Hats off to Gil Cramer!!!!

chris pearson

chris pearson

Michigan Canoe Nut
Hey guys. Especially all of you old timers. Let’s give Gil Cramer huge recognition for all he has done for over 40 years and then some for our WCHA. We all ain’t gettin younger people, and Gil has done nothing but helped anybody and everybody. He took down his website and has hugely dialed back his business. Thanks Gil, for all that you have taught me, all the laughs, and all the beers in front of Paul Smiths security at the bonfire!!!! And sifting all my Old Town hardware out of the ashes the next day!! Not gunna say how it got there…..
 
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Got that right Chris. Gil has exemplified the mission of wcha. All those years of canoe canvassing demos at the Quiet Water Symposium? That was all Gil. (and Mike, don't forget Mike's contribution).
 
Thanks Chris. Whether you know it or not, you are an old timer. When we started the Deans were still running the WCHA. Harold Gates, Guy Cyr, Jack McGreivey, Tom MacKinzie, Rollin Thurlow, and Jerry Stelmok were the main restorers. Of course, there were others I have forgotten. Walter Walker was still making Peterborough style canoes. Omer Stringer demonstrated solo padding at least at one assembly.

As for the rest of your burn story, I paid $5 for a burning canoe-how dumb is that???? Today, the diamond head bolts I collected the next day are almost priceless.

On a different note, since I am thinning my collection I will be sending some items for the auction with Macky It looks like It will be a number of Penn Yan cartop seat braces that I have collected over the years along with a few books. The books are ;Boatbuilding by Howard Chapelle, Canoes of Oceania, ,Canoes and Canoeing by Percy Blandford, Building The Maine Guide Canoe by Jerry Stelmok,(hard cover with dust jacket),and The Bark Canoe and Skin Boats of North America, Adnet and Chappele( no dust jacket, and I signed it-sorry about that)
 
I had never considered building any type of boat/canoe until one day, I walked into a northern Wisconsin bookstore and found Gil's book. I was hooked! Easy to follow step-by-step instructions with multiple plans included. While building my first stripper, I called Gil and was greeted by a gentleman that was more than willing to answer my questions. Near the end of our conversation, I asked Gil if it's normal for a builder to think of his next project before completing the first. He laughed and said "YES!" As of today, I have built 5 strippers, restored one 1924 Kennebec canoe, currently working on a 1938 OT sailing canoe, and have a Thompson & Racine waiting for some attention. I've got the fever! Thanks Gil!
 
Dan, I had the research started at the museum in Detroit concerning C J Molitor and his connection to the Old Town Molitor model. Knowing that I would much rather restore canoes than write, I passed the research project to Kathryn Klos and Dennis Kallery. She did a marvelous job writing the book.
I actually have one of my restorations on the cover of Mike Elliots' latest book. I did not do the artistic work for the lady or the tiger. An artist I am not!!!!!! Rob Ross provided the canoe.
 
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