Donated canoe

[Craig Johnson]

back in May past chapter member David Burke contacted our chapter head Millie Sass. David had a canoe that he had started the restoration on but was unable to finish. He wished to donate it to our chapter with the hopes that we could finish it and donate it to the fundraising auction at Assembly. Since we already have one to donate for this years Assembly and the time was short I suggested it would be a good Idea to donate it as is and give someone the opportunity to finish it themselves. The fact that it was a late 70s Old Town and the photos he sent were unimpressive had me pretty non committed about it. Millie had picked it up from David and brought it to me at the freestyle paddlers event at Coopers Lake this weekend. I and other chapter members were pleasantly surprised when we assessed the canoe. When I first saw the boat I thought that the quality of the planking looked as good as some of the much older Old Towns I had worked on. It turns out this is a 1979 15' Trapper. It was one of the early canoes that had clear fiberglass exterior so that the planking was visible. I assume this is why they used such nice planking. Does any one know if this happened for these clear glass boats? Any way you are thinking "not a fiberglass restoration" but the glass has already been removed and the planking is in great shape. Minor repairs have been made to the stems and inwale tips and new decks installed. This is going to be a really sweet project for someone to pick up. You would be unlikely to find a later boat with planking this nice and no fiberglass. There is a nice brass builders deck tag and a brass HIN tag. No diamond head bolts and aluminum stem bands (replacements?)
Thanks to David for donating this nice boat. Check it out when you get to Assembly.

 

[Craig Johnson]

Benson. Can you add the page for this boat from the 71 catalogue? Here is the build sheet.

 

[mccloud]

Craig & others, We did the demonstration on how to apply Dacron in place of canvas on a canoe at the Assembly in 2017. In the paper write-up for this demo is included the line:

A Dacron covered hull can be given a clear finish so that the underlying wood is visible. A good varnish can be used, with caution as mentioned above, to coat the Dacron, and make sure the top coat has a UV-protectant.

I haven't seen a canoe done this way, but this canoe would be a good candidate! Tom McCloud

 

[Benson Gray]

It was one of the early canoes that had clear fiberglass exterior so that the planking was visible. I assume this is why they used such nice planking. Does any one know if this happened for these clear glass boats?

Yes, the planking was selected especially carefully on canoes to be covered with clear fiberglass since they knew that it would show. Square headed tacks were often used instead of the more common round headed ones to reduce the number of air pockets that might detract from the appearance. The aluminum stem bands and lack of diamond headed bolts were also typical during this period. The first fiberglass covered Trapper model was listed in the 1967 catalog so the techniques were well established by 1979. This canoe was probably built by George Cook who was shown at the bottom of the 1979 catalog page below. He was a master builder who started working at Old Town in 1931.

You may also want to consider listing this donation in the classifieds and the Journal before the Assembly. See http://www.wcha.org/content/25-foot-long-old-town-war-canoe-1934 and http://www.wcha.org/content/18-foot-long-old-town-guide-1942 for two other similarly donated canoes. This will make it available to a larger group of potential buyers. It may also eliminate some transport issues getting it to and from the Assembly. Contact Annie or me if you have any questions or would like help placing these advertisements. Thanks,

Benson

 

[Craig Johnson]

Benson.
Thank you for the additional information on this boat, all the more desirable. Thanks also for the information on donating through the classified ads. I did not know that was an option. We will discuss that even though transportation is no problem. I still have a few open slots on the trailer if anyone needs to send a boat to Assembly or back to Ohio.

 

[Craig Johnson]

Craig & others, We did the demonstration on how to apply Dacron in place of canvas on a canoe at the Assembly in 2017. In the paper write-up for this demo is included the line:

A Dacron covered hull can be given a clear finish so that the underlying wood is visible. A good varnish can be used, with caution as mentioned above, to coat the Dacron, and make sure the top coat has a UV-protectant.

I haven't seen a canoe done this way, but this canoe would be a good candidate! Tom McCloud

Thanks for that information Tom. Personally I never cared for the clear fiberglass. Even if the planking is beautiful and well matched I don't care to see the pattern of the gore planking and sheer planks. It is not like a stripper where some beautiful and artistic work can be done. I would canvas it and appreciate the planking in the interior, but to each their own. Just knowing that extra care was taken in the building of this canoe is a plus to me. I better stop thinking about it or I'll find myself bidding on it.

 

[ticonderoga]

I've been looking for a 15 ft canoe for my son for some time now with no luck and this canoe seems perfect. Is it still available? I will be at the Assembly on the 19/20th. Is the canoe anywhere near where it was shipped to originally, because I live in MA. Thanks

 

[Craig Johnson]

I've been looking for a 15 ft canoe for my son for some time now with no luck and this canoe seems perfect. Is it still available? I will be at the Assembly on the 19/20th. Is the canoe anywhere near where it was shipped to originally, because I live in MA. Thanks

The canoe is in Ohio now and I will be bringing it to Assembly for the auction. We are considering the possibility of offering it in the classified as Benson suggested but I will let you know if we do that.