Andre Cloutier
Firestarter. Wicked Firestarter.
Fitz, more pics! Everyone loves ( or should) those old original finish aligatored finishes.
MacKenzie 20' Canoe (My First Canoe)
Dan, ShellDrake, Fitz, Benson, thanks a lot for the information.
I found some other information online which stated tapered ribs is also indicative of White construction. The ribs are tapered on my canoe. I don't know how common tapered ribs are, though. So, I believe I've gathered the beveled edge planking and tapered ribs are what I have to go on to tentatively call this a White.
However, I found some photos and a schematic online of other canoes people thought were White Guides. Two of those other supposed Whites have shorter, thinner ribs between the full ribs. The shorter ribs go only partway up the sides of the canoe--mine doesn't have these. I wonder if that was an option on the White Guides or a common addition to them?
Here are the two White Guides with the small ribs between the main ribs:
Here is one that seems to have a lot of ribs and no small ribs:
https://schooloftheforest.com/2022/...ith-an-original-em-white-20-foot-guide-canoe/
This post on another forum (https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/20-e-m-white.50431/) has a host of photographs of a canoe the poster thought might have been a White Guide, but I can't tell much from the photos.
I have contacted these last two fellows for pictures of their White Guides, so we'll see if they might assist.
I found some other information online which stated tapered ribs is also indicative of White construction. The ribs are tapered on my canoe. I don't know how common tapered ribs are, though. So, I believe I've gathered the beveled edge planking and tapered ribs are what I have to go on to tentatively call this a White.
However, I found some photos and a schematic online of other canoes people thought were White Guides. Two of those other supposed Whites have shorter, thinner ribs between the full ribs. The shorter ribs go only partway up the sides of the canoe--mine doesn't have these. I wonder if that was an option on the White Guides or a common addition to them?
Here are the two White Guides with the small ribs between the main ribs:
- https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/the-e-m-white-guide-canoe/(This one is a new build from plans by Jerry Stelmok--he apparently builds a lot of White Guides. The attached schematic is from this article.)
Here is one that seems to have a lot of ribs and no small ribs:
https://schooloftheforest.com/2022/...ith-an-original-em-white-20-foot-guide-canoe/
This post on another forum (https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/20-e-m-white.50431/) has a host of photographs of a canoe the poster thought might have been a White Guide, but I can't tell much from the photos.
I have contacted these last two fellows for pictures of their White Guides, so we'll see if they might assist.
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Tapered ribs are very common. Many of the Charles River area builders used straight ribs but almost everyone else tapered theirs. The "shorter, thinner ribs between the full ribs" are known as half ribs. These are also common and available from a broad variety of builders. The diagram at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/specific.gif may help with some of these terms.
Benson
Benson
Benson, thanks a lot. I did see the "half-rib" term previously discussed in some posts, but I misunderstood that term to refer to the ribs near the ends of the boat, which are (or appear) single-sided. I gather half-ribs are not something all White Guides came with, especially since they don't seem to be present on the next-to-last link I posted.
NickD
Recreational Sander
I'm responding to Benson's request on the rib count for White 20 footers. I actually have two (don't ask) so I checked both of them. Naturally, they are different but there are similarities:
White #1: 53 ribs total, 36 half-ribs. The total rib count includes 2 cant ribs at each end.
White #2: 51 ribs total, 36 half-ribs. The total rib count includes 1 cant rib at each end.
The difference is the extra cant rib on White # 1 which is dated 1947 (has a serial number). The other White's age is unknown. It's sheer line was also lowered by 2-3 inches at some point in time.
I provided some pictures of White #1 and can provide additional for either canoe if that helps. Two of the pictures also help with planking and tack patterns.
White #1: 53 ribs total, 36 half-ribs. The total rib count includes 2 cant ribs at each end.
White #2: 51 ribs total, 36 half-ribs. The total rib count includes 1 cant rib at each end.
The difference is the extra cant rib on White # 1 which is dated 1947 (has a serial number). The other White's age is unknown. It's sheer line was also lowered by 2-3 inches at some point in time.
I provided some pictures of White #1 and can provide additional for either canoe if that helps. Two of the pictures also help with planking and tack patterns.
