My canoe is finally here! (pic heavy)

[Bob B.]

~~Well, I hope this works, I have had trouble posting lately. I had Steve Ambrose make a Cheemaun for me to use as my primary wilderness tripper. Sitka spruce inner gunwales, Cherry outer gunwales, Cherry decks, thwarts, yoke and kneeler, Cherry babiche seats, White cedar ribs and half ribs with red cedar planking. Topped off with #10 canvas, green paint and shellac bottom.
She is 15 feet long and paddles similarly to a Bob Special. She is nimble and faster than I thought she would be. I have not paddled much as I have another torn meniscus in my knee and my paddling this summer may come to a complete stand still. If and when I get better, the new canoe and I will surely see some back county together.
Thanks for looking,
Bob.

 

[jswr450]

Completely beautiful. Great looking boat. I hope you heal up quickly. I REALLY want a WC. I love my kevlar canoes, but there is something special about WC; it elevates the elegance of the boat.

 

[daveo4]

Envious! Is that a nice little bronze(?) cap at the stem tips? What is the advantage of a shellacked bottom in lieu of paint? Sorry about the knee. I have scars on both knees from meniscus surgery before arthroscopes were invented.
Regards,
Dave

 

[Robin]

Very nice, those half ribs are neat. I thought they added alot of weight to the canoe till I worked in the canoe shop this winter. I picked up the material they had prepared for a somewhat completed hull and those little ribs where maybe a couple of pounds all told, but they add so much strength to the bottom.
I like the wood selection, Cherry adds alot of beauty to a canoe and gets better with age, just like us paddlers! Nothing prettier than red cedar planking with white cedar ribs.
An excellent little tripper imho, I hope you heal up fast and get back on the trail. (maybe a portage free route would be the way to go this year?)
I had arthroscopic surgery on one of my knees years ago and I can't remember which one now it healed so well.

 

[Guest]

That's a gorgeous canoe! From the brass cap and band, to the contrasting ribs and planking, and beautiful decks...awesome. I like the seats too. Heal well Bob.

 

[Bob B.]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments. Dave, the shellac bottom is thought to be slick when wet and more easy to slide off rocks. However, I lie shellac for ease of maintenance. One can literally slap some shellac on a worn bottom, wait 15 minutes or so, and off you go. Also, I believe the end caps are cooper. I go to the Doc. On Monday, I am hoping the therapy I have been doing will be enough to get me back out there, I have a trip to WCPP coming up and would hate to miss that. Bob.

 

[Guest]

This, in many ways, is my dream canoe. Congrats!

 

[yellowcanoe]

Shellacked bottoms on wood canoes are standard for WC boats on rivers here from what I see. Maybe there is truth to varnish being slippier. It makes an easy line to tell if you are trimmed well for that day.

 

[Hanz]

Beautiful Canoe!!! Congratulations.

I hope you spend many enjoyable hours in and around it.

You knees will be OK - you have a great reason to get them that way.

 

[Rippy]

Congratulations Bob on the new canoe. Sorry to hear about your knee. PT does wonders. Hope it heals up soon. Dave

 

[daveo4]

Shellac is not varnish. The solvent for Shellac is alcohol. You can smooth out any scratches in the field with a small sacrifice of whatever alcohol you are carrying. I wonder how high a proof it needs to be to polish out scratches?

 

[coureur de bois]

same model that Grey Owl himself used. congrats! I wouldn't trade my chestnut for any modern canoe.

 

[Gerald]

OMG she's beautiful.

G.

 

[ppine]

I like the old style shellac bottom which is easy to maintain and no keel. The waterline makes trim easy. Ordering a canoe like the one in the picture makes it highly personal and aesthetically pleasing to look at. Tell us more about the paddling when you can.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Very nice.. Though that color combo is VERY common around here, its still pretty.

 

[Slippery Pete]

A beauty. Thanks for the pics and get well soon.

Cary

 

[Bob B.]

I did get out for one trip to WCPP with Hogan and another buddy this summer. My knee did not care for the trip at all. I had surgery for the meniscus after I got back and found other issues within the joint. It is fixed now, but I still can not bend it all the way, although it is improving - my kneeling days are limited it looks like. Anyway, I thought I would post some pics of my canoe in her natural environment. It paddles nicely and as Hogan attest, it does well in 2 footers ( not fun ). Anyway, WCPP is one of my favorite places to paddle.

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/zvKO727.jpg)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/EXA6A8j.jpg)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/GcyXfMG.jpg)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/o7QjZG7.jpg)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/aWgzWEp.jpg)

Thanks for looking,

Bob.

 

[Odyssey]

It's good to hear you recouped enough to make it out there for a trip. Thanks for those photos. #'s 3 and 5 are my favourite, but they're all nice to see. Makes me feel like I'm there.
I hope your knees continue to improve. I look forward to seeing more photos of your canoe in WCPP next year!

 

[Hanz]

Here are Bob B.'s photos:

Nice photos!

I'm glad you had fun. Sorry the knee gave you trouble but I'm happy you have it sorted out now.

That's great that you are pleased with the canoe. That's a great feeling.

 

[Bob B.]

Hanz,

Thanks for posting the pics for me ... when I tried it they were HUGE! I could not seem to re-size them, I appreciate the assistance.

Bob.