Boat buying advice

[Hummy]

I'm going to be headed up to Massachusetts this week to look at this 1923 18' CS/AA/OTCA.
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.p...an-Old-Town-Canoe-18-77132&highlight=18+77132
I've been reading through our forums, etc., I'm looking for any other words of advice as to what flaws, damages, etc. I should be conscious of.
Thanx!

 

[Dave Osborn]

I usually look at inwales for breaks, weakness, poor repairs, etc. To me replacing inwales is the most time consuming, tedious, and invasive process in a restoration.
Look at the fairness of the hull. Are there a lot of broken or cracked ribs in a row throwing the shape off.
Rotten rib tips? Rotten decks, stems, and gunwale tips?
Previous repairs.... So often they are poor quality repairs.

Don't worry about canvas...or lack of canvas. It's going to be replaced anyway. Don't worry about cracked or broken planks... Easy fix.
Sometimes you don't know how bad it is until the canvas, and outwales are removed.
The less it is broken, rotten, and poorly repaired, the less skill and time it will take to restore.

 

[Fitz]

What do you want to use the canoe for? This one is probably a good candidate if you are looking for a good woodworking project. OTCA's are in my opinion good rec canoes. If you are looking for a tripper, a fishing canoe, a solo, courting, you might wait for a better project. Given a little time you can usually find one for sale that meets your needs.

Also there seems to be some confusion in the discussion of the build record. The build record suggests it is a CS grade canoe (spruce rails). So if you are looking for nice old mahogany, take a good look.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

It's a personal thing, as far as canoe brand and model... and length. I consider the on-and-off-the-car-thing, and have grown very fond of 15 footers. I'm sure Dave O. is delighted with the inwales on the 15 foot Morris I took his way...