A late model Old Town

Here are some pictures of a later Old Town. The other end of the spectrum from the 1902/03 canoe seen below.

Fiberglass removal.

Emily working on rebuilding one of the rotten ends.

The completed canoe. All finishes are applied by hand.

Shop Updates

It has been a busy 2 months since the last post.  Not only have we gotten over 5 feet of snow so far but we have a great line up of canoes we are currently working on.  These include a Thompson, Gerrish, Carleton, Penn Yan, Chestnut, Rushton, and a very early Old Town to mention a few.  The Old Town was one of the very first canoes to ever roll out of the Maine factory.  It bears a three digit serial number 4XX. We are also working on a few new canoes to include a decked canvas covered sailing canoe.

Here are three photo's of the early Old Town.   

It was really beat up when it came into the shop.

Fortunately we were able to restore the original shape of the hull which was altered due to poor storage.

The new seats being made as per the originals; mortise and tenon joinery.  While the topic is up, we make all of our seats for new canoes with mortise and tenon joinery.  It is much better than the ridiculous dowel joinery commonly used.

I guess we owe a picture of the month for both December and January. How about some video footage instead?

This short video is a compilation of footage that was taken during building a new Chicot earlier this winter.  The 17’ Chicot (pronounced Shee-koh) is our own design and since building the first canoe off the form several years ago there was somewhat of an instant and insatiable appetite for this model. We have built several and there are a lot of placed orders on the queue. If you enjoy this video, check back here in the near future as plan to put up several more.

The Chicot is favored by wilderness canoe trippers and general use paddlers all over.  Here are 2 pictures of it in use up north on the Great Whale during an 8 week canoe trip.  You can visit our website  http://www.wood-canoe.com/ to find out more information on the Chicot and the 8 other canoe models we build. While we are on the topic of the Chicot, we have an order for one to be built as light as possible for an 80 day canoe trip.  The target goal is a fraction under 60 pounds! This one is on the queue for next year and we certainly highlight this canoe as it is being built.

Lapstrake Planking



Fitting the edge of the garboard plank to the keel rabbet.

Ah, the full length planking fetish that has plagued many.  As nice as full length strakes are it is not always practical or even reasonable to use such stock.  Here is a scarf being cut.





Picture of the Month

Each month we will try to post a picture of the month.  This one comes from our shop last week. Shown below is the fit of a newly made inner keel for a Rushton rowboat that is currently in the shop for restoration.  This was the test fit as it came of the workbench.

Welcome

Welcome to the official blog of Salmon Falls Canoe. This blog will be written in conjunction with the Shop Talk page on our website.  Here at the blog you will find fresh up to date information about Salmon Falls Canoe and what's going on in the shop among other things.  If you enjoy traditionally built wooden canoes and boats and want to look at pictures and read all things concerning the like, you're at the right place.  From canoe tripping in the wilderness to construction and building, restoration, and historical commentary, everyone from the craziest aficionados to the average canoeist will find something interesting.

Without further adieu, here's a picture from the other week in the shop.  Like the blog, this picture shows something new that we are up to. If you're curious and want to find out more on this new project, I guess you'll have to keep reading the blog......