What a winter!  We had tons of snow and the skiing was great.  One storm brought us so much snow and drifting that our neighbor had to plow us out with his bulldozer. The shop stayed nice and warm, probably due to the steamer being on just about every day.

We have been working on a nice run of 6 Old Town canoes, all from different owners, that span a vintage from 1907 through 1976 and everything inbetween.  It is interesting to see the different methods and techniques that varied from decade to decade.

The Penn Yan Swift is canvassd and filled and the trim work is being worked on.  We also had a good run of new canoes and we recently had a couple from Texas come join us for a week of canoe building in one of our classes.  

The phone continues to ring from people all over the country placing orders for new canoes and sending us their canoes to be restored.  Let's take a look at some pictures.

Old Town OTCA

This OTCA required several new ribs.  Here is what the process looks like from the old original interior, to new ribs installed, to the finished product.

   Above is what the interior looked like when it came into the shop.  Blistering, flaking, and peeling varnish that was dark and grimy.

Here is what the interior looked like with the old interior finish stripped out and the new ribs installed (the lighter colored ones in the foreground) as it receives the first coat of new varnish.

 

 Here is that same interior all varnished with the new ribs stained to matched the older ones. 

 

 

 

The canoe all finished and ready to go.  This canoe has seen three generations of use from the same family and never left the lake it was delivered to when purchased new until it came to our shop for restoration.

 

 

New Canoe Building

 

Some pictures of new canoe building.

 Every canoe starts out with top quality materials.  Above is a peice of clear 20' Eastern Red Spruce.

 The stem is steam bent over a form, notched to receive the ribs, and beveled for the planking before it is secured to the form.

Emily pulling a rib from the steamer.

 

The form with all the ribs bent on.

Here, Emily is installing a deck into a canoe that has come off the form.

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Two completed hulls waiting for canvas.

Stems are bent on the jigs for the next crop of new canoes.

 

 

Some Pictures from around the shop

 

 

Seats waiting to be caned.

 

 

A picture of the shop from this past winter.

 

 

Here is what the work bench looks like when Dylan is done working.

 

 

Here is what it looks like when Emily is done!

 

 

Dylan resawing rough lumber.

 

 

Randy and Deb came up from Texas to build a canoe in our spring canoe building class.  Here they are taking pause before lifting the planked hull from the form.

 

 

1907 Old Town Canoe

 

This canoe was pretty beat up when it came in.  Here is what it looked like.

 

 

 

 

.....and here is what it looked like when finished.

 

 

 

 

 

Penn Yan Swift CUTM

 

 

The new transom being fitted.

 

 

Once fitted and installed, it is time to focuss on the planking.

 

 

Here is Emily making repairs to the rotted portion of the deck.

 

 

 New deck beams are needed.

 

 

 

Emily installing the deck strips.

 

 

 

Dylan bending in new oak transom braces.

 

 

All the structrual work is comepleted and the interior has received its' first coat of varnish.  You are looking into the part of the stern that was rebuilt.

 

 

Only canvas for this Swift, just like the original.

 

Stay tune for more..........................

 

Shop Updates - Old Town, EM White, Penn Yan Swift and more

Yesterday morning it was 50 degrees and raining.  We lost the two feet of snow we had.  This morning it is 20 degrees and it has snowed 3 inches so far.  Typical New England weather.  At least the shop is dry and warm with lots of canoes and boats being restored and built. Here are some of the projects we are working on.

1907 Old Town HW

 

This one required a fair amount of work from the get go. There was not much left of the bow.

 

 

 

 

New ribs to replace some of the old broken ones are bent around the hull to gain the proper shape. 

 

New inner rails, several ribs, a new stem, new decks, planking, etc.

 

Here it is in the finish room being varnished.  All the structural hull work is done.

 

 

New canoe building

 

Here are some pictures of Emily building a new canoe.  One of the first steps is bending the stems.

 

Stems being pulled out of the steamah.

 

The compression strap is set on.

 

The stems are lined up on the bending jig...

 

...and with a little persuasion....

 

....viola!

 

 

 

The ribs have been bent around the form and the planking is started.  Here Emily is finishing up on the garboard, shaping the end with a draw knife.

 

Emily shaping a plank.

 

Emily is about 300 tacks into a total of about 2500.

 

The hull has been planked as much as it can on the form.  It is know lifted off and planking will continue off the form.

 

 

In and around the shop

 

Luckily we have only one canoe that had fiberglass on it.  Thankfully the aliens came down from above and yanked it off in no time!

 

 

Hard at work removing the fiberglass

 

Hey, were did my bow go? This one lost it's bow on the Otoskwin river in Northern ontario

 

The only thing holding on the front 5 feet of this 18' EM White was the canvas and half of an inner gunwale.

 

Another view of the White. Lots of work to do on this one.

 

Here is another 18' EM White on the right being railed.  This one was in better condition than the one above.  On the left is an Old Town OTCA waiting for outer gunwales.

 

 

This was one of a few 20' ash logs we milled up.  This produced some nice clear lumber. 

 

 

14' Penn Yan CUTM Swift

 

This one will need a little bit of work but overall a very nice swift.

 

 

The transom suffered a little storage rot.  This will require almost an entire new back end - transom, ribs, knees, keelson, etc.

 

It will also need a new electrical system to replace the rats nest that was there.

 

This is the first transom rib being shaped.  It tapers in width and thickness....

 

........and has a rolling bevel at the same time.

 

Fits like a glove.

 

 

 

Here is a video we took of stem bending spruce gunwales.

 

Stay tuned for more.....