Some of your wisdom and knowledge would be appreciated...

[gratefulsam]

Hello All,

New to the wood & canvas thing, but not to the river. I was poking around ebay/craigslist for a canoe and was astonished at the prices! I saw this one just a few miles from my house in Erie and grabbed it for $400. It was advertised as Olde Towne but I have no idea what it really is. I may consider partial restoration next winter, but for now I would like to use it this summer. One obvious hole and one repair. The wood strip on the bottom is a bit dry but I think it'll be ok for now with some varnish(?). The rest of it is in decent shape from what I can see and feel/hear when tapping around the canvas with my hand. So if you would be so kind and tell me what you think it may be, and where to get info on how to to do the repair and varnishing. I'm also considering a sanding and painting for this season. Thank you! Sam and family.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Congratulations on your purchase of a wood/canvas canoe, and welcome to the WCHA Forums! I can't help with who might have built your canoe though. The things that help me (and maybe some others) are the deck-style and a side-view of one of the ends... and the ribs. Many of the builders had a distinctive deck-style that can help narrow down who built the canoe. Also, the profile of a canoe can be distinctive... and whether the ribs are tapered as they approach the gunwales. But someone may have a canoe just like yours and will know it with the pictures provided.

The "bible" of wood/canvas canoe repair is Stelmok and Thurlow's "The Wood and Canvas Canoe". But feel free to ask specific questions here. I see that you are in PA which has a couple of very active chapters of the WCHA, and there are no better people around than WCHA people. Paddle with them and you'll know what to do to bring your canoe back to what it originally was.

I'm no expert at restoration but would use a bit of duct tape (aka Adirondack Chrome) over that canvas-hole and see if she floats okay. Someone else no doubt has better advice...

Kathy

 

[gratefulsam]

Thanks, Kathryn. Here are some more pics. It probably would be a good idea to see if it floats, huh? I grew up on the NJ/PA border, and the stretch of the Delaware river between Easton and New Hope is my home turf, along with the South Branch of the Raritan River. Good memories, and more to come.

 

[Dan Miller]

Your canoe has Canadian origins. Probably from one of the several "Huron" builders from Quebec.