Ain't been out yet, but...

[Robin]

Anybody ever carry 3 canoes long distance. Two on the racks with one in the middle on top of the two? These are wood canvas canoes, but two of them lack canvas so they are lighter.
See, Mihun wants to buy this old BN Morris I have, 17', 1905-10, she doesn't see a whole lot of them out in the land of ice and spruce. So I offered to bring it out in August when I go to Northern Ontario for a canoe trip. I mentioned the Penobscot I have also, make a real nice canoe, 17', pretty decks but a heck of a bend in the sheerline. But I'm also bringing my tripping canoe, a 15' Chestnut Chum wood canvas.
UGH, 3 canoes on highway 11 across Northern Ontario...I can see the truck 3 feet off my rear bumper now if I don't keep the speed up.

 

[Guest]

Don't do it, Robin. Get a trailer instead. The boats will create lots of side draft in a crosswind. Even if that doesn't happen, it could be hard to tie them down tightly enough without damaging at least one of them, even if you use padding.
Another option would be to install 9-foot long rack bars; then you could carry them abreast.
Good luck.

 

[daveo4]

Ha Ha! I think 9 foot wide rack bars would get you a police escort around here, whether you wanted it or not.
BUT, this story may come in handy: I had a friend who designed and built a sailboat that he trailered to TX from CT for a national championship regatta. The boat exceeded the maximum width for highway travel. It had a funny shape, too. A cloth tailor's/dressmaker's tape was modified by cutting a foot out of the center and gluing the ends back together. Using that tape, 8.5 feet read 7.5 feet. See where this is going? They were stopped about 3 times on the way down to TX and produced the tape for the police officers use and coupled with the funny shape and a comment about optical illusions made it down there without a ticket. He sold the boat there so he didn't risk a failed performance on the way home. As he told it, the boat sold for $1 and the magic tape sold with the boat for $14,999.

 

[Mihun09]

Don't worry yourself about the Penobscot Robin, I will take the Morris this year and maybe in the future if you still have the other one... besides, Christine was actually talking about eventually making a drive all the way down there to peruse all the available canoes.

Just the Morris will be fine and so everyone knows, our part of that bargain is driving 1000km to meet Robin to get the Morris.

 

[memaquay]

I think the canvas crew is the craziest! You guys are hard core, as the kids say. Robin, gas is now 1.50 a litre in G Town, so with the imperial gallon being about 4.5 litres, it's close to 7 bucks a gallon! How are you guys fairing in the States?

Edited to ask where is Mihun meeting you? Might have something here if their load is light.

 

[Guest]

I'm not trying to short change our benevolent gasoline retailers here, but would a stateside route south of the Great Lakes work?

 

[Guest]

I think the canvas crew is the craziest! You guys are hard core, as the kids say. Robin, gas is now 1.50 a litre in G Town, so with the imperial gallon being about 4.5 litres, it's close to 7 bucks a gallon! How are you guys fairing in the States?

You'll get different opinions on this. I'm paying about $3.40/USgallon in southern Wisconsin, and in my view the price is too low. As long as people can run snowmobiles, ATVs, and jet skis for recreation, gas is too cheap.

 

[Robin]

I'm going to Nakina, Ontario in August. Marshall Lake circuit, I'm not sure where the exchange will take place. Hopefully at some place that sells Poutine

 

[Mihun09]

I'm kind of hoping to meet the legendary Mem himself in G-Town this Summer to get the Morris. I forgot to mention it is 983 km one way from Winnipeg.

We would be coming for the Morris only but could possibly take two if need be and if we have the Chestnut Y-stern done in time, perhaps we could bring that to sell, preferably someone who lives on the water, so then we would have a trailer with us.

 

[memaquay]

As soon as the snow is gone, I'll take some pics of our remaining canvas canoes. Every place in town sells poutine, my wife even makes it. Any idea yet when in August you are coming through Robin?

 

[Guest]

I'm going to Nakina, Ontario in August. Marshall Lake circuit, I'm not sure where the exchange will take place. Hopefully at some place that sells Poutine

Oh, my heart! It hurts just to look at this!

 

[Robin]

As soon as the snow is gone, I'll take some pics of our remaining canvas canoes. Every place in town sells poutine, my wife even makes it. Any idea yet when in August you are coming through Robin?

Not sure yet, but I'm real flexible and never know till I get close to the month I want to go. Let me know when you will be in town and I can work around that. Thanks

 

[yellowcanoe]

Oh, my heart! It hurts just to look at this!

Good Quebec cheese curds (Wisconsin will do) are a must for great poutine. Either go back through Grand Remous and Val D'Or or Find some in New Liskeard or SturgeonFalls.

Its ya a good day for poutine!

 

[Mihun09]

Moving away from the Poutine...

The curve on the outwale we bent last week didn't quite meet the standards so we decided to steam them on the boat to get the curve needed.

First was modifying the original jig to fit on the boat. Belt sander helped achieve the curve and a few holes here and there plus stepping the inside so I could clamp it. Next was rigging a indoor steaming system. I really didn't want to use the propane stove inside so I used an old hotplate with one functional burner and no heat control. The pipe slips over the outwale and it got steamed for 20 minutes. During the steaming it was actually drooping down, losing what little curve it already had, so we knew it was going to bend well.

Some creative clamping to get it up against the jig and tight to the boat, then just drill and move towards the end with screws. Piece of cake actually. 20 minutes of steam, 30 minutes to clamp and fasten.

1 down, 3 to go. We removed the one we did last week and will redo it to fit the curve better. One of the holes was a little high so I shaped a piece of oak and glued it in. It should work since that hole likely will only need to come down a half hole to work properly and we cannot re-drill the outwale.

The pieces of tape on the hull mark the center of the ribs which cannot be seen with the jig on the boat.

 

[Mihun09]

 

[Robin]

Nice work on the gunnels and decks.

 

[Mihun09]

I like having had the opportunity to put the reproduction decal back on the bow deck before finish varnish coats. First coat of finish hull paint last night, have the stem bands, done in a week, which will still likely be before ice out.

 

[Mihun09]

Paint is done, now I let it sit a week before doing the stem bands and it will be finished.