Wood and canvas paddlers ...

[Bob B.]

Yellowcanoe,

Great link, thanks!!

So ... anyone ever paddle a Cheemaun? Steve Ambrose makes them. I am a bit concerned about the flat-ish bottom, but am interested in one. Any one have experience with one of these 15 boats?

Bob.

 

[Robin]

I did a few trips with Mike Hurley, who used to write the "Hurleys Journal". He had a wood canvas Cheemaun, built by someone down near his home in NC. It was a nice canoe and I'm no expert on making a wide canoe go fast, but it was wider than I thought necessary and seemed pretty slow.
But my Bob's is wide and after I learned that when you lean it over a bit it goes a little faster, so maybe the Cheemaun is the same.
For a 15ft canoe, imho, the Chestnut Chum or similar 15' x 29-30" wide w/c canoe is hard to beat for solo tripping or a day trip with grandkids.

Carrying Place Canoe and Boat Works http://www.carryingplacecanoeworks.on.ca/html/canvas.html has a good selection of 15' wood canvas or strippers. I bought a set of Jacks Special plans which are taken from a Chum. I called the owner and he was very helpful on the phone and answered all my questions
Here he is in a Jacks Special photo I took off his site:

Here's one showing how some folks use them for freestyle taken off the Carrying Place site:

And I have posted this picture here and other places, but thought it would help to show the differences width vs length makes on my canoes
Left is a green Chestnut Bobs Special, 15' x 33" (36" at the waterline)
Middle is a red Chestnut Chum, 15' x 29 1/2" plank to plank at the gunnel, a little wider at the waterline
right is a green Chestnut Pal, 16' x 32-33 (it's too high up on a rack right now to measure correctly, but it stays about the same at the waterline-33 maybe)

 

[Bob B.]

Thanks for the pics Robin. I appreciate your help. I may be getting a good deal on a new Cheemaun, so i was curious ... actually was wondering how it would paddle compared to a Bob Sp. I find the Bob to be a pretty fast easy to paddle boat when healed a bit. I was hoping the Cheemaun was similar.

Bob.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Back to the Cheemaun..wow that IS a flat bottom. Good for poling I bet.. But if you heel it over you will have an entirely new hull shape. It looks like it has good secondary stability if heeled.. seems to have a little flare on the side. I would always try it. My Duet is 15 feet and 36 inches wide and round bottomed. Its not a slow boat though even though its got a lot of width..the round bottom might help.

Its a blast to heel it.


Cheemaun made here in Maine http://www.wooden-canoes.com/canoes/cheemaun.htm
Steve Ambroses http://www.steveambrose.net/Canoes/ Good illustration of the build and just how flat the bottom is.

 

[Bob B.]

Yeah it is pretty flat ... my real only concern and a big one. I was talking with Steve Ambrose on the phone last night in fact. He is going to send me some pics and measurements of the bottom ... as flat as it is - it does have a nice "soft" bilge and perhaps a bit of a shallow arch. Steve seems to think it does not "act' as flat as it looks. However, he does say it is excellent poling and stand up casting boat.

I am looking for a boat that is a nice solo tripper for a bigger guy that I can fish in comfortably in waves as well ... that is ligther than my 16 foot tripping boat. The Cheemaun fits the bill ... as long as it paddles well in wind and big rough waves healed a bit.

This thread has been a blast for me. Thanks for all the replies, pictures and links guys.

Bob.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Waterdog,

Is this you in a tandem Prospector on the middle Yough? I picked this picture out of a public album on the Stewart River site on Facebook. If it's you, what kind of seat are you on? It doesn't look like bow seat backwards.

 

[Canotrouge]

I would love to find a good one and you can be sure I would trip and hunt with it! But up here they are impossible to find. I think a 16’ prospector or something similar(somewhat deep) would be my first choice even for soloing it!! Maybe one day!!

 

[Waterdog]

Glen,

that is me in the Stewart River Prospector. I’m paddling from the bow with my thighs close to or up against the yoke. Kneeling this way, generally empty, and eddie hopping, peel outs, and ferries are easy with my longish arms. It makes excellent use of the rocker. It is nimble this way and can navigate very low water without getting hung up. But, you need long arms because it’s about 34.5 “ wide there and deep even for me at 6’ tall. This boat has such great capacity that even when my dog was along on a 12 day trip, I paddled it backwards. I don’t think I have ever paddled it from the stern.

I do use a removable kneeling thwart occasionally made of canvas that attaches through the scuppers. I don’t find it necessary for pool drop day trips where I switch between kneeling and sitting frequently. It is however comfortable and allows me to paddle in a kneeling position longer.

i love tripping with prospector style boats when I have a dog and big load with me. I paddled the same river on July 4th in a Bell Prospector RX in what I consider below minimum level and never scraped rocks. Surfing ledges and upstream attainments leave me pretty tired at the end of the day.

