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  1. Benson Gray

    Wooden Boat Guy transitioning to ? (need advice)

    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...
  2. Benson Gray

    Wooden Boat Guy transitioning to ? (need advice)

    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
  3. Benson Gray

    Wooden Boat Guy transitioning to ? (need advice)

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

    Late Jan. 2026: Snow where you are?

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

    What are the best river and inland lake canoes of all time?

    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...
  6. Benson Gray

    Old Town Penobscot Royalex restoration. Is this hull salvageable?

    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...
  7. Benson Gray

    Need a Bigger Shaft

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

    Maps... I like maps.

    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...
  9. Benson Gray

    What's this paddling technique?

    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...
  10. Benson Gray

    Mapping Labrador

    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...
  11. Benson Gray

    Mapping Labrador

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

    Mapping Labrador

    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/
  13. Benson Gray

    What's this paddling technique?

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

    What's this paddling technique?

    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...
  15. Benson Gray

    What's this paddling technique?

    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...
  16. Benson Gray

    The Benefit Of The Gulf Stream

    The full specifications for a variety of Malecite and other birch bark canoes can be found in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America by Edwin Tappan Adney and Howard I. Chapelle. This is available at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50828/50828-h/50828-h.htm and from other sources. It is...
  17. Benson Gray

    Slow (or no) click response at this website?

    Yes, although it may not be near the airport. The Geolocation tool at https://www.iplocation.net/ip-lookup indicates that it is across the street from City Hall. The office building shown at https://maps.app.goo.gl/FvKjRVdRDJu2sWvX6 is the most likely location. These addresses are very...
  18. Benson Gray

    Slow (or no) click response at this website?

    I have not been experiencing the problems with this site that you described and resetting your computer along with all of your local network devices will probably resolve the issue. However, you will need to use the trace route and path ping tools if you really want to 'dig into the weeds' with...
  19. Benson Gray

    Old Paddle ID request.

    The Sunnyside Torpedo Cruiser model from Walter Dean had similar decks. It was shown on pages six to eight of his 1920 catalog. Some canoes during the 1920s had high peaked decks. The link below has a few examples. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/bell-isle-canoe.5921/
  20. Benson Gray

    Old Paddle ID request.

    My guess is that the canoe may be a Walter Dean or a similar locally made version. See page 11 of his 1920 catalog at https://www.woodencanoemuseum.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Walter Dean Catalog 1920 2500 red.pdf for more details. The wide outside gunwales with no inside gunwales are common...
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