"Lightweight" OT Trapper??

[dchart]

OT made a "lightweight" version of their 15' Trapper up throught the
sixties, I think. Does anyone know what the difference is in the lightweight
version. Specifically, did they use different types of woods to achieve the lighter weight or did it have thinner planking and/or ribs? Any info would be appreciated.
David

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

The "Lightweight"(11', 13' & 15' offered) "Trapper" (15' only) and "Featherweight" (15' only) models were all built with thinner ribs and planking than a standard model like a Guide, Molotor or Otca. Ribs were 1/4" thick, as opposed to 5/16" on standard models and planking was 1/8" thick, as opposed to 5/32" on standard canoes. The major difference between the three is that the Lightweight was covered with canvas, the Trapper with "reinforced plastic" (fiberglass of some sort) and the Featherweight was covered with Dacron. Weights for the 15' boats were listed as 58 lbs. for the Lightweight, 55 lbs. for the Trapper and 46 lbs. for the Featherweight. Between the three of them I never got the impression that there was any difference between the wooden part of the hulls (I was a dealer) though the listed catalog dimensions were slightly different. Perhaps it was a typo because other than differences in the covering, they seemed to look pretty much the same to me.