Re-canvassed Chestnut Playmate back in business

Murat V

LOVES Wooden Canoes
Spent a few months refurbishing a circa 1960 Chestnut Playmate. When I obtained the boat a few years back, the original canvas was heavily cracked. Managed to squeeze in 3 seasons of light usage by following some of the restoration advice of the pros on the forums. The canoe began leaking too much during a trip last fall so a new skin of canvas was needed going forward. Mike Elliot's restoration book, This Old Canoe, was a great resource. Also want to thank the folks at the 2018 Assembly in Peterborough where I got to see how to do the upside down method and get lots of tips from everyone. There really is no substitute for attending and learning at the Assembly.

Without an indoor shop or garage to work in, I had to contend with doing everything in the back yard. We had a soaking wet spring so the weather conditions didn't help but got everything done. Ended up using some hardwood pieces from my son's disassembled crib to make the necessary clamps and elevated risers on the sawhorses to raise the canoe extra high...

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Improvised by using a Y-strap typically used to secure the canoe to a car roof rack as an anchor on one end...

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...with a heavy duty 2" wide ratchet strap to provide tension on the other...

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Ended up re-using the original stem bands after polishing them up. The original spliced oak outwales were in usable shape and were re-fastened with brass screws just to keep as many original parts as possible.

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The keel was not re-installed saving about 4 pounds. Switching to #12 canvas and water-based pipe-lagging filler instead of #10 and oil-based filler saved another 5 pounds. It has been scaled at 59.5lbs. More weight could probably be shaved off in the future if I get rid of the stern seat since this boat will be used as a solo. Replacing the heavy oak outwales might help too.

Here is the canoe floating nice and dry at a recent event in Gravenhurst, Ontario

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Thanks to these fine forums for help and guidance along the way.
 
Murat,
I watched your re-canvassing with some interest on your Pasddlemaking blog.
I have A Bobs Special and A Langford that will need re-canvassing in a couple of years and I've always worried that I had neither the tools nor the room.
Your method proves I may have been wrong!

Love the results.
Well done.

Bruce
 
Thanks Pook. I've seen folks use their driveways as the canvassing station and anchor to their car/truck, but that wasn't an option for me either. Let us all know how your canvassing efforts go.
 
We, now just me, used 4x4 angled from the floor and against a floor joist.
Last winter I finally got around to recanvassing 15ft canoe,. The sign only use one 4 by 4 and the chimney I don't know if you can make it out in the photo,. I'm always mildly amazed at how much canvas stretches!
 

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Well done Murat. Nice to see that you eventually got in done. I weighed my Playmate the other month and she weighs in at 66lbs. I suspect I have used heavy paint and the large central carrying yoke and mahogany decks probably bring it up. The catalogue weight was 60lbs. We all lie about our weight so within 10% I am happy!

Hope all is good with you.

Nick
 
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