Recent content by Benson Gray

My experience is that once you have a hitch then it will get used for many other things too. I selected a canoe trailer that could have a plywood deck added so it has helped me move: a lawnmower, a snowblower, furniture, bark mulch, firewood, brush, and a variety of other items that would not be...

I suspect that a lightweight trailer like yours with a canoe can be towed by almost any car. I would encourage you to contact your local trailer hitch dealer for more details about the options. Benson

You may want to consider a trailer. I have become a big fan of them as I get older. Benson

We have a 'wedding cake' of snow on top of the deck table. Benson

This seems to be a recurring winter question. The first link below has a similar discussion here from early February of 2024. Dan Miller was the curator at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York many years ago and assembled an assortment of canoes that had been described as the 'perfect...

Your picture appears to show a hull identification number of XTC82308J687 (which is serial number 282308). This would be an Old Town made in October, 1986 for the 1987 model year. The Old Town with serial number 233808 is a green Camper model that shipped on June 25th, 1980. My guess is that...

I suspect that some foam pool noodles and / or duct tape could probably solve this issue. Good luck, Benson

I love old maps as well. My favorite one on the wall is an Osgood Carleton map of Maine from circa 1802. This is mounted behind glass so it doesn't photograph well. The first link below shows it much better than I can. There is a huge amount of detail along the coast but it gets increasingly...

There has been a fair amount of academic debate about pointed paddles being used as weapons. The general conclusion is that the reduced noise of paddling with a pointed paddle was probably a more compelling reason for the design. This is another topic that is likely to continue generating a lot...

The design and construction have clearly evolved over the years. There also appear to have been some typographical errors in these early weights as well. The 1906 catalog listed the 18 foot model at 80 pounds and the 19 foot one at 85 pounds. Open gunwales, thicker thwarts, and other small...

It is the same basic shape but slightly longer. The 1905 Old Town catalog page describing is attached below. Benson

The thread at the link below has more about her including a copy of the original receipt for her canoes and paddles from the Old Town Canoe company on May 15th, 1905. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/minas-benson-hubbard.100/

I have sent Murat a link to this discussion so he may jump in (if he makes it through the verification process). Benson

Murat is the author of the paddle making blog at the previous link. He has made replicas of many early paddles and used them with other well known Canadian paddlers like Becky Mason. My recollection is that Becky found the pole grip paddles work much better while standing up. You may want to...

These are commonly known as pole grip paddles which are frequently used while standing up. The link below has lots of interesting information about these and other early paddles. The image below shows pole grip paddles from Harper's Weekly in June, 1874. I believe that control is maintained by...