So here I am over here in Canada in the proud ownership of the basket case of a canoe which is a 1974/5 Prospector.
The back ground on this canoe is emense to me and the sentimental reasoning for it's continued life is beyond mere money.
So to start, this was my dads Canoe, bought brand new from the factory in New Brunswick on beautiful day in 1974/5. This craft lived it's like all over the Maritimes in my dads hands atop various autos on amazing trips until one fateful day in the late 70's when a couple friends took it down the wrong river. that river sent the two into the drink and off the canoe went, smashing and bangin until it straddled a very large-ish rock and bam it folded around where bow met stern almost snapping the poor canoe into 2 pieces(alright after they retrieved it it was.
Off to the canoe builder for repairs/rebuild and come to find out they felt it was no hope and should just be sent to the scrap pile, enter one very stubborn and crafty fellow who took that challenge on and actually over the course of a winter rebuilt this canoe into it's former glory, the vessel took it's second maiden voyage that summer and continued to be enjoyed on numerous trips over the next decade.
Enter life
Enter Love
Enter sitting outside on the ground for 2 years undisturbed
Enter countless moves around and nicks and dings, scraps and bangs and this canoe was placed in the garage above everything to be forgotten and slowly deteriorate into dust.
Now, after seeing this canoe in my eyes since as long as my memory allows me to I have an attachment to it and want to repair it myself.
It is a mess,
gunwales are damaged
Canvas rotten
Bow and stern blacked and missing pieces
Where do I start?
I want to take my kids on a canoe trip using this very canoe at some point and feel the presence of the hands that helped build it and rebuild it.
The back ground on this canoe is emense to me and the sentimental reasoning for it's continued life is beyond mere money.
So to start, this was my dads Canoe, bought brand new from the factory in New Brunswick on beautiful day in 1974/5. This craft lived it's like all over the Maritimes in my dads hands atop various autos on amazing trips until one fateful day in the late 70's when a couple friends took it down the wrong river. that river sent the two into the drink and off the canoe went, smashing and bangin until it straddled a very large-ish rock and bam it folded around where bow met stern almost snapping the poor canoe into 2 pieces(alright after they retrieved it it was.
Off to the canoe builder for repairs/rebuild and come to find out they felt it was no hope and should just be sent to the scrap pile, enter one very stubborn and crafty fellow who took that challenge on and actually over the course of a winter rebuilt this canoe into it's former glory, the vessel took it's second maiden voyage that summer and continued to be enjoyed on numerous trips over the next decade.
Enter life
Enter Love
Enter sitting outside on the ground for 2 years undisturbed
Enter countless moves around and nicks and dings, scraps and bangs and this canoe was placed in the garage above everything to be forgotten and slowly deteriorate into dust.
Now, after seeing this canoe in my eyes since as long as my memory allows me to I have an attachment to it and want to repair it myself.
It is a mess,
gunwales are damaged
Canvas rotten
Bow and stern blacked and missing pieces
Where do I start?
I want to take my kids on a canoe trip using this very canoe at some point and feel the presence of the hands that helped build it and rebuild it.
