Lydia Grace is finished

JClearwater

Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
Friends,

A years worth of free time and it's finally done. 1906+/- Rushton Indian Girl canoe, 16'. It came from a warehouse in the Bronx where is was used as a theater prop. Last used in the play Hiawatha and painted to look like a birchbark. Advertised on Craigslist. Russ Padden went to NYC to get it. I stripped the interior of two coats of green paint plus black paint, red paint, yellow paint and white paint as well as the original varnish, replaced 19 ribs (there are 45 total), made backside repairs on 5 others, repaired the tips of 10 others, 15' of new planking, broken inwales replaced with new pocketed cherry inwales, replaced the top 1/3 of both stems, new seat frames and one new thwart, spliced in new tips on all four ends of the original outwales, new floor rack, stain, varnish, canvas, filler, primer, two tone paint, new stem bands and deck hardware. Epifanes gloss followed by Epifanes Matte varnish inside, McCloskey's semi-gloss on gunwales, seats, decks and thwarts. Kirby custom paint colors on exterior. The only thing I did not do myself was the pinstripe, graphics and lettering. Attached are a couple of "before" pictures and the finished product. Outside photos look a little washed out, don't know why. Our daughter Leslie is making a video of the resurrection (as opposed to restoration because it was truly dead) and for those of you who will be at the WCHA Assembly next week at Paul Smith's College can see the video Wednesday night, July 13.

See you next week,
Jim & Jean

IMG_3941A.JPG BF5AA.JPG BF1A.jpg IMG_5182a.JPG IMG_5160a.JPG IMG_5156a.JPG
 
Well, James. It is what I call an impassioned response to the threat of it existence WOW ! I have to say as well that that one leaf has a lot of character and confidence in commanding so much of the attention, at least to my eye. Not just a theater prop from now on.
DAVE
 
Thank you everyone for your kind words. Yes Rob, we will be bringing the old girl to Assembly and it will be taking center stage on Wednesday night. Leslie is putting the finishing touches on the video as I write this. I have a bottle of Champagne to Christen her with for the re-launch. I'll bring a stack of cups so anyone who wants to take part can hoist a glass to her resurrection.
 
Back
Top