Hi everyone - about three years ago I was perusing Craig's List looking for tools, and wandered over into the boats section. An ad for an Old Town boat caught my eye, and once I clicked on it I was done - it was a beauty.
The fellow who was selling it had bought it from it's original owner up in Maine. All original (more or less) and included the original Johnson outboard, Mastercraft Trailer, and all of the accessories that were available for it in 1954.
From the photo, it looked to be in very good shape. I made the call, and went to see it. Found that the boat had been stored outside, covered, but the cover had leaked. Long story short, id didn't look quite as pristine as in the photo.
Of course, I had always wanted to own a wood and canvas canoe, and though I hadn't any real experience with one since camping as a kid, I was smitten and made the deal.
It wasn't until I got the boat home that I realized that a number of thwarts had suffered from being wet for too long, and are punky. It was only then that I knew that the boat would need a full restoration.
So, naturally, I put the thing into storage while I researched my options. Bought the book (Stelmok/ Thurlow) and read all the articles that I could find. And then, I waited. But, now that Spring is rolling around again, I am gearing up to dig into it.
This process may take some time, as these things do. I hope that you all will provide some support and share in your wisdom, as the questions, I am sure, are to be many. I have extensive experience working in wood, so am confident in my ability to complete the project.
It would seem that the first order of business will be to remove the canvas (I hope it's canvas, and not glass...), a process which seems simple enough, but there is a complicating factor in that there is a forward deck, and therein lies my first question: How much of the deck will I need to remove in order to remove the outer rail? How best to approach?
I am including some photos, which were the seller's photos. I will add more later.
Tim
The fellow who was selling it had bought it from it's original owner up in Maine. All original (more or less) and included the original Johnson outboard, Mastercraft Trailer, and all of the accessories that were available for it in 1954.
From the photo, it looked to be in very good shape. I made the call, and went to see it. Found that the boat had been stored outside, covered, but the cover had leaked. Long story short, id didn't look quite as pristine as in the photo.
Of course, I had always wanted to own a wood and canvas canoe, and though I hadn't any real experience with one since camping as a kid, I was smitten and made the deal.
It wasn't until I got the boat home that I realized that a number of thwarts had suffered from being wet for too long, and are punky. It was only then that I knew that the boat would need a full restoration.
So, naturally, I put the thing into storage while I researched my options. Bought the book (Stelmok/ Thurlow) and read all the articles that I could find. And then, I waited. But, now that Spring is rolling around again, I am gearing up to dig into it.
This process may take some time, as these things do. I hope that you all will provide some support and share in your wisdom, as the questions, I am sure, are to be many. I have extensive experience working in wood, so am confident in my ability to complete the project.
It would seem that the first order of business will be to remove the canvas (I hope it's canvas, and not glass...), a process which seems simple enough, but there is a complicating factor in that there is a forward deck, and therein lies my first question: How much of the deck will I need to remove in order to remove the outer rail? How best to approach?
I am including some photos, which were the seller's photos. I will add more later.
Tim
