terminology

[Rob Brown]

is there a thread here that gives the terminology used in describing the physical qualities and descriptions of various models of canoes? A dictionary of sorts, that refers to canoes and their usage, and construction.? I think what I have is a Thompson Ranger model with low sheer dating in the 50's. How do you measure the length" is it from overall length or from stem to stem, etc. I'll post pix when I figure out how to do it. Thanks.

 

[Benson Gray]

The diagram at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/specific.gif should give you a good start on the terminology. The length of a canoe is usually the extreme overall length which often requires a long tape measure, two plumb lines, and two people to accurately measure. The good news is that you can then round to the nearest even foot. The information at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?469 may help you post pictures. Feel free to reply here is you have more specific questions.

Benson

 

[Rob Brown]

Can sheer be described as the side profile of the boat relating to the height of the Ends above the sides ?

 

[Dan Miller]

The sheer is the line defined by the top of of the hull where it joins the deck, or in the case of a canoe, the line defined by the topside of the inwales. The shape of the sheer can take a lot of forms that is not really possible to describe outside of a drawing, but loosely, a canoe with a lot of sheer will have ends much higher than amidships (say, 12" deep amidships, 24" deep at the tip of the stems). A canoe with little sheer will only be a few inches deeper at the stems than amidships.

A Thompson Ranger will have a sheer that looks nearly flat when viewing it in profile.

A tutorial on posting photos is here: http://forums.wcha.org/knowledgebase/Tutorials:Posting+Photos+to+the+WCHA+Forums