stretched heavy-duty seamless canvas. The canoe is then treated with a Chestnut-formulated iron-hard coating developed over 75 years, to withstand ageing and abuse. The entire unit is then baked for a two-week period. This unique construction ensures many years of extended service not found in other makes.​

Does this mean they heated the canoes to speed up the filler curing process? Has anyone else tried that, or know what temperature they might have used?

 

[Gil Cramer]

Wow! I've known some baked canoeists, but no baked canoes.

 

[paddler123]

I found some more information in the 1925 catalog:

We cover the hull with one seamless sheet of canvas that will not leak in any extreme of climate. This canvas is specially made to order for our particular needs and is very hard and closely woven. After being stretched over the hull it is coated with our secret filler and then baked in a steam heated dry room at a temperature of 140. This intense heat absorbs all the liquids in the filler leaving the mineral part as a hard, glazed surface thoroughly keyed into the fabric of the canvas.​

 

[Benson Gray]

The long cure time of fillers and paint had many canoe manufacturers testing different ways to reduce that including heated drying rooms, Japan dryers, and other solutions. This frequently resulted in cracking and other finish issues later so most of these experiments were not continued.

Benson