Obtaining a dream, can you tell me something about it?

[voodoofire1]

Hello, my name is Steve, and this is my first post here, yesterday while heading to the Mississinewa 1812 event a few miles down the road, I stopped at a rummage and found my dream ...a wood canoe, I've wanted one of these since I was seven when I took my first ride in one, only took 40 years to find it, seems to be covered in glass, nothing painted but the inside and woodwork, only has 1 coat too, and looks to be built with aluminum nails, wood is very nice with no signs of rot or deterioration, keel is square 7/8"x7/8" and butts up to aluminum pieces that run up to the decks, it has no identifiers, numbers, or such so I have no idea who made it or when, have any guesses? sure would appreciate any info you can give me...Thanks, Steve

 

[voodoofire1]

Oh well, It doesn't really matter, I plan on using it to go float hunting with the longbows I build...

Thanks for looking....Steve

 

[Dan Miller]

Hi Steve,

Are those stems original? If so, coupled with the keelson and narrow planking, your canoe is typical of those that were often written up for home builders in Popular Mechanics (and the like...).

I almost looks like the ribs are mahogany where the paint has flaked away. Yes?

Cheers,
Dan

 

[voodoofire1]

Hi Dan, Thanks for replying....Yes it looks like mahogany, and it looks to me as everything on here is original, the ribs have sharp corners, and are not worn the least little bit, even the paint shows no wear inside,looks as though the builder painted it instead of a clear coat, it looks like a very proffesional job, except for where the aluminum nails they used are bent over where they come through the ribs the paint is not worn off of them either, so it leads me to believe they covered the deck with something like a blanket or they went barefooted, sure doesn't take much to wear off one coat of paint on a corner, took it for a spin again yesterday with my "little" brother, he weighs 500#'s and I weigh 310...there was nary a creak or groan, suprised me, this canoe sure seems to be well built, I do have a question though, those unpainted "stands" on the deck, are they for boat cushions? our cushions fit these very well and are pretty comfortable, looks to me to be made just for them, am I correct in thinking this?.....................Thanks,Steve

 

[voodoofire1]

Hi, Well I finally got it inside hanging upside down for the winter, just wondering... what is the best way to remove the single coat of green paint from the inside without messing up the glass on the outside? is there a way? sure like the red colored hull but would love to see the wood finish on the inside..................may just sell it or trade it off though, need something lighter, just bought a toyota mini motorhome, and need something I can put up there by myself.....maybe a plastic one would work better for me, sure do like this one though.........Steve

 

[voodoofire1]

Well, it's been awhile, and I come here now for soem real help, A limb fell on my canou and damaged it, broke some wood and PEELEd a bit of the fiberglass cloth covering the wood strips........What I want to do is to peel the rest of the glass off, sand lightly and refinish it with a clear glass finish, been to the US composites site and prices seem feasable, and as I buld traditional glass longbows the work is within reason too, just wondering if is the best way to redo this old canoe, any suggestions?

And ...Can anyone tell me what kind of canoe construction this is called?.....it's 16' double ended and of course fiberglass covered, th inside ribs are exposed, is this a "canvas" canoe that someone covered in fiberglass?,Thanks,Steve

 

[Dave Wermuth]

It looks like a pop mech home built. but Brian baker built canoe with lots of ribs and a keelson in Michigan. Maybe a Baker? You can search the site for discussions on 'glass vs canvas. overall 'glass can really cause problems and isn't so good on this type of construction, but there are alot of them out there. canvas is alot easier to do. A piece of canvas can cost anywhere from 50-100 bucks. filler, primer, paint another 50-100. depending on what you get. the two worst tasks in the rebuild/restore of a canoe are stripping and 'glass removal and you have both.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

the nails. bent over nails were used by indians inn lieu of root lashings. the square corners and bent over nails say home built to me.

 

[voodoofire1]

Thank You!....Where the damage is there are aluminum nails, but in the ribs the fasteners appear to be aluminum staples.....