Canvas goes on quick with lots of hands!

[Fitz]

Slow on the board these days, so maybe a post to liven things up.

Well, I finally got that Chestnut Prospector I was playing with before the Great Crash of '04 to a point where I thought I could put new skin on. I offered to host a chapter canvas party for any Norumbega Chapter members that wanted to do something hands on. So last Sunday, half a dozen local folks converged on my garage and we put the skin on in a little more than an hour. Many thanks to Bill Clements, Steve Lapey, Lou Mutschler, Bill Conrad, Bob Wadon, and neighbor, Rob MacCormick for all the able hands. It was an enjoyable afternoon learning a few tips, talking about old canoes, and discussing summer trip plans.

The project is a 1970's vintage 17 foot Prospector that I'm rehabbing to use as a camping and tripping canoe. There are some photos of the canoe here:

http://community.webshots.com/album/230378032VtcVTM

Unfortunately, we were so busy stretching canvas that no photos of the event were taken, but I'll update the album as the project goes along.

 

[John Greer]

Looking good Fitz. What do you have in the background with canvas on? Looks like the Chestnut was in pretty good shape.

I'm still working away on my Mullins. Have about half a dozen ribs replaced and probably around 80 feet of planking, new inwales, stem tibs, refurbished decks.

I agree things seem to be a little slow on the forums lately.

 

[Fitz]

Condition...

Yes John, the Prospector was in pretty good shape. It is a 1970's vintage that I bought from the original owner. He did a fair amount of tripping in it and it had some battle scars. It looked like the bow had found a rock at one point and it needed a couple of ribs and planking there. Also there was a fair amount of broken planking in the bottom of the canoe, presumably from riding over the shallows at one point or another. The stem on one end was originally not well done and the canvas was pulling off from the gunwales, hence the new canvas job.

The canoe in the background with the gray filler is the OT Ideal I finished last spring. The green canoe in some photos is a 1940 OT Guide that I take on trips. The Guide is getting to the point where it may need some TLC, so I'm hoping the Prospector will serve me on trips, while the Guide gets some rehab in the near future.

Good to hear you are busy with the Mullins.

 

[Andy Hutyera]

Fitz,

Nice job! I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. I have a 1970 that I bought from it's original owner who used it very gently and took it up to Rollin's to do minor repairs and a recanvas. You must be a lot younger than I since portaging that 17 foot 85 lb. plus baby is a bit much for me. If you've got some energetic younger guys to do the carrying, I can't think of a better tripping canoe especially if you like to travel "comfortable" with a lot of gear. That baby can haul the freight! The last time I had mine out we had three adults and my dog with us and we barely drew any water. What color are you going to use?

 

[Fitz]

Color

Color, I dunno. It was originally green. I'm torn between red and Chestnut gray - green.

Weight - ain't none of us getting any younger. I also used No. 8 canvas for durability, so this canoe will likely be a heavyweight contender when filled and painted.

 

[Andy Hutyera]

Obviously, I vote for red!

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Fitz,

You must of had some experienced hands there, "1 hour to get it on", usually takes me about 45 mins just to do 1 stem.

Oh, and I "vote" dark green, the only color that "fits" in the woods.

'course if it's not going to be used in the woods, then bright red would be nice. (which is what my next project will be if I ever get it done, a '28 17' HW).

Dan