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Nick, thanks a lot for the photos. Wow, two great Whites--you must have a lot of storage space. We're temporarily in a newer construction rental house while we renovate our older home and this 20-footer wouldn't fit front-to-back or side-to-side in the supposed 2-car garage. I had to hang it at an angle! The shear plank and its ends and transitions to the adjacent planks look very similar to mine, though I haven't the knowledge to differentiate overall common canoe construction practices from builder-specific nuances. With mine having 10 and 12 more full ribs than yours, that seems like a notch against it being a White, though I certainly take Benson's point that there likely are few hard and fast builder traits, due to employee liberties and changes in practices. The rib count varying by a dozen seems like a big difference, regardless, but it makes me wonder if it might have been a practice to put more full ribs when they were not doing half-ribs at initial construction of if the rib count was some request based on usage. Tom thought mine was used by someone wearing hob-nailed boots, so I wondered if mine was used during colder times, when there was still snow on the ground. Being from the South, I don't know what that necessarily indicates about usage, other than maybe larger game or beaver hunting, but I would assume half-ribs would have been desired for hauling larger loads.
MGC
Scrapmaker
Hob nailed boots were worn by loggers working log drives. Think of them as loggers cleats.
Your canoe has clearly been used by someone wearing them.
Maine log drives ran through the early 1970's. I recall being on the Penobscot the year that the GN drive coordinator was preparing the cabins for the last drive. That was in the late 60's. The drives took place during the summer months after the ice was clear and the spring water had run off.
Canoes were not necessarily the preferred craft. Bateaus far outnumbered the more fragile canoes, especially on the rivers, at least for working jams.
White canoes were very common and preferred as were those made by Old Town and others. These were working canoes, not gentile Charles River dipsey doodle boats.
Is this one a tweaked White or a Pecaco? It's hard to tell considering the amount of work that has been done on it. Those decks are clearly replacements as are so many other parts of the boat.
The planking will probably have to tell the story on this one. If the planking is lapped, it's a White.
If it's not, then the planking pattern may be provide a clue.
Your canoe has clearly been used by someone wearing them.
Maine log drives ran through the early 1970's. I recall being on the Penobscot the year that the GN drive coordinator was preparing the cabins for the last drive. That was in the late 60's. The drives took place during the summer months after the ice was clear and the spring water had run off.
Canoes were not necessarily the preferred craft. Bateaus far outnumbered the more fragile canoes, especially on the rivers, at least for working jams.
White canoes were very common and preferred as were those made by Old Town and others. These were working canoes, not gentile Charles River dipsey doodle boats.
Is this one a tweaked White or a Pecaco? It's hard to tell considering the amount of work that has been done on it. Those decks are clearly replacements as are so many other parts of the boat.
The planking will probably have to tell the story on this one. If the planking is lapped, it's a White.
If it's not, then the planking pattern may be provide a clue.
Most canoes are made on banded forms like the one shown on page two at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/index.php/manufacturer-catalog/kennebec-1921 in the Kennebec catalog. This means that the full rib count isn't likely to vary (excluding cant ribs). The exceptions are canoes made on a skeleton form without metal bands. See http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?attachments/35986/ for a 34 foot long example of one from Old Town. I would be very surprised if White was building their 20 foot canoes on a skeleton form without bands. The beveled planking is your strongest indicator as MGC has confirmed.
See https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/lot_01E48EBAB0 for an Old Town example. It is too far away for me and more than I am willing to pay.
Benson
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Man, I've learned a good bit from you guys, but I can tell I haven't scratched the surface of your knowledge. I have to say I am confused as to how canoe planks could be lapped over one another and the seam not show through the canvas exterior, unless one plank is mitered to receive a tongue on the other. I couldn't find anything about this in my searches. I've seen old boats with lapped planks, but those were visible from the exterior.
By the way, the high likelihood of logger use of this boat is very interesting. Here in the coastal South, we know little of logging operations in the coastal and piedmont regions, since that was completed far before the Midwest and the navigable waterways are brackish and destroy wood much faster than the fresh Midwestern water. We know more about logging in the western piedmont and mountains, since it was more recent, but our mountain rivers are mostly rocky creeks which are not navigable. It's very interesting to me that such a heavy usage as carrying loggers and their equipment was conducted by canoe. I wonder how many loggers would have been able to get in this 20-footer. My guess is no more than three large me and their basic equipment, but maybe four or more could. I'm going to try to locate photographs of loggers in canoes. I know they weren't the selfie types, but maybe some photographs exist.