Barry

 

[lowangle al]

That's a great photo Waterdog and a nice boat. I solo tandems quite a bit and use a longer paddle on my wider boats.

 

[Waterdog]

That's a great photo Waterdog and a nice boat. I solo tandems quite a bit and use a longer paddle on my wider boats.

Thanks. The only thing it lacks is speed! You make a good point about using a longer paddle. In this pic I’m using. 60” Mitchell whitewater. On long trips with the dog I mostly sit in the Bow seat and use modified otter tail paddles by Ray Kettlewell. 63” I think. In solo canoes I use shorter paddles like 56”.

barry

 

[Waterdog]

I do use a removable kneeling thwart occasionally made of canvas that attaches through the scuppers. I don’t find it necessary for pool drop day trips where I switch between kneeling and sitting frequently. It is however comfortable and allows me to paddle in a kneeling position longer.

I use this canvas solo seat as a kneeling thwart.
https://www.stewartriver.com/product/canvas-solo-seat/

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I use this canvas solo seat as a kneeling thwart.
https://www.stewartriver.com/product/canvas-solo-seat/

Waterdog, can you also sit comfortably and securely on that canvas seat or would it be too dangly and swingy for that? It seems to be a less expensive version of the leather Azland saddle.

 

[Waterdog]

Glen,

that “seat” moves a little but with the straps properly tightened not too bad. But, I’ve never used it as a seat proper. With all my clothes and gear on, I probably weight near 250# and while the seat is plenty stout, I’d worry about the stress to the inwales. So I purchased with the idea that I would use it as a kneeling thwart when I wasn’t traveling with my dog. It offers great support for that.

barry

 

[Canotrouge]

I put the word out to a friend up here that is from New-Brunswick, he brings some wood canvas north to restore some times and I told him I was looking for one.... the problem is I don’t know what I’m looking for hahaha... 17’ prospector or 20’ something something ... I want a boat for hunting that can carry a heavy load... I was gonna pull the plug on a brand new Kildonan timber cruiser made by Douglas Ingram, but his price went up and I really can’t afford it

 

[lowangle al]

I put the word out to a friend up here that is from New-Brunswick, he brings some wood canvas north to restore some times and I told him I was looking for one.... the problem is I don’t know what I’m looking for hahaha... 17’ prospector or 20’ something something ... I want a boat for hunting that can carry a heavy load... I was gonna pull the plug on a brand new Kildonan timber cruiser made by Douglas Ingram, but his price went up and I really can’t afford it

I really like my new 20' EM White. It's a large volume river capable tripper. It paddles well and seems like it can carry a load and is not too big to carry. I thought it would be a good choice for you. I know you were thinking about getting a big square stern but I think you will get more use out of something that paddles well and can be carried.

 

[Iskweo]

Canotrouge....check Winnipeg kijiji....18 foot y stern

 

[WinterWarlock]

Glen,

that “seat” moves a little but with the straps properly tightened not too bad. But, I’ve never used it as a seat proper. With all my clothes and gear on, I probably weight near 250# and while the seat is plenty stout, I’d worry about the stress to the inwales. So I purchased with the idea that I would use it as a kneeling thwart when I wasn’t traveling with my dog. It offers great support for that.

barry

That has to be a bit easier on the knees than the bottom of the canoe or a traditional kneeling thwart. Do you know how mountable it might be if you don't have cutout gunwales (I have a Stowe Mansfield)?

 

[Seeker]

I use this canvas solo seat as a kneeling thwart.
https://www.stewartriver.com/product/canvas-solo-seat/

I've rigged a tumpline across ribs like that, just to make a 'kneeling thwart'... works ok, but it sagged a bit; maybe i need buckles to get it tight enough; I was using girth hitches.

 

[Waterdog]

That has to be a bit easier on the knees than the bottom of the canoe or a traditional kneeling thwart. Do you know how mountable it might be if you don't have cutout gunwales (I have a Stowe Mansfield)?

WW,

sorry I’m just now seeing your question. I don’t think the setup I have would adapt to anything other than scuppered gunwales. I should say that I have a bell composite canoe with a permanent wooden kneeling thwart and I don’t find either setup to be more comfortable than the other. Kneeling works for me only for occasional use due to banged up knees so YMMV. I find my solo canoes with canted seats are the most comfortable of the three general kneeling setups.

cheers,
Barry

 

[Waterdog]

I've rigged a tumpline across ribs like that, just to make a 'kneeling thwart'... works ok, but it sagged a bit; maybe i need buckles to get it tight enough; I was using girth hitches.

Seeker,

I don’t use my arrangement enough to notice if it would sag. It’s handy to have for day trips where there’s no dog or gear for ballast/trim but I wouldn’t carry it on a multi day trip. In other words, I would take another canoe tripping rather than the WC prospector if that canvas thwart would need to be a primary paddling station.

Cheers,
Barry