55seliga
Curious about Wooden Canoes
I was lucky to be able to acquire a 1955 Seliga 17' canoe recently. It has had some restorations by the previous owner, but it will be going to Alex Comb for a complete restoration in September.
Prior to the restoration work by Alex, I am trying to get as much information as possible about the original materials that would have been fitted to the canoe as built in 1955. This is what I do know about the canoe. It was built for the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base. It was sold by the base in 1979 to a former Charlie guide whose son sold it to me. It was originally covered with fiberglass that was replaced with canvas sometime after 1979.
My canoe does not have the original inwales, outwales, decks, thwarts, or seats. All were replaced in ash. What I would like to confirm is that the following materials would have been used originally in 1955:
inwales: spruce ???
outwales: mahogany ???
decks: cherry ???
thwarts: ????
seats: ????
hull color: dark evergreen/ bronze green ???
If you can confirm the materials used on a Seliga canoe of similar vintage I would really appreciate it.
John Schnettler
Prior to the restoration work by Alex, I am trying to get as much information as possible about the original materials that would have been fitted to the canoe as built in 1955. This is what I do know about the canoe. It was built for the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base. It was sold by the base in 1979 to a former Charlie guide whose son sold it to me. It was originally covered with fiberglass that was replaced with canvas sometime after 1979.
My canoe does not have the original inwales, outwales, decks, thwarts, or seats. All were replaced in ash. What I would like to confirm is that the following materials would have been used originally in 1955:
inwales: spruce ???
outwales: mahogany ???
decks: cherry ???
thwarts: ????
seats: ????
hull color: dark evergreen/ bronze green ???
If you can confirm the materials used on a Seliga canoe of similar vintage I would really appreciate it.
John Schnettler
