Old Town?

[dtdcanoes]

Always something more to learn. To prove it . A little caution not to let excessive heat get to the rolls as they may release the mastic. It needs a cooler place for storage. And fold over a little tab after use . It can be tough to find the EDGE when you most need to. Have fun.
Dave

 

[Dave Osborn]

Tell us about the System Three primer. I’ve always used Pettit or Interlux primer. The both build up for final filling and sand well. The System Three is a pre-catalysed waterborne epoxy. Does it build up well and sandable? How many coats?

 

[Gregory Messier]

Tell us about the System Three primer. I’ve always used Pettit or Interlux primer. The both build up for final filling and sand well. The System Three is a pre-catalysed waterborne epoxy. Does it build up well and sandable? How many coats?

Hi Dave,
I can’t offer a comparison as I’ve only used the System Three primer that being what my local guy recommends (Joe Merton at Merton’s Fiberglass and Marine Supply). However my experience has been that it is sandable and builds well. On this canoe I applied two coats but keep in mind that I skim coated the hull with fairing compound first and sanded to a smooth finish prior to primer so I wasn’t trying to fill any of the weave.

 

[Gregory Messier]

Always something more to learn. To prove it . A little caution not to let excessive heat get to the rolls as they may release the mastic. It needs a cooler place for storage. And fold over a little tab after use . It can be tough to find the EDGE when you most need to. Have fun.
Dave

Thank you Dave, I still have tons to learn and really appreciate your advice. Help me understand better what you mean by “fold over a little tab after use”.

 

[dtdcanoes]

Hi Greg,

Excuse the poor explanation. Simply, after you use a piece and put the roll down fold over a 1/4" or so to be able to find the end when you next need it.

 

[Gregory Messier]

Paint gurus… I’m questioning my original plan. I was just going to leave the light green taped up and put another tape line 1/2” outboard for the gold stripe. The thought was that would save a little time but now I’m worried that I will end up with a sliver of light green visible between the gold and dark green when I pull the tape. Should I just completely re-tape for the gold stripe?

 

[Gregory Messier]

I decided to not take a chance. I pulled the tape and put in another tape line 1/16 out from the light green. I’ll post updated pics in a few days.

 

[Gregory Messier]

I have some oopses to touch up still but the bulk of the paint job is finished and I’m pretty happy with it.

 

[Gregory Messier]

The 1910 Charles River is finally out of the shop and in the daylight. It took me 11 months but it’s finally done! I am just waiting for the stem bands to come in but that’s not going to stop me from paddling it tomorrow.

Thank you all for the guidance and support through this process! You are such a great bunch, willing to share your knowledge with a newbie.

 

[Worth Gretter]

It is beautiful! I don't think you can call yourself a newbie any more!!

 

[Gregory Messier]

It is beautiful! I don't think you can call yourself a newbie any more!!

Thank you Worth. This is my third Old Town but definitely the oldest and the most in-depth restoration I’ve done.

 

[Gregory Messier]

It paddled so beautifully today. I’m very impressed with the Charles River. Much faster than my Otca and fairly nimble.

 

[Todd F]

Great job Greg, very impressive!

 

[MGC]

Some believe that these older hulls are more "tender" to paddle but as you have now experienced, they are the best ones to enjoy. Somewhere along the way, the forms changed, and the hulls became wider, flatter and less of a pleasure to paddle. Yours is from the vintage when people appreciated a good quick canoe. Maybe Benson has made a study of this but for me, the earliest Old Towns are the most desirable.

 

[Benson Gray]

Maybe Benson has made a study of this

There are several likely answers to the differences in wooden canoes over time. Wooden canoe hulls tend to 'round out' with age (especially if they have ever been left without seats and thwarts for an extended period) which does make them more tender and faster. The other factor is that the market seems to have favored wide canoes with flat bottoms during the 1950s. The round bottomed HW was Old Town's most popular model in the early 1900s but was dropped from the catalog in 1954. The 16' Otca model was listed at 34 ½ inches wide in the catalogs from 1908 to 1956. It appears to have been replaced with the 36 inch wide Yankee/Livery model in the 1957 and following catalogs.

Benson

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Different models/hull shapes for different purposes.

If you are paddling to cover ground, a HW with the arched/rounded bottom, if fishing something flatter like the Guide or Chestnut Ogilve, if courting, another flatter bottom to keep your gal dry, a later Charles River. If for a Youth Camp or rental (livery) the Yankee.

 

[MGC]

You become accustomed to what you have. I never had much of a problem fly casting while standing in our 1916 Old Town. You figure it out.
I remember thinking my first Indian Girl was a really tender, but after a lifetime of using it, it feels about like a canoe should.

 

[Gregory Messier]

Some believe that these older hulls are more "tender" to paddle but as you have now experienced, they are the best ones to enjoy. Somewhere along the way, the forms changed, and the hulls became wider, flatter and less of a pleasure to paddle. Yours is from the vintage when people appreciated a good quick canoe. Maybe Benson has made a study of this but for me, the earliest Old Towns are the most desirable.

Initial stability was noticeably less than my Otca but that was exactly what I expected given the dramatically different shapes of the hull. It was not too tender for my son and I as soon as we relaxed a bit into the paddle.

 

[Gregory Messier]

There are several likely answers to the differences in wooden canoes over time. Wooden canoe hulls tend to 'round out' with age (especially if they have ever been left without seats and thwarts for an extended period) which does make them more tender and faster. The other factor is that the market seems to have favored wide canoes with flat bottoms during the 1950s. The round bottomed HW was Old Town's most popular model in the early 1900s but was dropped from the catalog in 1954. The 16' Otca model was listed at 34 ½ inches wide in the catalogs from 1908 to 1956. It appears to have been replaced with the 36 inch wide Yankee/Livery model in the 1957 and following catalogs.

Benson

Benson,

I did wonder about the “rounding out of the hull” as you mention. The thwarts of this hull had been compromised when the bolts wore through them over the years. I was able to pull the hull back in with ratchet straps and reused the original thwarts but I wonder how much of the original tumble home was lost.

 

[Benson Gray]

I wonder how much of the original tumble home was lost.

The page at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/hull-x-s.gif shows cross sections of these hulls from the 1920 catalog. The differences are subtle. These can be hard to see but often are easier to feel when paddling.

Benson