Waltham Canoe number 1119 - a restoration saga

[Dan Miller]

This thread will be the saga of the restoration of Waltham Canoe number 1119, which will hopefully be returned to its former glory (or alternatively, placed in the burn pile). Follow along if you dare!

I acquired this canoe in the spring of 2025, during a quest to locate a few canoes to be candidates as victims of a canvas canoe restoration class at the Wooden Boat School, taking place in September 2025.

Here is one of the photos I was sent by the couple who were selling it:

It was immediately obvious that the canoe was far from original. The rails and caps appear to be Douglas fir, there are odd copper caps on the decks, and the seats are just canvas slung between a couple of bars. The floor rack is obviously a later addition as well.

It has some positives at this point as well - Birdseye maple decks and thwarts, builders tag, outside stem, and the sheer line looks fair at least. It wasn't expensive so nothing to lose. Plus got to spend a few days vacationing in Portsmouth, NH, and we got to visit Tom and Jan Seavey.

Here it is in my own shop. I've removed the copper tip caps:

 

[Dan Miller]

So, let's figure out what this canoe is. There is a good clue on the deck tag, which indicates that the canoe is a Grade B. We know of two published Waltham Boat and Canoe Company Catalogs. We've dated them to circa 1906 and circa 1910, based on information contained therein as to who the principals were and when they were involved with the company. The earlier catalog discusses Grade A and Grade B canoes; the later catalog does not. So, let's call this canoe circa 1906.

Some stripper applied to the stern stem revealed a serial number (more on stripping the finish in the next post).

But wait! The serial number suggests that the canoe is a 17' canoe. But the canoe itself measures 15' 8" excluding the outside stems. It is 33" wide and 13" deep. This would make it Waltham's 16-foot Sociable Canoe model:

 

[Dan Miller]

In addition to the replacement rails, the canoe has a number of other issues, including at least 14 broken ribs (more will appear when the canoe is stripped.

The stems have been replaced with planks:

And there is almost an inch of hog:

Quite a few feet of planking has been replaced with white cedar and copper tacks with honking big heads.

 

[Dan Miller]

Stripping has commenced.

Having hauled four gallons of methylene chloride through several moves since I left Wisconsin, I thought I'd start with that. Well, only one and a half gallons still remain . Stripped a section of the canoe - two rounds of MC and a scrub with 50/50 acetone/lacquer thinner.

I also have a big a pail of Blue Bear Paint and Urethane Stripper, so I tried that as well. Two rounds of stripper scraping in between, then a scrub with water. Here are the preliminary results, see if you can guess which side was stripped with which:

The left side was the Blue Bear, and the right the MC. I'm sticking with the Blue Bear for the rest of this project.

More soon, if you can stand it!

 

[patrick corry]

I'll be glad and curious to follow along!

One comment... what original buyer in their right mind would be happy with a "Grade B" canoe tag so boldly mounted that the whole world could see what a tightwad they were? Just kidding'. We all have to keep within our means, even way back then! I'll look forward to seeing progress.

How are the ribs joined to the rails? Is the rail rabbeted to receive full thickness rib tips?

 

[Dan Miller]

what original buyer in their right mind would be happy with a "Grade B" canoe tag so boldly mounted that the whole world could see what a tightwad they were? Just kidding'.

One that wanted to save $2. Which they then put into the outside stems. Without original parts, we don't know if they also sprung for mahogany rails, fancy paint, a monogram or ???

 

[Dan R.]

Dan,
Do you know what the black stuff is that you are stripping off? Looks like what I have in mine.

I will be following along as well! Looking forward to learning.

 

[Dan Miller]

Dan,
Do you know what the black stuff is that you are stripping off? Looks like what I have in mine.

Mostly it is old varnish. There is some polyurethane in the mix I think, as the Methylene Chloride didn't touch the finish on the decks.