By the way, the high likelihood of logger use of this boat is very interesting. Here in the coastal South, we know little of logging operations in the coastal and piedmont regions, since that was completed far before the Midwest and the navigable waterways are brackish and destroy wood much faster than the fresh Midwestern water. We know more about logging in the western piedmont and mountains, since it was more recent, but our mountain rivers are mostly rocky creeks which are not navigable. It's very interesting to me that such a heavy usage as carrying loggers and their equipment was conducted by canoe. I wonder how many loggers would have been able to get in this 20-footer. My guess is no more than three large me and their basic equipment, but maybe four or more could. I'm going to try to locate photographs of loggers in canoes. I know they weren't the selfie types, but maybe some photographs exist.
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White described their planking as beveled. See the bottom of page 20 at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/manufacturer-catalog/white-canoe-company-1948 for a diagram and description in a White catalog. Lapped is more commonly used to describe a similar type of lapstrake construction.
The bateau was the primary boat used by most log driving crews but big canoes and other watercraft were frequently a part of the mix too. See https://maineboats.com/print/issue-165/bateau-forgotten-workhorse-maine’s-rivers and https://www.northmainewoods.org/gallery/historic.html for more details.
Benson
The bateau was the primary boat used by most log driving crews but big canoes and other watercraft were frequently a part of the mix too. See https://maineboats.com/print/issue-165/bateau-forgotten-workhorse-maine’s-rivers and https://www.northmainewoods.org/gallery/historic.html for more details.
Benson
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Sorry, I should have realized we are talking beveled edges. The edges of the planking on my canoe are beveled on the inside and that's the main reason I'm tentatively calling this a White. Check out the catalog-listed weight--95lbs on a 20-footer! It's very possible mine is that light, I just can't tell with something so bulky. Two skinny guys didn't have trouble flipping it and hoisting it on an SUV and my wife and I flipped it and hung it in the garage without much trouble.
The prior logging usage of my canoe is really neat--floating logs down a river is something we've always seen in movies and marveled at, but the concept has always been far afield and romantic to us Southerners. We have virtually no history of that here. It simply wasn't prevalent where I am (inland North Carolina). They might have used it at the coast, but the South has so many roads and rails crisscrossing everywhere and our inland rivers are so small that inland waterways simply weren't used for travel or industry, except by riverside mills, factories, and plants in need of large amounts of water to take in and discharge. ALL our navigable lakes are man-made, created in the 1900s, well after the land was stripped of old-growth hardwoods. Our state's largest lake wasn't finished (full) until the late 1960s. Power generation and recreation are the exclusive human uses of our large lakes. There are towns at the bottom of all of them, as lowlands were simply purchased, dammed, and flooded.
The prior logging usage of my canoe is really neat--floating logs down a river is something we've always seen in movies and marveled at, but the concept has always been far afield and romantic to us Southerners. We have virtually no history of that here. It simply wasn't prevalent where I am (inland North Carolina). They might have used it at the coast, but the South has so many roads and rails crisscrossing everywhere and our inland rivers are so small that inland waterways simply weren't used for travel or industry, except by riverside mills, factories, and plants in need of large amounts of water to take in and discharge. ALL our navigable lakes are man-made, created in the 1900s, well after the land was stripped of old-growth hardwoods. Our state's largest lake wasn't finished (full) until the late 1960s. Power generation and recreation are the exclusive human uses of our large lakes. There are towns at the bottom of all of them, as lowlands were simply purchased, dammed, and flooded.
MGC
Scrapmaker
I should have said beveled as that is the correct way to describe how White lapped the planks.
I would not necessarily conclude that the canoe was used for logging. It would be more correct to conclude that it was used by someone wearing hob nailed boots, the kind that loggers wore. Beyond that, who knows?
I would not necessarily conclude that the canoe was used for logging. It would be more correct to conclude that it was used by someone wearing hob nailed boots, the kind that loggers wore. Beyond that, who knows?
MGC, point taken about assuming logging usage. I understand others utilized hob-nails. At this point, I'll tentatively call this canoe a MacKenzie-modified Great White likely previously used as an ancillary logger transporter, understanding the original builder and usage are uncertain. Of course, I find it really neat that Tom MacKenzie modified this canoe and kept it for a long time and I'd love to hear if anyone remembers using it at WCHA or other functions, but these discussions about the canoe's original builder and original usage have been educational and entertaining. If only those ribs and planks could talk..... (I guess y'all have wished that a lot). If and when it becomes necessary, I will endeavor to remove the current canvas and apply a new one. At that time, I may bug you knowledgeable fellows again to take a look at the planking from the exterior. I really hope that is far in the future (when I have more time and patience).
