Great Rivers(Il-WI) Chapter Restorers Workshop

Pie Credit

While I would love to have that talent myself----Dorothy is the pastry chef of our group! That was her pie. The "Strasser clan" has been known to bake an incredible 18 to 20 different kinds of pies for their annual Thanksgiving "pie orgy." (And they bake an awesome apple pie when out in the wilds of Quetico....) We are so glad they we drove to the Millers boathouse! Wonderful meeting everyone. And, Margaret, we enjoyed your wonderful apple streudel for Sunday am. Thanks for leaving it for breakfast!
Marty Hauck

 

As the family saying goes, "I'll make the pies like Mother used to make, if you make the dough like Dad." Ditto on the breakfast strudel from Margaret!

 

More Pictures

What ever happened to picture of the lawn canoes? or the skeet shooting?

Thanks,
Paul

 

Photo size regrets

I regret that although I took over 50 photos, only a handful of them were of the acceptable size that the website would take. Don't ask me why, they were all taken with the same camera. Anyway, I sent a bunch to Dave for him to put on the Chapter website. You're going to have to go there to see them. Don't know if they were posted yet. Check with Dave O. Splinter

 

Sorry about the pie provider mix-up!

This is what happens when you get old. I should have had our new Secretary Mr. Paul Miller, document the food items for his report. We'll do a better job next time. This gives me a great idea. I think we should have a pie auction at one of our upcoming events; May or June. We could use it as a little fund raiser to get out of the red..... I remember the first Assembly I went to, It was in Madison, WI and they served black-bottom pie. UNFORGETABLE. I'll bet the Millers, McKenzies Puls and the Deans remember it. I remember Gorden Orr praising it. I think I will have to get a recipe for that. Oh, Wait! My daughter is a Chef, Duh!!! I'll ask her!

 

pies????

Ooh, I can't resist a good blueberry pie... or cherry... or peach.... or...

oh, never mind...

 

canoe pics

I have attached two pictures of canoes.

The first shows a Dan Herald Double Cedar (green) and below it a Willits built in the 30's.

The second picture contains a list starting with the closest canoe, 16' Rushton Indian Girl (second generation), 18' OT Charles River 1924, 17' Rushton Indian Girl ser#: 132 first generation, 17' Morris, Upside down; 16' William English Cedar Plank and Batten, last a 17' Max Andersson cold molded canoe built in the 60's.

Hope to get a few more pics up in the day or so.

Thanks,

Paul

 

Paul,
Thanks for the pics. Did you refinish your Willits, or did you get it in that condition? I still need to refinish mine, but I dought it will come out looking that nice, as it has a lot of "stories" on her.

Margaret,
On your pics, use a image editing software and resize the images and save (with a different name) using a lower "resolution", both of these actions will reduce the file size of your images.

Dan
(hoping to see more pics)

 

Dan,
That's a lot of questions!......you gotta get that truck pointed south someday!
Dave

 

Hi Dan,

Yes I did refinish my Willits. It was in very good shape when I got it.

Margaret did send me the latest pics that I did resize and post. Have a few more to post, but won't happen until later today. I have leisure activity pics or more how to pics. What do people want to see?

Hope all are enjoying the pics.

Paul

 

Hi Dave,

Ya, I know, someday I'll get down there to see you guys. And when you get that Yankee done...

Paul,
nice work, it looks very nice. My Willits was owned/used by one of the last old time Sommers Canoe Base "Charlie Guides" and it was well used. He claims that over the 50 years he used it, it has been on every lake in Quetico, and it looks it, with a lot of small nicks/dents on the outside surface. Even if I could, I don't think I could get the dents out.

Pics, for me, any of canoes and canoe folks would be nice.

Dan

 

Idea

For those folks that are members of larger or more active chapters here is an idea. When you have one of your really informative and helpful get togethers [eg. -the inside rib bending workshop]. If there is someone with one of those nifty little DVD cameras [Kathy has one] that could make a DVD of it and then burn it for those of us that can't make it to such gatherings. That would be really helpful and a great sharing of knowledge. I'm sure that folks would be willing to share the cost of such a venture - I know I would for I have LOTS to learn. They could be offered here on the forum and in the classifieds as well as in WOODEN CANOE. This forum is a wonderfully helpful venue and this could just add another dimension.
Denis

 

That's a good idea Denis,

How would we know it would be a "informative get together" until the reviews are in?

I have attached a few picture of the rib bending and will add some comments.

The first pic is put the girdle on the boat. I have them in halves so you could screw a 2x4 to the keel in order to keep the bottom straight when you have a large number of ribs to replace.

I did notice that I put the brace on the top of the canoe upside down. The two boards should be on top and the one one the bottom. That give more room for the clamps at the gunnel and a better shape to pull the girdles tight around the bottom of the hull.

Once in place you can really put pressure on that rib and make it fit tight to the plank. You might notice the rubber mallet. I have customized the ends of the clamp to catch the bottom of the inwale and press the top of the rib. The girdle will keep the hull from distortion while applying all this pressure.

After the rib drys, you can release the clamps but keep the on the rib top. I then cinch the rib to the plank beginning at the bottom and working to the gunnels and finally nail the rib to the gunnel when almost done cinching the rib and plank together.

This works great for replacing an number of ribs in a row. You still would replace every other one until all are replaced.

Also attached a pic of the skeet shooting and one of the after dinner story telling.

Thanks for looking,

Paul

 

Paul,
Thank-you for posting the photos and the expanations. To answer your question about what would be informative. For us neophytes just about anything is valuable, even such simple things as how you make the girdle, or how you attached that extension to the bottom of your clamp. There isn't much of the clamp beyond that rivit! Tips from more advanced restorers and builders are always welcome. That is how we can all learn. Thanks again!
Denis

 

Wow - that looks like one Heckuva fun day - sorry I missed out! I'll hopefully be at the Earth Day paddle.. lots of traveling coming up and I don't know what my wife has put in the calendar just yet, though.

Glad you guys had a great time.

 

More pictures from the workshop.

Sorry it took so long for me to post these- user error! What a great time our crew from St. Louis had! Thanks again.

 

More pictures of the Great Rivers workshop.

So many canoes; so little time!