A Molded Plywood Canoe

I posted this on the WCHA website earlier this week, but thought that I would post it here too. I am interested in the background of these veneer constructed canoes, so if anyone has any knowledge about them or the Allied Aviation Corporation.


I picked up an interesting old canoe last week; an Allied Aviation Corporation 16’ molded mahogany canoe with what appears to be mahogany and white oak gunwales. The canoe hull is sound with a small bit of rot on the gunwales and stem, which I plan on repairing. I will also be soldering or replacing one broken stem band and cleaning up a few scuffs. Other than these few issues, the canoe is in very good condition. I have not yet tested the finish, which is in nice condition, to see it is varnish or polyurethane; I’m out of acetone at the moment, but I will be putting on a new coat soon just for safety.

I would also be interested in finding out if the AAC canoes had any identification, such as decals or deck plate decals, other the brass tag with the company name and serial number. This canoe has a hole in both the bow and stern decks with painters attached when I bought it, but I was wondering if it may have originally had eye-bolts?

I have not found much information on this company and its offspring “Whirlwind”; the threads on the WCHA website have been the greatest help with information on this canoe so far. I am looking forward to reading the article in the WCHA Journal on Molded Canoes. Should any readers have any further information on the Allied Aviation Corp. canoes, I would be interested in learning more about these canoes.

According to the seller, it was purchased by his wife’s grandfather, who worked at the company, around 1945 and has been passed down through the family over the years. It spent most of its time on lakes in New England and Minnesota before being moved to western North Carolina. Due to no current family members wanting the canoe, it went on the market. After seeing the canoe, I bought it. The mahogany hull really sets it off and I had comments from several folks before I got home and took it off my car. I have not yet had it in the water, but I look forward to seeing how it paddles!

Since I did not find any specifications on this canoe listed on the web, I thought that I would list them from my canoe for future reference. If anyone wishes any other measurements from this canoe, please let me know.





Allied Aviation Corporation

Serial Number on Nameplate: 849

Length: 16’0”

Hull Width: Maximum 34”

Gunwale Exterior Width 34”

Gunwale Interior Width 31”

4” waterline Width (estimated from internal and external measurement) 32”

Depth: Bow 18.5”, Amidships 13.5”, Stern 18.5”

Rocker: 4” bow and stern, measured from floor to the 4” waterline minus 1” for the keel height

Keel: ¾” wide by 1” deep

Thwart placement: Bow to center of Front Thwart 72”

Front Thwart to Rear Thwart (Center to center) 51”

Rear Thwart to Stern 69”



Thwart Width: 2.25” (Maximum width)

Thwart thickness: 1”

Thwart Length: Front 30 5/8, Rear 30 ¼

Exterior Gunwale width at Thwart: Front 32”, Rear 32.25”



Hull Thickness: ¼”

Weight 56.7 pounds



Thank you, and any further information on the Allied Aviation Corporation canoes will be welcomed!

I know nothing about the canoe or the company but that's a sharp looking canoe. Congrats on your acquisition.

When I was 7, my first experience in a canoe was a 16’ molded plywood canoe built in Manitoba by a company called Plycraft.
1955,
Cobden, Ontario ( I have shared this photo here before) I’m in the bow with my two brothers


1967, my last trip with the canoe before joining the army,


Sadly, this is all that’s left. The canoe had a keel and it rotted out the center. It was just too much above my skill level to restore.
Good luck with yours, looks like a real nice canoe.

I'll confess that I don't even know what a molded plywood canoe is. It certainly looks nice and is quite light for a 16' wood canoe. Robin's 1955 canoe looks like it had some rocker too.

Good luck in getting more info.

A tangent, SouthernKevlar. How many canoes have you acquired since joining this site 26 months ago?

With a background in furniture design and engineering, I have always loved woodworking and things made of wood. I had wondered about the possibility of a veneer lay-up (i.e.. plywood) canoe for a while before finding out that they had actually been made. According to my info, the the technique used by the Allied Aviation Corp., who made molded plywood parts for aircraft in WW2, was to lay up 1/32" sheets of mahogany veneer on a mold, apply a heat activated resin, and repeat until the desired thickness was reached. Then it was baked in an oven to set the resin; this technique is called hot-molding. After baking it was removed from the oven, allowed to cool and then removed from the mold. Then the gunwales and fixtures were then added. This technique does result in a light canoe; Struer Kayaks of Denmark made Olympic flatwater C1s and kayaks of wood veneer, with their laminated boat bringing home 11 medals between 1948 and 1996. Some companies also made cold-molded veneered canoes where the laminations were laid up with a resin or adhesive that did not require a high temperature to bond.