I greatly appreciate you guys assisting me on this research. If I find out more about this canoe's history, I'll definitely post here.
At this point, I am turning to care and maintenance of the canoe. I don't do much forum posting, so I am unclear on the protocol (whether I should create a new thread for this, since we are already under the Maintenance and Construction section heading).
Hull Treatment
I would really like to apply whatever I can to this canoe's hull to help protect it. Here in the South we have red staining mud and I'd like to get a good coat of something on this canoe before I take it out, if reasonably possible. In researching hull maintenance, I did not find many posts here (I probably don't know the best search terms). I see a very recent discussion entitled "How much varnish is too much...", in which MGC states a warmed blend of turpentine, mineral spirits and BLO is a proper treatment for the hull, as may be other blends of BLO, tung oil, etc. Does anyone have any recommendations as to the best brands (American-made, preferably), where to purchase from, percentages of each oil in the concoction, different concoctions, temperature at application, application technique, etc. they will share?
I am also interested in how to touch-up the paint (what type of paint to use) and how concerned I should be about the cracked ribs. I'd hate to step through or otherwise damage the canoe because I did not replace a simple cracked rib.
I hope to get the canoe in the water for a simple shakedown this weekend, if the weather is nice and all else aligns. If anyone sees any problem with just dropping this thing in a deep lake, I'd love to know what that is. I can swim; my concern is protecting and preserving the canoe. I assume it is appropriate to pull it onto muddy and sandy banks and that I should avoid hitting anything in the water, but, being brand-new, I'll gladly take anyone's 2 or more cents they are willing to share about how to maintain and operate these wood and canvas canoes.
I greatly appreciate you guys assisting me on this research. If I find out more about this canoe's history, I'll definitely post here.
At this point, I am turning to care and maintenance of the canoe. I don't do much forum posting, so I am unclear on the protocol (whether I should create a new thread for this, since we are already under the Maintenance and Construction section heading).
Hull Treatment
I would really like to apply whatever I can to this canoe's hull to help protect it. Here in the South we have red staining mud and I'd like to get a good coat of something on this canoe before I take it out, if reasonably possible. In researching hull maintenance, I did not find many posts here (I probably don't know the best search terms). I see a very recent discussion entitled "How much varnish is too much...", in which MGC states a warmed blend of turpentine, mineral spirits and BLO is a proper treatment for the hull, as may be other blends of BLO, tung oil, etc. Does anyone have any recommendations as to the best brands (American-made, preferably), where to purchase from, percentages of each oil in the concoction, different concoctions, temperature at application, application technique, etc. they will share?
I am also interested in how to touch-up the paint (what type of paint to use) and how concerned I should be about the cracked ribs. I'd hate to step through or otherwise damage the canoe because I did not replace a simple cracked rib.
I hope to get the canoe in the water for a simple shakedown this weekend, if the weather is nice and all else aligns. If anyone sees any problem with just dropping this thing in a deep lake, I'd love to know what that is. I can swim; my concern is protecting and preserving the canoe. I assume it is appropriate to pull it onto muddy and sandy banks and that I should avoid hitting anything in the water, but, being brand-new, I'll gladly take anyone's 2 or more cents they are willing to share about how to maintain and operate these wood and canvas canoes.
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Hey Todd, thanks for the message. I'm probably over seven hours from the Tidewater area. I have family in Northeastern NC, though, so if I can get comfortable that my canoe is nearly as sturdy as it once was, I'd like to take it to one of the NC sounds and maybe even the Dismal Swamp one day. I always thought it would be fun to canoe around all those old Cypress trees.
Greg Nolan
enthusiast
You have an unusual, attractive canoe, and with proper care you will enjoy it for many years. Here are some thoughts about some of the issues you raise:
Some links to some discussions in these forums about using a canoe with old, cracked, and peeling paint –
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=5790 see pp. 2-3 of this thread
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7769-Painting-over-existing-paint&p=41339#post41339
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?5933-quot-Minor-quot-Restoration-advice-please&p=32358#post32358
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7775-Temp-repair-to-bare-spot-on-canvas&p=41357#post41357
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7619-time-is-not-on-my-side!&p=40689#post40689
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?8564-Smoothing-Canvas/page2 starting at post 12, on bondo spot putty
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?6607-sanding-or-not&p=35286#post35286
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?8906-Repaint-Tips
Before you paddle the North Carolina sounds or any other salt water, you should take a look at the discussions at:
http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/need-advice-restoring-my-1927-otca.18393/#post-95727
http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/1968-old-town-lightweight-restoration.17718/#post-91699
If I were to use a wood-canvas canoe in salt water, I would wet it down thoroughly with fresh water before use – so fresh water gets into the wood around tack heads, cracked paint and filler, and other spots where wood might not be sealed, and would rinse it out thoroughly afterwards with fresh water. A couple of day trips would likely do no real harm, but salt water harm to canoes is not reversible. Q. What’s the best canoe to use in salt water? A. Someone else’s.