 

[Michael Grace]

Looks like a fun project, Dan. Is this one going to be part of your class or are you going to do it yourself at home? Love the birdseye. Can't wait to see it rejuvenated. Do you think the outside stems have been replaced? They look flat-sided (square or trapezoidal), but I would expect the "chubby" stems (oval in cross section) that are often seen on Charles River-area canoes. Looking forward to your progress posts!

 

[Dan Miller]

How are the ribs joined to the rails? Is the rail rabbeted to receive full thickness rib tips?

Sorry, missed this question the first time around. The tips of the ribs are tapered.

 

[chris pearson]

I never had it where the “real” stripper with MC didn’t do the job. I just stripped out an old”restoration” where urethane was used. The only thing that really went after it was the old stand by. I wonder if your stripper being older had something to do with it? Did you mix it up well?

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Thanks Dan for your efforts. I will be watching. By posting this record the craft will be able to carry on. Good stuff.

 

[Dan Miller]

Looks like a fun project, Dan. Is this one going to be part of your class or are you going to do it yourself at home? Love the birdseye. Can't wait to see it rejuvenated. Do you think the outside stems have been replaced? They look flat-sided (square or trapezoidal), but I would expect the "chubby" stems (oval in cross section) that are often seen on Charles River-area canoes. Looking forward to your progress posts!

Late getting back to your questions, Michael. It's been unbelievably hectic around here. Yes, this canoe is going to Brooklin with me in a week. It will be accompanied by either a Morris or an Old Town that needs naught but a new canvas. That way students get to experience that part regardless of how far we get on the Waltham or their own canoes.

You are correct that the outside stems are simple trapezoids. Hard to know if they are original or not. I may be able to determine if the keel is original (which would corroborate the stems being original), If it has multiple screw holes in it (one set for original screws, the other for the drywall screws which reattached it, not using the original holes in the ribs). The canvas is glued onto the keel pretty hard, and I haven't taken the time to scrape it off yet. I find it hard to believe that the person who worked on it last, that installed sawn blocks for the stems, would have bent new outside stems. Perhaps its been worked on more than once.

Some other details to report. The ribs are 2-1/2 inches wide white cedar, and the planking is 3" wide red cedar, fastened with copper canoe tacks. Which means I can get the replacement planking I need out of a bit of 4x4 vertical grain red cedar I have on hand.

Given the number of broken ribs, this thing must have been in the garbage compressor with Luke and Leia.

 

[JClearwater]

Dan,
What do you think is a build date for this canoe? With Red Cedar planking I'm thinking it is a rather late production. The tapered ribs are interesting. My Anderson and my Brodbeck both have tapered ribs and both are Charles River builders as is Waltham. I have always taken as a rule of thumb that Charles River builders left the ribs the full width all the way to the gunwale. I guess assumption that is not entirely correct anymore.
Jim

 

[Dan Miller]

Hi Jim,

My best guess at the moment is the canoe is circa 1906. The ribs are not tapered in width, just the tips are tapered into the inwale so as to fair into the rails for the closed gunwale construction. Hope this makes sense...

 

[JClearwater]

Aha! I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw! Tapered in thickness not width. Rib tips thinned in the normal fashion for a closed gunwale system. If I had looked at your pictures a little better I would have answered my own question. Good luck with the restoration. Looking forward to future updates.

 

[Dan Miller]

Here is another detail I forgot to post before. The two planks at the sheer have gores cut into them - they go almost, but not quite, all the through the width of the planks.

The lighter color plank at the bottom of the photo is one of the badly replaced planks of white cedar. We'll be undoing that.

 

[Michael Grace]

I've seen these gores on a number of Charles River-area canoes. Maybe from a single maker, or maybe a technique used generally on canoes with lots of tumblehome where the top of the plank has a shorter final length than the bottom of the plank. I think it was either this or the sheer plank was curved upward along its length to better fill the space, and the gores from the top were necessary to let the upper portion of the plank lie flat against the ribs.

 

[Todd F]

Glad for your comment Michael. Had no idea what a gore was nor what the purpose of one is.

 

[Worth Gretter]

Not to be a nitpicker, but the builder should not have landed two gores on the same rib!