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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...

The 3" wide ribs are a dead giveaway for an Chestnut Ogilvy Special. These were named after famous guides in New Brunswick and were designed for rugged use in shallow, rocky water especially for the historic salmon fishing rivers of New Brunswick.You can read more about this line of canoes at...

2020 has felt like a never ending, all uphill portage. But we were gifted with fresh snow last night so everything seems to be looking better. Merry Christmas everyone!

Was thinking about the head outside the canoe graphic and these historic photos came to mind... This last one was taken in Quebec. Maybe it should be the provincial symbol for their trails... Quebec - Lake Edward district - W.J.S. in canoe. Credit: Canadian National Railways/ Library...

Been wondering about the graphic designs of portage / carry signs used in different parts of canoe country. Most of what I've personally seen are the yellow plastic markers with this common symbol: A seller online is selling handmade replicas of an old sign from Algonquin Park. Thought it...

Nice plan to retrofit your tent into an all season bit of gear. Hoping you'll start a new thread to document all the upgrades and modifications you make.

Great stuff Robin. Really liked seeing your modified wall tent back in action. Amazing bit of canoe surgery you did. I think you should submit that photo to the WCHA for use in their annual calendar or their journal. It's a gorgeous shot! Hoping you get to enjoy an early start to paddling season...

No broken ribs that I can see but the inside still needs to be fully stripped to confirm Removing the skin revealed that both stem tops were actually broken from rot. It was layers of fiberglass keeping everything rigid. Good news is that the inwales and deck tip are solid at the joint so only...

Looks like you re-used old thwarts for the backing of your paddle racks. Nice!

Not sure if they did this. I was expecting the cover to peel over relatively cleanly like in other youtube videos I've seen. But when I started peeling back, it looked a wide glass cloth weave. Couldn't see any old canvas. It also seems the original owner applied lots of resin (maybe an...

Thanks for the tips guys. Spent some time earlier today testing out the heat gun on a small section of the interior. Did a good job to remove the bulk of the painted layers. Then I applied the chemical stripper to get rid of the remnants. Here's the result...

Mike Elliot's book mentions using a old screwdriver with a propane torch in order to heat up corroded screws. The soldering tool seemed like a safer bet for my clumsy hands. Very envious of those who have a warm, dedicated workshop. For now it'll be worked on exposed in the backyard when...

Got some progress done on this canoe. It took a whole day dealing with corroded steel fasteners to remove the triple keels from the hull. This model of Peterborough Canoe (Mermaid) originally came with a wide shoe keel. When the canoe was fiberglasssed in the 1960s, the shoe keel was removed and...

Robin: Does your Duluth Catalog have a pack called the "Northwoods"? It was basically their version of the Woods packs from Canada. Can't seem to find it anymore on their modern site and trying to determine the timeline of when it was being offered. Boatman53: Awesome pictures and love the...