I would borrow or rent a fiberglass, royalex, or other non-wood canoe and leave my wood-canvas boat at home.
Pulling a canoe onto a beach or river bank is fine, at worst should cause no more harm than some scuffed or scraped paint that is easily touched up. Stepping into or loading a canoe on a bank or beach is not so fine. Generally, your canoe should be afloat when entering it and when loading anything much heavier and harder than a soft day pack or a couple of spare paddles. The stress to the hull of a heavy point load (the foot of an adult, the edged of a cooler or wanigan that slips from your hands) is spread widely by a hull structure supported by water, but may damage an unsupported hull where the point load may crack a rib or plank – likely the cause of the damage to the ribs in front of the aft seat in your canoe.
For the gentle use you propose, if you are carrying nothing more than a picnic lunch on a day trip, the cracked ribs shown in the photos of your post that has your planking sketch would not worry me too much if the canoe is used gently and carefully. They don’t appear to deform the hull.
But -- the cracked ribs shown in your first series of photos, where the cracked ribs appear to be just forward of the rear seat, are more problematic, because the ribs are visibly misshapen at the points of the cracks deforming the hull. The planking and the canvas outside of those cracks have been, and continue to be, stressed. If you do paddle with these broken ribs, you should use the seat and not kneel when paddling, keeping your weight off the cracked ribs – certainly off the cracks themselves. I would also place a mat of some sort (something like that at https://www.harborfreight.com/anti-fatigue-roll-mat-61241.html, cut to size) in the area where your feet would rest and where you would have to step when boarding and reaching the aft seat.
My 2¢ -- I’m sure others will be chiming in.
Greg
Greg, thanks so much for the thoughts and links. I've read them all, now, but I will refer back to them more. I understand (much better now) the series of cracked ribs forward of the rear seat is the biggest concern with this canoe. A number of broken ribs in a series is obviously an issue to address. Some are even broken on each side.
Even the planking directly underneath these ribs is cracked, so you're dead-on about hull deformation. I was obviously concerned, since I asked about this, but I hadn't realized the extent of the issue until I inspected it again after your post. I can feel part of the cracked plank from the outside of the hull. I'm surprised the hull hasn't already cracked in this area. It seems significantly stressed.
On the bright side, I'm generally the user in this area of the canoe, so I can manage its tenderness here better than elsewhere. Unfortunately, with my equipment, I tend to be rough in use and tender in care. I hoped to have a few other men and boys in my family using the canoe with me on a weekend camping outing soon, so the susceptibility complicates things some. I also prefer kneeling, so that limitation by this issue is a bit of a bummer. However, I certainly take the point that the canoe might not take the point (of my knee) without catastrophic hull failure.
I certainly wish this canoe had the half-ribs most White Guides seem to have. Even floorboards (if that is the proper term for the perpendicular system sometimes on top of the ribs) might have prevented these broken ribs. With many of the ribs in this canoe having two and three holes in the center, I'm surprised there aren't more broken. I wonder if I could/should makeshift some removable floorboards that take all or some of the human weight off those broken ribs (have the floorboards float over the broken ribs). That might also give me a chance of kneeling in the broken rib area and it would help distribute the weight in other areas.
I always tend toward heavier-duty (emphasis on "heavy") tools, so if this was a new canoe I'd already have been working on how to add half-ribs and other toughening parts as well. With it being somewhat of an "antique", I am ambivalent about keeping and preserving the canoe as I received it versus modifying it. I tend to err on the conservative side with such choices.
I'm guessing rib replacement without also replacing the canvas is near impossible, though I do have a lot of thoughts about theoretical workarounds, such as floorboards to relieve weight, splint ribs on top of the existing broken ribs, etc.
Even the planking directly underneath these ribs is cracked, so you're dead-on about hull deformation. I was obviously concerned, since I asked about this, but I hadn't realized the extent of the issue until I inspected it again after your post. I can feel part of the cracked plank from the outside of the hull. I'm surprised the hull hasn't already cracked in this area. It seems significantly stressed.
