Displaying a canoe

[jwswanboats]

Dear All,
First off, nice to have the forum back up. now to the question-I was recently contacted by a gentleman who would like to display his 1900 racine canoe vertically (actually, slightly tilted) between a seies of trapizoidal windows on the gabled end of his home, from about six feet off the floor up to the ridgepole. I think everyone can visualize-cathedral ceiling, loft, and the gabled end open up to a porch accessed from two sliding doors. your typical way to show off a panoramic view in northern WI...anyhow, being a really important WI canoe, i was going to essentially make an upper and lower cradle, have the cradle arms wrap around the gunwales (to keep it from tipping out, or i was going to use heavy lb. fishing line), and i was also going to make a lower rest for the stem to help reduce the stress concentration on the cradle arms, making sure to not have the boat resting to heavy in any one place. does this seem like a sound plan? anyone got an idea thats totally different? one thing; i do not want to put any fasteners into, or through the boat. thanks for the help.
-josh

 

[Dan Miller]

Hi Josh,

If this is one of those little lapstrake Racines, and the display space is heated, then don't do it. It will probably ruin the canoe....

Cheers,
Dan

 

[jwswanboats]

Dan,

I am told (i haven't seen the boat yet, that won't happen until thanksgiving), that it is a W/C canoe. but this information came to me through my mom, who although, god bless her, is a great woman and good paddler, doesn't know much about old canoe identification. if it is a laptrake boat, i'll take your advice. in the end it doesn't matter what boat type it is, in my opinion the best boat storage is a place that requires the least amount of steps to getting the boat wet. but thats just one man's perspective...
Josh