Glenn, as to your question on how many canoes and kayaks I have had since joining 26 months ago, the answer is (as I just checked my records) 17 boats. My "Lifetime Grand Total" that I have owned is now at 38, but my current "collection" is now down to 13, having just sold a Bell FlashFire last week. These boats run the gamut from from a Folbot needing a new skin to a Sawyer DY Special (Circa1983) that paddles nicely but still needs "prettying up" to my custom ordered Northstar Phoenix in BlackLite with wood trim, internal skid plates (and still just a couple of ounces over 30 pounds!) the only canoe bought new that I still have and plan to keep for a LONG time. I know it sounds like a lot of boats, but it doesn't look like that many when stored in several places around the property.

Robin, Thanks for sharing those photos; these molded veneer canoes seem to be few and far between! I'm sorry that yours didn't make it through the years, but it looks like it had a good life and brought many smiles and memories.

Hier ist ein Video darüber, wie man sie baut.

Very interesting video, and canoe came in under 30 pounds. I've got to do some research on this style.

Thanks Martin65 for posting the video.

That looks like an interesting construction concept that shows a lot of planning and engineering skill. I wonder what thickness the plywood is? It is also a very nice looking canoe and looks like it should handle well.

Don't know anything about the original company, Allied Aviation Corp., but today you can find a marine grade plywood canoe kit from the folks at Chesapeake Light Craft down in Annapolis MD. They're known mostly for their kayak kits but the have sailboats, the canoe and other watercraft in what they offer. They also have classes throughout the year and in various locations for various boats; and even a teardrop trailer. I'm sure lots of folks here are aware of this company but thought I'd share this for those who may not have heard of them yet.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

SouthernKevlar said:

That looks like an interesting construction concept that shows a lot of planning and engineering skill. I wonder what thickness the plywood is? It is also a very nice looking canoe and looks like it should handle well.

Click to expand...

I thought in the vid description somewhere, or maybe it was pecking around in the comments below that it was mentioned as 3-mm plywood. Don't quote me on it.

snapper said:

Don't know anything about the original company, Allied Aviation Corp., but today you can find a marine grade plywood canoe kit from the folks at Chesapeake Light Craft down in Annapolis MD. They're known mostly for their kayak kits but the have sailboats, the canoe and other watercraft in what they offer. They also have classes throughout the year and in various locations for various boats; and even a teardrop trailer. I'm sure lots of folks here are aware of this company but thought I'd share this for those who may not have heard of them yet.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

Click to expand...

Another company that does this sort of thing is Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington, primarily providing kits for making your own boats. A slightly different method than the original video post, and it's mostly kayaks, but they have other boats, including at least one canoe:

I saw another "tortured plywood" build somewhere a few years ago. I'd love to try it at some point but I've got 2 strippers ahead of it right now and I might be looking for another boat shop by spring.

Danke, dass du das Video gepostet hast, Martin, und willkommen auf der Site.

I had read that Pygmy Boatworks closed up shop during Covid and never reopened. I just checked their website (FACEBOOK) and the last posting was on June 30, 2020. Looks like another boat maker gone.

Dang, I always wanted one of those Wineglass Wherries!

SouthernKevlar said:

I had read that Pygmy Boatworks closed up shop during Covid and never reopened. I just checked their website (FACEBOOK) and the last posting was on June 30, 2020. Looks like another boat maker gone.

Dang, I always wanted one of those Wineglass Wherries!

Click to expand...

I didn't go far enough into the site to notice that, so sorry, folks, for mentioning it. I used to chat a bit with John Lockwood, the guy who started the company, when we were both at paddling functions (mainly the annual NW Sea Kayak Symposium at Port Townsend) and he was full of info and fun to talk to. I haven't been to one of those in most of 25 years now, lost track of him and others. I don't know if the annual symposium is still happening there even.