Planking Question

[Ric Altfather]

Old Town used Western red cedar for their planking but the most available planking on the East coast is Atlantic/White cedar. There doesn't seem to be much talk about which material is used for the restoration of an Old Town...red or white? The red will match the color easier and the white needs to be stained but it's all about availability and cost. I would like to hear a few opinions and help start a new threat for others in the know.

thanks,

Ric Altfather #4035

 

[Dan Miller]

Ric,

Old Town used both white cedar (primarily in their earliest canoes) and western red cedar. This is indicated explicitly on the build record cards. If the planking is given as "Me Ced" (or some variation), then the planking is northern white (Maine) cedar. If the listing is "W Ced" (or again, some variation), it is Western (Red) Cedar. Old Town switched to western red cedar for planking because it was readily available as quartersawn stock imported from the west coast by the railroad car load. White cedar was always used for ribs.

When restoring the canoe, you should use the same as was used originally. Western red cedar is usually available at decent lumberyards, especially those that also do millwork.

 

[Charlie]

NORTHERN White Cedar is the creme de la creme of canoe woods. It is much different than Atlantic White Cedar. Back in J. Henry Rushton's time Northern White Cedar of sufficient size for his style of building was getting scarce. He looked at everthing that was available and chose WRC.
Atlantic White is used in lots of boatbuilding but, mainly in hulls where low weight is not a consideration.
Charlie

 

[Dan Miller]

Back in J. Henry Rushton's time Northern White Cedar of sufficient size for his style of building was getting scarce. He looked at everthing that was available and chose WRC.

No, Rushton did not use western red cedar in his canoes or boats. He had northern white cedar shipped in from Michigan and Canada. The sheerstrake on lapstrake canoes was usually Spanish cedar.

 

[Dick Persson]

Hi all,

I echo Dan’s comment and will elaborate a little on the shipping of Northern White Cedar at that time, specifically from the Peterborough/Lakefield area..

Almost every year, from around 1881, J.R. Robertson had Northern White Cedar shipped in from Lakefield, Ontario first to Canton, N.Y. and later to Lawrence, Massachusetts and Auburndale, Massachusetts.

In 1884 J.R. Robertson and J.H. Rushton were actually competing in who was going to have the first of the early spring shipments of clear Northern White Cedar from the Peterborough and Lakefield area. Many of the shipments were handled by J.R. Robertson’s relatives in the Peterborough area. Rushton’s 1884 spring shipment of boat building material from Lakefield, Ontario consisted of three rail cars.

Cheers
Dick Persson
Headwater Wooden Boat Shop

 

[Rollin Thurlow]

Unless your are doing a historic preservation that will be held up as an example to be shown to the public, I would say it does not matter whcih wood you use. I like the white cedar because I belive it is a better all round canoe wood. No matter which wood you use you will have to stain the wood to match the proper color. New red cedar planking color is not more going to match the old red cedar planking than the white cedar will. What matters more is choosing a peice of wood that has the correct grain pattern to match the old wood, stain that to the proper color and it will be fine.