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Hoping some of the wood canoe experts on the forum can chime in about a new acquisition. I think it might be a possible pre-fire Chestnut built before the Dec 1921 fire destroyed the factory and all the building forms. Apologies for the quality of the photos which were taken during a freak snow...

Not sure if you need this, but Lloyd of Canoe Canada East has a tutorial on how to make a canvas pack complete with all the plans and photos needed to finish the job... https://www.canoecanadaeast.com/do-it-yourself-canoe-portage-pack.htm

Unfortunately, no space indoors at home so winter forces a halt to any work. Always been envious of folks who have a heated workshop on their property.

Thank you gents. The extra thing I learned is that restoring a canoe in your backyard completely murders the grass. Need to factor in the added landscaping costs to any future canoe restoration.

Been slowly working on this project over the Covid shutdown years and thought I'd update the post. After much elbow grease, the interior was fully stripped of green paint and woodworking repairs begun in the spring of 2021. The hull needed multiple rib-top repairs, splices on the each of the...

Not that many photos about the pole build. All I did was rip some knot-free section of spruce and then rounded them pieces out with a crooked knife. Write-up on the two-piece pole is at this link: https://paddlemaking.blogspot.com/2017/11/two-piece-wood-canoe-pole.html It was inspired by this...

Have't headed out on an over-nighter this season, but did experience a different sort of multi-day trip this summer. The previous two summers saw a record number of Canadian tourists visiting our lake area. This was understandable given all the international travel limitations during the peak...

Here's a report from the National Canoe Day event in Gravenhurst, Ontario. Volunteers at Heritage Boatworks workshop had been working on restoring a vintage courting canoe in the museum's collection. These canoes were most often designed with seats facing each other and often were accessorised...

Great stuff Robin! Be sure to take lots of pics. I'd like to see your setup for canvassing a canoe outdoors.

Here is the agenda for the upcoming Canoe Day Celebrations. Hope some of the local Canoetripping.net members can swing by... 10:00 am : Official Event Start & Water Blessing Ceremony The day's festivities begin with a talk and Blessing of the Waters ceremony by Indigenous Elder and author...

The local Canadian chapter of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association is collaborating with the Muskoka Discovery & Steamship Centre to provide programming for National Canoe Day here in Canada. The event will run from 10am - 4pm with plenty of displays, programming and demonstrations. If weather...

Mike Elliot's comment about the Doe is derived from Ken Solway's earlier book, The Story of the Chestnut Canoe (1997). Ken makes the general comment that the Fox / Doe / Deer are basically the 14 ft Playmate, 15 ft Chum and 16 ft Pal but with narrow 1.5" ribs ,spaced 1.5 " apart. This isn't...

I believe the Battenkill grip was used with straight shafts & wide sugar island/whitewater blades. I gave it a whirl on a maple paddle but never really got used to it. Eventually, I cut up that paddle and used the wood for another project. Thought I'd also add that some of the surviving...

Not sure if this will help your customized stroke, but here is a unique hybrid grip that you might consider experimenting with: Source: Wooden Canoe (Issue 80 - Vol. 20 No.2) It was co-developed in the '90s by Barry Beals and Jim Walker of Battenkill Canoe Ltd and is basically a fusion of a...

I can offer some personal experience with Sassafras. Years ago, I was lucky enough to purchase some milled 5/4 boards from a fellow paddle maker located in Ohio. Since then it's been a challenge to find quality stock in my local area. I've made a bunch of paddles from it. The designs were all...

Welcome to the Chestnut club! Were the seats kept off during extended storage? It sort of looks like the hull relaxed a bit where the seats were located. That interior patina looks quite old, unless it was stained to look that way. After '67, Chestnut widened the form on their pleasure hulls...

I read that the real reason for the carry bar is to distribute the weight of the canoe on top of the gunnel structures so that the weight is not born on the bolts attaching the center thwart. Traditionally, similar carry bars or planks were used with bark canoes which had the center thwart...

Great Egret - Toronto Islands (Oct 2021)

Haven't had many paddling opportunities while being stuck in the city during Covid. Took advantage of the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday to get in an early day trip to the Toronto Islands. Not an epic backwoods trip by any means but still rewarding. Got on the water about 1/2 hour after sunrise...

You might also want document another measurement. Take a plank of wood and lay it on top of the gunnels at the midpoint of the hull. Measure from the bottom edge of the plank to the bottom of the hull for a more accurate measure of the depth. If it is roughly 13.5" (post 1967 measurement) vs 13...