Chestnuts and prospectors and trappers and ...

[Pringles]

This is probably a dumb question, but-- people on this site talk about chestnuts and prospectors and trappers and other canoes. When I've looked, those don't seem to be models by a particular manufacturer, so I'm assuming they're canoes with certain characteristics. Characteristics that everybody else seems to know but me. :-( Is there a list of characteristics somewhere? And maybe there are more types that I've forgotten or not latched onto?

Pringles

 

[Pook]

Hi,

The Chestnut Canoe Company was a Canadian canoe manufacturer in New Brunswick that built a particular heavy duty canoe type called the Prospector in several different lengths. Each of the lengths had a separate model name ie 14' Prospector was the Fire, 17' was the Garry etc. The Chestnut Prospector was well known for it ruggedness and ability to carry heavy loads so became popular as a commercial watercraft in the Canadian North amongst mineral prospectors, surveyors, Hudson Bay Co. agents, etc. Bill Mason greatly enhanced its popularity by describing its virtues in his books " Path of the Paddle and "Song of the Paddle" and in his canoe instruction movies.

Since the demise of the Chestnut Canoe Company in 1979 a number of manufacturers have offered similar shapes and the name "Prospector" has become generic for a type of high capacity rugged tripping canoe.

Bruce

 

[Robin]

Here's a real Chestnut Prospector 17', I have been told by a man who has built/restored over 1500 wood canvas canoes that the 17' Chestnut Prospector is the best tripping canoe ever built. He has been as far north as Hudson Bay in one and on many other Ontario group trips with this model canoe. He is not a fan of the 16' Prospector
There are many "Prospectors" "Pals" and a few "Bobs" built by modern company's. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in a wood canvas canoe shop, well we just smile and keep on pounding the tacks.

Here's a real Chestnut Pal. I have soloed my Pal on many trips and found it to be an excellent tripper

Here's a Chestnut Bob's,not as sturdy as most Chestnuts, but lightweight and a very good tripper in the right hands,

And here's a 15' Chestnut Chum, my favorite canoe, 15' and 30"s at the gunnels. Heavy for todays canoes, but a 80 year old design that paddles like a dream in rough water or a calm lake, the best factory built solo wood canvas tripper (it's a tandem canoe) imo

Here is a run down of Chestnut Canoes
http://dragonflycanoe.com/wood-canoe...canoe-company/

 

[Bob B.]

My canoe is a 15 foot Prospector called the Ranger. I use it as a solo for myself an my dog Jake. I removed the stern seat and paddle the canoe backward from the bow seat. This gives me room for my wannigan, pack, bedroll and Jake. For us it is a terrific solo, VERY maneuverable, still pretty good in heavy wind and big waves. It will never be a speed demon, but paddles remarkably well for a wider 15 long canoe. It handles a load extremely well.

The last picture is with the stern seat still attached. The Prospector is deep and has a nice rocker to it. For me and how I travel in the back country it as fine a boat as I could want.

Bob.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Robin, your pictures of the 17' Prospector and the Chum aren't showing up. Now, as to this photo:

Did you really run that canoe on that narrow, boney creek?

 

[Canoe 1885]

I believe canoe models are best thought of as tool. A tool is designed for a purpose as were canoes. If we dissect a canoe without knowing it maker or name we can get a very good idea of it purpose and see if it matches our intended use. If we look to the chestnut prospectors class of wood canvas canoes, we start to see that the prospectors models came in lengths from 12 feet to 18 feet, widths 32 inches to 38 inches and depth 12 to 15 inches deep. Chestnut

 

[Pringles]

Thanks for all the information. Pook, thanks for the clarification, and Robin for the photos. Bob B., it appears in the last picture that Jake wants you to get in and paddle. Right now. I've seen lots of dogs with packs on before, but not boating. Does it slow him down some, when you're out of the boat? (On purpose?). Canoe 1885, I think you're saying the same thing I was trying to say about category or characteristics.

Pringles

 

[Robin]

Robin, your pictures of the 17' Prospector and the Chum aren't showing up. Now, as to this photo:

Did you really run that canoe on that narrow, boney creek?

Thanks, I hope the Prospector and Chum show up now.

No, I lined that section, then portaged the rest.Pleasant River from Rt 9 to rt 1, Downeast Maine

 

[Canotrouge]

Robin, the lines on that Chum look really nice!! Or is it the way the picture is taken... Do they all have a the same "lines", Chum, Pal, Ranger etc?

 

[Bob B.]

Pringles


Jake's pack only slows him down if we are deep in the bush and I let him off leash on a portage. If he is dashing in heavy tree cover the pack rubs on the brush. It is robustly built and has not shown much wear in many trips. The pack contains his coat, and some dog food, a collapsible bowl and emergency pain medicine in case of injury in the bush (for him) . Total is about 6 pounds. I will add the packs have air bladders in them in the event of a canoe capsize. We have tested it out and he floats well and can swim with the packs if he has to. He wears the pack both in the bush and the canoe on travel days. He has enough room with the packs on in the canoe to be comfortable.

Bob.

 

[boatstall]

Jake looks like a great paddling partner.

 

[Canoe 1885]

I do not know what happened to my post as the majority of what I wrote concerning the prospectors canoes was eliminated when a problem occurred trying to post. I will try again. The chestnut prospectors were a class of canoes. They were very popular in the 1920-1940 time frame as working canoes. They are some time called the work horse of the Canadian north. This popularity lead to the canoe industry using a name to sell canoes. The problem with this is different manufactures

 

[Pringles]

Bob B. About Jake and his pack. I have a friend who backpacked, and had his doggie companion decked out with a pack. The pack had his food (which was light). It didn't slow him down much, if at all. The dog went exploring and managed to wiggle out of his pack. They never found the pack, but the dog found his appetite, and Fred had to share some of his food with the dog. Fred said that after that the hikers carried the dog food, and the dog carried the beer. If anything happened to the beer they'd be sad, but the dog would still eat, and, it was lighter carrying the dog's food. You might want to put a little of the dog's medicine in your stuff, in case Jake becomes a wiggle artiste. I'm glad his pack keeps him afloat.

Canoe 1885, thanks for more information. I can think of many similar situations. Xerox and Kleenex come to mind.

Thanks. Pringles

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I do not know what happened to my post as the majority of what I wrote concerning the prospectors canoes was eliminated when a problem occurred trying to post.

1885, are you composing your posts in MS Word or other text editor and then pasting into the reply box here? Are your posts getting cut off after an apostrophe or quote mark? We've been having those problems here after a recent upgrade. Or is it something else?