On the bright side, I'm generally the user in this area of the canoe, so I can manage its tenderness here better than elsewhere. Unfortunately, with my equipment, I tend to be rough in use and tender in care. I hoped to have a few other men and boys in my family using the canoe with me on a weekend camping outing soon, so the susceptibility complicates things some. I also prefer kneeling, so that limitation by this issue is a bit of a bummer. However, I certainly take the point that the canoe might not take the point (of my knee) without catastrophic hull failure.
I certainly wish this canoe had the half-ribs most White Guides seem to have. Even floorboards (if that is the proper term for the perpendicular system sometimes on top of the ribs) might have prevented these broken ribs. With many of the ribs in this canoe having two and three holes in the center, I'm surprised there aren't more broken. I wonder if I could/should makeshift some removable floorboards that take all or some of the human weight off those broken ribs (have the floorboards float over the broken ribs). That might also give me a chance of kneeling in the broken rib area and it would help distribute the weight in other areas.
I always tend toward heavier-duty (emphasis on "heavy") tools, so if this was a new canoe I'd already have been working on how to add half-ribs and other toughening parts as well. With it being somewhat of an "antique", I am ambivalent about keeping and preserving the canoe as I received it versus modifying it. I tend to err on the conservative side with such choices.
I'm guessing rib replacement without also replacing the canvas is near impossible, though I do have a lot of thoughts about theoretical workarounds, such as floorboards to relieve weight, splint ribs on top of the existing broken ribs, etc.
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MGC
Scrapmaker
All things canoe need proper perspective. Here, I would be inclined to wonder if the ribs were actually repaired with a "backside" repair before the canoe was most recently recanvased. Someone with Tom's skills and capabilities would have been unlikely to ignore such an obvious repair need. He certainly would not have put a canvas on that hull if it was in a compromised state. Look at all of the other work he did and ask yourself, would he have replaced rails, decks, seats and ignored the ribs? It's hard to imagine. Those are not "fresh" breaks. You can easily see that the damage has signs of being there long before Tom recanvased. Had Tom been the one that ginked it on the rocks, you would see damage to the paint, canvas and filler. If it were me, I'd probably get a real close look into those cracks to see if any epoxy has squeezed up through the ribs, a sign that a backside repair was done. If you can't see that, you might need to wait until you eventually replace the canvas to have a look. Whatever the case, I don't think those ribs are such a big deal. I've paddled many canoes with much worse damage and never experienced a problem. Eventually you can repair it however you choose....replacing ribs is pretty simple.
WRT adding half ribs or floorboards...I like half ribs in a working canoe, but I hate the extra weight on carries. Floorboards are best suited for dipsy doodling, not tripping. Not only do they add a lot of weight, they also can become a challenge on carries. They love to shuck around and fall out. I personally think they are good for show but not for go. Just put a tarp in the boat for your gear. That will protect the wood. I use a few closed cell pads for kneeling and to protect the hull from my feet. (Think yoga pads, steal these when your wife is not looking)
Don't sweat the holes in the ribs. Most wilderness paddlers will opt to leave the keel off and the holes open when we restore boat that will be used for tripping. The keel not only adds weight, but it also offers a snag for rocks to catch when you are running riffs and it will resist your best efforts to steer. I have never heard of any resulting structural concerns from leaving those holes present.
WRT adding half ribs or floorboards...I like half ribs in a working canoe, but I hate the extra weight on carries. Floorboards are best suited for dipsy doodling, not tripping. Not only do they add a lot of weight, they also can become a challenge on carries. They love to shuck around and fall out. I personally think they are good for show but not for go. Just put a tarp in the boat for your gear. That will protect the wood. I use a few closed cell pads for kneeling and to protect the hull from my feet. (Think yoga pads, steal these when your wife is not looking)
Don't sweat the holes in the ribs. Most wilderness paddlers will opt to leave the keel off and the holes open when we restore boat that will be used for tripping. The keel not only adds weight, but it also offers a snag for rocks to catch when you are running riffs and it will resist your best efforts to steer. I have never heard of any resulting structural concerns from leaving those holes present.
I have restored a few canoes where blocks of wood were screwed over the offending cracks (be sure to use short screws that don't penetrate the canvas), or pieces of tin cans or sheet metal were worked under the ribs over cracks in the planking. I doubt these patches are very effective, but it may make you feel better until you can recanvas, and replace the ribs properly.
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