Search results

The link below has more about this canoe if anyone is interested. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/today-on-fans-of-the-wcha.19918/

I thought that the wood/canvas comment was serious. Every single part is individually replaceable with ordinary hand tools. Canvas replacement is standard maintenance. There are restored examples around today that probably look better than when they originally left the factory. Benson

I don't recall any square sterned kayaks from that era. The Old Town catalogs below from 1972 and 1980 don't show one. Benson

It takes an unusually large number of adjectives to claim a new 'first' today and the distinctions between a canoe designer, builder, and company manager can be a bit vague. A number of women have held these roles over the years including: May MInto, Maggie Jean Chestnut, Pam Wedd, Annie...

This may change the hull shape in ways that you might not want. Tumblehome can be added to most hulls by simply shortening the thwarts and seats. This commonly reduces the rocker as well, and may even hog the hull in an extreme case. My experience is that the shape of the hull below the...

My general advice is to not struggle with finding the perfect canoe for a new purchase. Pick something in the general category that meets most of your needs and go paddling. It can also be helpful to attend a few canoe events and try out a broad variety of different canoes. You will soon...

The Eagle Lake Tramway would be another great option if it was still operating and canoes were permitted. The links below along with the ones at https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/history/allagash/tram.shtml and...

There is an old joke that the cobbler's children go barefoot. George Terry's grandson once commented that their family didn't keep any Kennebec canoes after they sold the company. This is a common issue. Benson

I suspect that may have been part of the appeal for the pair who went from Pittsburgh to New Orleans as mentioned in the catalog page above. Benson

Similar canoe tents were very popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s as shown on pages 14, 18, and 23 of the catalog at the link below. Benson https://adirondack.pastperfectonline.com/Library/53B04AA6-3134-4072-BDBF-722916412993

The pictures at the first link below should give you an idea of how a mast step is commonly added in a plastic canoe (without damaging anything). The second link has pictures of how the lines and mast step are commonly installed in a wooden canoe with a single sail. The third link shows how twin...

This depends on a huge number of factors and sanding the old varnish away completely is not always required. The people at the link below claim three to eight years. I tend to take very good care of my canoes and have not yet had to revarnish one after the restoration. My longest use has been...

I prefer traditional marine spar varnish. It has a longer maintenance cycle than oil alone and is easier to fix than urethane or epoxy when it eventually fails. This is part of what helped the canoe shown in the picture below survive for over a century. The link below has more details about...

The short answer is yes, but a sailing canoe has some unique challenges. The book at the first link below can be a great place to start. The 'canvas' for a canoe sail is very light weight. Cotton was traditional and the weight is similar to bed sheets. Most modern sails use Dacron which has...

The Litelift with model number 1449 is listed on page ten of the 1956 catalog at the link below. Page one describes the construction saying simply "the thin cedar planking" so it could be either. My guess is that it probably would have been red cedar like most of the other major builders in...

You may find that the 'shark fin' on the roof is for satellite communication and that the ordinary radio antenna is provided by wires in the rear window(s). These may look like heater wires but they never warm up. This is how my car is configured. Both will be impacted by having a large carbon...

It may be home made. Is there a hull identification number below the outside rail on the starboard stern? See https://www.usps.org/national/safety/HIN/HIN.pdf for more about interpreting these. Please post a picture if you find one. Benson

I can relate. My only new canoe purchase was in 1981. It was based on a model introduced in 1921. I don't pay much attention to most canoes that are less than 100 years old. I'm paddling a lot less now too. Hang in there, Benson

I agree, one of my favorite paddles is a highly decorated one that is on display at the Peabody Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts as shown below. One of the best parts is that it shows evidence of significant wear indicating some serious use before being sold to a collector and put on display...

1921 Old Town Molitor on a 2013 Volvo C30, an eighteen foot canoe on a fourteen foot car is never going to look quite right. The link below has more about this canoe. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/aa-grade-old-town-molitor-model-in-original-condition-from-1921.12325/