Every once in awhile a canoe comes in and you just shake your head. This is one of them.

This is an old Chestnut Pal that has seen better days. It has suffered a hard life and been the subject of some poor repairs. I won't go through the litany of ills, suffice it to say that the old canvas was the least of them

The hull is very, very lumpy.

Previous repairs attempted to alleviate the lumpiness by sanding them down. In places they pretty near sanded all the way through the planking.

And Bondo! Everywhere Bondo...

All is not lost for this canoe. The owners who brought this canoe in have decided to sell it to another party who wanted it as a display item for his cottage.

Rustic was wanted! Rustic was provided!

Here's how I get the logo onto the canoe decks, its the same method as for the paddles in case you were wondering.

Some years ago I had two rubber stamps made with my logo, one large and one small. I use printmaking ink and a hard brayer (roller) to apply the ink to the stamp. It does not work to push the stamp into the ink as it will just smear into all the crevices and make a mess when you try and stamp it. A brayer just applies the ink to the design.

Carefully position the stamp and press firmly.

And this is the result.

A few more photos of the Kildonan as I prepare it for canvas. Aside from the gunnel break this canoe is in excellent condition. An interesting side note on this canoe, it was last canvassed by Daryl Perry. Daryl used to do canoe building and repair but has since gone on to be an internationally recognized builder of fine classical guitars.

This canoe has an interesting planking pattern. I include the photo for anyone who might be interested. For everyone else, just enjoy the nice photo.

Ready for canvas.

Slipping the canoe into the canvas sling.

While the varnish on the trim of the Esprit is drying I really have to get other work done. That work is the old Kildonan canoe.

Step one is to get that broken gunnel repaired. Its difficult to tell if the gunnel stock is Spruce or Fir. It looks like Fir, so that is what I will use. The wood for these gunnels is quarter sawn with the flat sawn side up.

The old gunnels are cut with a long taper on either side of the break. Because its very difficult to fit a new piece to take the exact curve of the gunnel as it sweeps along the canoe, I clamp on a heft piece of hardwood to the outside of the canoe the hold that section straight. I fit the new piece in such a way that I am fitting a straight piece of wood into a straight gunnel. The wood is glued with epoxy to take care of any irregularities in the fit. Once the epoxy cures I remove the clamps and all of the wood takes on its natural curve.


The two pieces of wood going across the canoe are there to hold the two gunnel sections in line. You can see the new piece of gunnel stock waiting to be glued in.

New wood glued in and the clamps removed waiting only to be shaped flush.

The new Esprit is getting a kneeling thwart instead of a seat. If you've never used a kneeling thwart then you have no idea how comfortable it is!

I make mine so that the surface that supports the paddlers back side is angled about 30-45 degrees. Often I make them from fairly thick lumber, but this time I only had 4/4 stock sot I had to glue on some additions to the ends to get more angle. With the grain oriented the right way they look pretty near invisible.

This is how this kneeling thwart is mounted in the canoe-on risers. These risers are longer than is required for just a kneeling thwart, but if the owner should ever decide to put in a seat the canoe is ready for it. The extra length also allows for variable positions should it be required.

All the trim made and ready for varnish.

Hide (Heeday) was the second international visitor this week. He is a Japanese photographer who who has been coming to North America for quite awhile is is very enamored with our wilderness and canoe culture. He knew more about wooden canoe history than most people who live here!

Hide was working with a Japanese TV crew to put together a documentary on the Boreal forest. He got in touch with me while shopping for a wooden canoe that he could get right away for the production. In particular he was interested in the Bob's Special that I had in, he wanted to get some photos of what the Bob's looked like in 1948.

Its been an international week here at the canoe shop in Lorette.

First, Anders just returned from Sweden to pick up his canoe. His Boreal has been ready for over a year, but he's had to tend to family matters back in Sweden. He arrived with three of his friends, also from Sweden, and the will be joined by 6 more Swedes for a 10 week canoe trip from northern Saskatchewan to Baker Lake, Northwest Territories.