A year ago January while on our annual Winter trip to Ely, MN I had the good fortune to run into a fellow who had a damaged Saliga canoe that he wanted out of his shop. I was delighted to oblige as I had met Joe on several occasions and was happy to actually acquire one of his canoes. Alex Comb has a database with a record of Joe's builds. He obliged with a copy of the record showing that the canoe was built in November of 1972. It had suffered a mishap resulting in a broken gunwale and a separated bow stem. Both seats and one thwart were missing. It was also showing a bit of stem rot in the stern end. The decks were a little dicey but not bad enough to replace. A little Git Rot took care of the small areas that were a little punky.
I have finally been able to get to work on it. The repairs have been pretty straight forward. There were no broken ribs and all the planking was still in good shape. At this point the structural repairs are complete and the canoe is ready for canvas. I plan to undertake that work upon return from the Assembly. Will post photos of further progress.
The progress to date can be seen at: https://andrewhutyera.smugmug.com/Saliga-Canoe-Repair
I have finally been able to get to work on it. The repairs have been pretty straight forward. There were no broken ribs and all the planking was still in good shape. At this point the structural repairs are complete and the canoe is ready for canvas. I plan to undertake that work upon return from the Assembly. Will post photos of further progress.
The progress to date can be seen at: https://andrewhutyera.smugmug.com/Saliga-Canoe-Repair
