Any Ideas?

Jim

Curious about Wooden Canoes
I was on my way back from the Adirondacks this past summer and spotted this canoe. The owner a man about 90 years old said he had it since he was married about 60 years earlier. The canoe is Canadian made 16' and has no S/N on ether inside stem. It was in much need of restoration, rotted stems, Decks, needed new canvas, gunwales, seats .. well pretty much the whole thing anyway. Has anyone seen something like this might anyone know the company or history. This is the placard that was attached outside mid canoe on both sides. Sorry I don’t have any before photos but here is an after.
 

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Looks like a standard Huron canoe to me. If it is they didn't have serial #'s. Native built in Quebec, Canada with heart shaped decks and usually babiche seats. The stern seat is set further back than most other canoes and mounted directly under the inwales. A cap was nailed to the top of the inwales which covered the counter sunk flat head mounting screws. Usually heavier when compared to other w/c canoes due to thicker planking and ribs. Extensively sold in Canada through Simpson Sears stores and catalogues.
 
Jim,

Check under the table of contents on this site...Old Canoe Identification, canoe identification aids...there is additional information about Huron from the Quebec area.

Ric Altfather
 
So true Dan. The 36" beam of the 16' model makes it a stable, some what heavy, canoe that is a pleasure to paddle.
 
Thanks Guys,

It really is a sweet canoe in the way it paddles & handles. My wife and I enjoyed it when I was done restoring it this past Dec. on a warm day on the millstone river here in Plainsboro NJ. It’s about 55 lbs. Not to heavy for this old man to handle by himself
 
I used very good materials to do the restore but didn’t do it the way it had been done in Canada. It happens to be lighter than my 16’ strip canoe that I built comes in at 65 Lbs. My 17’ Old Town HW that I had restored comes in at 78 Lbs. :)
 
Jim,

How did you ever get the OT weight down to 78lbs?

Last year a finished a 17' 1950 OT HW low end, and even with replacing the ash/birch trim with lighter cherry and reducing the filler weight by about 5 lbs by subsituting the silica with cab-o-sil, it still weighed in at 86 lbs. :(

Dan
 
Dan,

I wasn't aware at the time I got it down in weight I thought I was just restoring it to what it was .. I do see the new old town 18' has a weight of 86 Lbs. Mine is the 17' :confused:

Mine has no center keel and a #12 canvas white led/silica filler
Put on the scales after restoring it I had at the time thought it was a bit heavy. My dad years ago had paid back in 1956 6$ for it. When he got it then it needed allot of work. Who ever had it had banged it up pretty good on some rocks and it also needed a new canvas.. he and my mom put that one on. He at that time just used paint as the filler. It worked for a while. He and I together in 1986 put on another new canvas. Then he gave it to me in 2002 and I went to work on it. I spent about 7 months restoring it with replacement parts I had ordered from Old Town Canoe (this was just before the drastically raised the prices for the parts). When it came time for the canvas I asked for his help. His eyes light up when I asked
 
Sounds like a lot of memories in that canoe.

Yes, I didn't out the keel on either, but did use #10 canvas on mine.

Dan
 
Dan,

This is really true. The value in the canoe for most I guess lies in the memories.

Your right about the canvas. Tradition says that a # 10 for a canoe that size.
Because of it’s age and also figuring out ahead of time just exactly where I’d be using it, Lakes, canals and gentle rivers I had opted for the # 12 as I also did on my 16’ Huron.
The other big consideration for me anyway was that when I canoe .. and I canoe a lot .. I have to lift it from the water to my shoulders and finesse it to the roof of the van with out help. Although I canoe with my wife .. who also enjoys the water and the surroundings that a trip like this brings .. she is unable to help with the portage however she is a great companion. ;)

Isn’t canoeing funny though. I mean you intend to Just have one and before you know it you have 3 ooppsss! I mean 4. :)

Jim
 
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