Barn find!

[amandanbarker317]

Hello! I have been looking for a non-functional wooden canoe to build my baby boy a bed out of. We own a campground and thought it would be the perfect bedroom theme for a baby boy! Anyway... I have an addiction to online auctions and what do you know I found a wooden canoe on an estate auction!!! I was determined to get it and did! Yay!! We went to the location of the auction and this wooden canoe was in a barn and somewhere along the line people started building stalls and storage around this canoe rather than move it. After my husband tore down parts of barn walls he was able to get the canoe out. Turns out it's in pretty great condition once we washed away years of dirt and rats nest from the inside. I was wondering how I could learn about this canoe. It has no serial number or brand names on it. We know it's 16ft long and 36.5 inches wide. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[floydvoid]

Nice! It’s a strip built canoe, probably home built by someone. Looks like a good candidate for a bed!

There are a lot of books out there about strip built- Canoecraft might be a good place to start if you want to find the design. Other people here might recognize it.

 

[amandanbarker317]

Thank you so much! I found something out I didn't know. I really can't imagine cutting it to make a bed and will probably have to keep hunting for another one! I don't know alot about canoes but it seems too good to cut up! I still have a couple years to make a decision and to find one that's not in such great shape. Thanks again for your time and the information!

 

[floydvoid]

This is my opinion, so be warned. Strip built canoes look really good which is a plus for furniture use. Compared to a canvas covered canoe they don’t seem to last as long in use. Strip built is made of cedar typically and then is encased in epoxy and fiberglass. Wood and canvas canoes are covered in a canvas treaded with water proof paint or “filler” , same kind of way that birch bark makes a birch bark canoe water proof. This makes wood and canvas infinitely repairable over time and it is typical to come across a 100+ year old canvas canoe. Revarnish and recanvas happens every so many years. I’ve fixed giant holes inside of canvas canoes with no evidence left. Not really possible in a cedar strip canoe.
BUT
A cedar strip canoe works great, just store it dry and varnish it every so many years to protect the uv susceptible epoxy.
Paddle it now, then turn it into a bed, then paddle it again later!

Come to the Assembly in July and take a look at all types of wood canoes!

 

[pklonowski]

It's probably home built, but identifying the builder could be quite a challenge. Does the seller know anything about it, or since it's an auction, could you ask the auction house to forward your questions to the seller? Seems like a long shot, but you never know.

 

[amandanbarker317]

I've honestly thought about contacting the auction house or googling the address of the barn we got it from and seeing if I could find some contact information that route! Thank you for the information!

 

[John Sand]

A nice usable canoe. Put it in the water and paddle.