Chestnut Canoe ID

[Kevin French]

Just brought home an 18' Chestnut and having some problems Id'n it.

It's 18' long, 35" at it's widest and 13.5" deep.

5 thwarts, 2 seats, caned.

Ribs are 3/8" thick by 2 7/8" wide, spacing varies from 1 5/8" in the center to 2 3/16" on the ends

No clue as to bow and stern height are measured. I come up with a max of around 20" but can't find any model with those measurements.

The inner and outer gunwales are splined

I've tried to ID it from this site.

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/5725889

 

[SWEETWATER]

Was that the one on craigslist for 200

 

[Kevin French]

Y-e-s, in Madison

 

[Jan Bloom]

By splined do you mean "scarfed"? I have a very late Plamate with scarfed gunwales.

 

[Kevin French]

 

[davelanthier]

This is probably what you have.

In 1971,1973 1977,1978 the 18' Chestnut Cruiser Leader had a 35" beam, 13.25 depth, 3/8" x 2 3/8" tapered ribs spaced 2" apart, 5 thwarts, # 8 canvas and hand caned seats. The standard factory exterior color was Chestnut grey which was actually a light [ pea soup ] green. Scarfed wales were standard when they used Oak.

 

[Jan Bloom]

Outwale scarfing is identical to my Playmate except in Ash.

 

[Kevin French]

How is the 'Depth at end" measured?

Straight out measures gets me around 20". Is it measured with the canoe right side up and include the Rocker?

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Denis measures depth by placing a board across the gunwales at the point he is measuring and getting the distance from the planking on the floor of the canoe to the bottom of the board.

Bear in mind that the measurements given in catalogs may not be exact. It would be interesting for those with a known-canoe-model--- like, a '35 Otca--- to compare the catalog dimensions with the actual canoe all these years later.

 

[SWEETWATER]

looks like you got a great deal.i noticed how the gunwhales are scarfed oppossite each other.

 

[Kevin French]

I understand the mid depth measurement, I'd like to know how to measure the 'Depth (at) Bow End and Depth (at) Stern End.

Does it include any of the rocker and measured from the ground to the top of the Bow/Stern?

 

[Kevin French]

Here are the pics of the canoe. The canvas is seperating at most of the gunwale line and there's a bit of rotten wood on the ends of the gunwales, but other then that it looks pretty tight.

This scarf is not as good

 

[Dan Miller]

The carry thwarts pretty much confirm you have a Cruiser model.

 

[Kevin French]

Thanks

so I'll call it a circa 1978 Cruiser, Leader (18')

 

[Kevin French]

I'm planning a restoration of this canoe in the near future, I will most likely replace both the inners and outers.

If I can't find a full length piece should the scarfing be separated and not straight across from each other?

 

[Dan Lindberg]

I would separate the splices, but would prefer no splices.

Long ash is usually available, (though I don't like ash in a canoe) spruce or cherry also sometimes can be found.

It depends on how close to original you want it to be and what you plan to do with it.

BTW, I have a 1951 Cruiser Guides Special (meaning close rib) on my list of projects. Got it from the original owner and it's mostly original. (except for some "very fine" epoxy work.

Dan

 

[Kevin French]

It won't be going back together original if that is the original way they scarfed them.

I don't want to scarf the gunwales, I'm not wild about the oak and I'm still not sure what color I'm going to paint it, but that is way down the renovation list.

 

[Kevin French]

I pulled the canvas off last night and found 2 cracked ribs, and 2 inches of stem rot on both ends

The odd problems

Should I continue to fill the gaps between the next 4 ribs with epoxy filler or does that only work over the stem?



Replace or fill the mouse chewings?



And finally this oil can aft of center.

 

[robin]

Nice find Kevin. Here's a guy in Enfield, CT selling 20' ash gunnels.

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/bod/4818477412.html

 

[Larry Meyer]

Given the expense and effort required to replace all four rails – and that this is a user rather than a show case Cruiser – I’d be tempted to try to salvage the rails by regluing them. Today’s epoxies and even T II are much superior to what Chestnut had to use when they spliced those rails back in ’78 or so. Maybe reinforce the splice area with some dowels through drilled and glued in. Even just experimenting with a reglue of an outwale would be worth the effort.