Salmon Falls Canoe: Shop Updates 11-30-2013

The shop is full of canoes and boats being restored and built for customers that have come to us from all over. Some of the states include Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, California, Mississippi, and Canada. Once again I have let much time elapse since the last post so there are many pictures to see.

First, a little feed back from customers:

"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your help earlier this winter and spring on fixing up the Old Town canoe. I really learned a lot about the process of boatbuilding and had a great deal of fun building the boat back up from the brink of ruin. You and Emily were both tremendously patient and generous with your knowledge and I really appreciate that. I think it paid dividends in the final product.

We had a blast this summer paddling around some of the small ponds in the area and on the Connecticut River! We don’t go many places where people don’t notice and comment on the beauty of the boat! That seems natural enough to me because, when I look at it, it looks like functional art. Kathy won’t let me hang it on the wall of the living room, though."

This was received from a customer sending us his canoe from California:

"You come highly recommended, actually you come higher than highly recommended."

We are very touched and encouraged to hear these nice words.

An early BN Morris

What is left of the original logo on the deck dates this one to circa 1895-1902. Thanks to Kathy Klos at the WCHA for her help with dating.

Here is what it looked like when it came into the shop.

Emily beginning to disassemble the Morris.

Rib replacement: replacing some of the damaged ribs with new ones.

Repairing the end of the deck.

Rebuilding the stern end of the canoe that had suffered from rot.

Emily tacking the canvas along the stem

The Morris canvassed and ready for filler.

The Morris being filled.

Chestnut Canoe Company

A nice little 15 foot canoe by Chestnut

Whatch-ya doing there Emily?

Getting measurements for some new ribs.

The interior all stripped out, new inner gunwales, and rebuilt ends.

We actually have two little Chestnuts in the shop at the moment. In fact we have 2 Chestnuts, 1 Temagami Canoe, and a Fraser Prospector - all in the Chestnut family. Some can be seen in the photo above.

Old Town OTCA

A late model OTCA that has seen repairs in the past. Previous repairs are often the largest obstacles to overcome in a restoration. Some are done well and others, well, not so well.