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No... but I tend to pre-soak for a long time-even a week or ten days- then steam in a plastic bag/tube. Full disclosure, none of the canoes on which I will use it have a dramatic upsweep to the stems. I have 3 Old Town 50#ers that will use these, for inwales at a minimum. Outwales either Ash...

Great first effort. I like that blade shape. Gamma is correct, Sassafras makes a very nice paddle. Mine is the lighter wood in these pictures; the other paddle is Cherry.

I just bought some rift sawn 16' Sitka Spruce stock for gunnels. True 2'x6'x16'. It will yield 12 pieces, or enough for 3 canoes if I choose to use them for inwales and outwales. My cost per piece, materials only- no labor, is $22.25. Sourcing the materials is half the battle of building or...

Thanks for taking us along. Having paddled the Allagash twice, in 1967 as a kid and about 15 years ago with my son, I've been hoping for another trip solo. The first trip was in 17' Grumman aluminum canoes, and the second in a rented plastic boat. I hated the plastic boat but at least I...

Thanks Robin, and of course all of you who have appreciated this and other projects! Robin, I had some "discussions" on the WCHA site about potentially replacing entire damaged planks. Whoever removed the previous skin which was undoubtedly fiberglass at some point, did a lot of damage to the...

Well, the canoe is done.... and gone! In the accompanying picture the 50#er is the one on the left. The other is the Chestnut Bobs Special I restored a couple of years ago. It went to a fellow in Buffalo. And, a few more pictures out in daylight. On the truck headed for Westchester...

They do look good on that Chevy too. Years ago when I took my son to undergrad school at the University of Vermont we would see lots of cars with boats on top. The family joke about any such vehicle became, “ they’re havin’ fun”. So, I guess you’re still having fun!

Bear Pond area, St. Regis Canoe Area, Adirondacks. This was posted at each end of a carry in 2021.

I’m a notorious cheapskate so it’s unlikely I’ll ever buy these, but the exchangeable sole concept seems interesting. Maybe there’s a shoe and sole combination you might like...

Thanks Glenn for remembering and asking about my recovery. I am largely recovered and now caring for my wife who hasn't been well for some time. It limits both my working career, but that's OK - I just celebrated my 50th year self employed in the residential building business- so it's time to...

I got a laugh out of this Al. The perennial complaint of the bow paddler!

Sorry Robin, I overlooked your reply. Yes, I applied Northwoods Canoe filler which as I'm sure you know, is a traditional oil based filler. Here she is now, after 5 weeks curing, priming, and first coat of color this evening. 1st primer was a white primer tinted with red (it's what I had...

For those of you who build strippers, a (sort of) neighbor of mine here in southeast PA who primarily restored wood/canvas canoes is retiring from canoe work. He has cedar strips available for sale. Here is the link to his classified ad on WCHA.org...

She's in the canvas!

Yep, I have bought some from him, although my preference is for old bolts with patina for restoration. I'll have to look into a chemical process to mimic the old patina when I use the new ones!

Thank you Robin. I bought this property, farmhouse and barn, 47 years ago. My first house! As a builder/contractor it always served as storage for materials and tools, and only in the last 5 years or so has it become a shop. Previously I did nearly all my work on client's sites. Fortunately...

Thanks Jim! Is yours an Old Town with diamond head bolts? I used 10 of them from my horde on this canoe, and I have 3 more Old Town canoes to restore. Please save them if you do have any! Seat frames too, regardless of cane condition.

Well, that's rather impressive!

Reading Glenn's post re: site member activity, his comments reminded me that users need to post new threads to keep the site alive. In that vein, here's a current project. This poor old canoe, a 1938 Old Town 50 pounder- that's the model name; the weight is greater but that's how OT marketed...

That's a great trip report! Humor, pathos, retreat from adversity.... all highly desired in a trip story. Thanks for posting this. The St. Regis area is great. Next time, coming home, exit St. Regis into Green Pond via about a level 250' carry. Then the carry from Green to Little Clear is...