First Class. The wicker looks really nice.
I think for a using canoe I would use rawhide babiche for the seats.
I think for a using canoe I would use rawhide babiche for the seats.
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Happy Let's Hug Day! 🫂
New project... 17.5' Atkinson Traveler
- Thread starter Patrick Corry
- Start date
Some real talent there, beautiful workmanship. Thanks for the details of the build, that will a fine looking canoe when finished.
Terrific work, Pat, and very informative and likely motivating for future builders.
I agree.
I agree.
Grab handles, thwarts, and seat frames varnished:
and installed (though not seats- they need to be woven):
Grab handles are radiused across their width, and lightly tapered at the ends resulting in a slight crown which mimics the crowned decks:
The exterior of the hull has received a coat of 50/50 varnish/thinner prior to going into the canvas:
And canvas stretched overnight before being loosened to allow the canoe to be dropped in:
Canoe in the canvas with two bundles of shingles (150 lbs) wrapped in large garbage bags to avoid getting granules in the canoe provide weight to press the canoe down into the fabric:
It took lots of room to stretch this 22' piece of #10 canvas. Could have worked with a shorter piece, but it's what I had on hand. The diagonal arrangement across my work space resulted in minimal room to walk around, and my bench vise barely allowed clearance.
Here's the canvas stretching method I use for fastening with stainless steel 3/8" staples, 2 at each rib.
I use a piece of 1/4" plywood as a fulcrum against the inner surface of the inwale. It avoids damage to the inwale during the hard pivot of the vise grip during stretching. The vise grips need to grip 2 layers of canvas to avoid ripping the fabric.
Finished with the come-along stretching, ready to split the ends of the canvas and stretch/wrap the ends.
Ready to weave seats with 6mm binder cane. This should be fun...
This past week an old canoe found me! An acquaintance of mine who knows I like old canoes arranged for a friend of his to give me an Old Town canoe which the owner had decided to get rid of. Turns out via the serial number imprinted into the stems, it was delivered to Trenton, NJ in 1919, exactly one year to the day before my Dad was born! It's a 16' Heavy Water model (designed with a rounder bottom than the OTCA model, and therefore preferred at the time for river travel), in CS grade which refers to "common sense"- a less expensive canoe with Spruce seats, thwarts, decks, and rails rather than Mahogany. It's in really good shape for being 105 years old! Another project in waiting...
and installed (though not seats- they need to be woven):
Grab handles are radiused across their width, and lightly tapered at the ends resulting in a slight crown which mimics the crowned decks:
The exterior of the hull has received a coat of 50/50 varnish/thinner prior to going into the canvas:
And canvas stretched overnight before being loosened to allow the canoe to be dropped in:
Canoe in the canvas with two bundles of shingles (150 lbs) wrapped in large garbage bags to avoid getting granules in the canoe provide weight to press the canoe down into the fabric:
It took lots of room to stretch this 22' piece of #10 canvas. Could have worked with a shorter piece, but it's what I had on hand. The diagonal arrangement across my work space resulted in minimal room to walk around, and my bench vise barely allowed clearance.
Here's the canvas stretching method I use for fastening with stainless steel 3/8" staples, 2 at each rib.
I use a piece of 1/4" plywood as a fulcrum against the inner surface of the inwale. It avoids damage to the inwale during the hard pivot of the vise grip during stretching. The vise grips need to grip 2 layers of canvas to avoid ripping the fabric.
Finished with the come-along stretching, ready to split the ends of the canvas and stretch/wrap the ends.
Ready to weave seats with 6mm binder cane. This should be fun...
This past week an old canoe found me! An acquaintance of mine who knows I like old canoes arranged for a friend of his to give me an Old Town canoe which the owner had decided to get rid of. Turns out via the serial number imprinted into the stems, it was delivered to Trenton, NJ in 1919, exactly one year to the day before my Dad was born! It's a 16' Heavy Water model (designed with a rounder bottom than the OTCA model, and therefore preferred at the time for river travel), in CS grade which refers to "common sense"- a less expensive canoe with Spruce seats, thwarts, decks, and rails rather than Mahogany. It's in really good shape for being 105 years old! Another project in waiting...
Canvas ends stretched and buttoned up. Full canvas 'flamed' with a torch to burn off the 'fuzzies', then brushed and vacuumed. Too late in the day to start filling, so that's going to be a tomorrow job when I'm fresh!
Uh oh... another canoe found me. Actually I spotted this one in a local lawn. It's an unidentified 16'canoe so far and too expensive to consider, especially with all my projects, but wow.... they keep coming out to tempt me! It's got an oddball interior keelson and stem knees at the bow and stern. Probably a home-built rather than a commercial product, though pretty graceful looking. It's got a lot of cracked ribs so probably had a hard life.
Uh oh... another canoe found me. Actually I spotted this one in a local lawn. It's an unidentified 16'canoe so far and too expensive to consider, especially with all my projects, but wow.... they keep coming out to tempt me! It's got an oddball interior keelson and stem knees at the bow and stern. Probably a home-built rather than a commercial product, though pretty graceful looking. It's got a lot of cracked ribs so probably had a hard life.
Nice job tacking those stems down.
Jim
Jim
Canvas filled. Meanwhile I'll mill and shape the mahogany outwales, probably leave them clamped to the hull over the winter before installation over primer and paint in the Spring.
Beautiful work Patrick! Thank you for taking the time to share your build. It's a treat to follow along.
Seat weaving has begun. People of a certain age... me for example.... will remember Gary Wright's 1975 hit "Dream Weaver". I sit in the basement weaving and can't get the ear worm "Seat Weaver..." to the tune of Dream Weaver out of my head!!
Bow seat horizontals:
Closer look at horizontals:
Vertical weave begun:
Stern seat finished:
Both finished. I like the result.
Bow seat horizontals:
Closer look at horizontals:
Vertical weave begun:
Stern seat finished:
Both finished. I like the result.
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As a minor development in the project, I donated the Atkinson Traveler form to the Adirondack Experience, formerly the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, NY. The boatbuilder-in-residence there plans to use it for a building program for kids at the North Country School in Lake Placid. I'm pleased that kids will have a chance to not only learn some hands-on woodworking skills, but to then have a chance to be introduced to paddling in a canoe they made themselves is something I'm happy to facilitate. I dropped off both the canoe and stem forms this past week. It's shown here temporarily placed under their timber framed pavilion.
Also, I have ripped and rabbeted the 18' Mahogany outwale blanks which will be steamed and clamped to the filled canvas canoe over the winter. Once I return to the project in Spring, they will be permanently fastened after priming and painting the hull. The outwales will be tapered at the ends in both vertical and thickness and final hand shaped with plane, spokeshave, rasp, and sandpaper.
Also, I have ripped and rabbeted the 18' Mahogany outwale blanks which will be steamed and clamped to the filled canvas canoe over the winter. Once I return to the project in Spring, they will be permanently fastened after priming and painting the hull. The outwales will be tapered at the ends in both vertical and thickness and final hand shaped with plane, spokeshave, rasp, and sandpaper.
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Looking good Patrick, do you have any plans for it's first trip?
I was wondering what you were going to do with the form. I don't think Rollin offers the kit to build them anymore so they will probably be rare in the future. I think it was very generous of you and a good choice to donate it to the Adirondack Museum. I know their resident boat builder from telemark ski forums and he seems like a community minded guy. He is also leading an effort to get young people into telemark skiing by building a demo fleet through donations. In addition to that he is an avid canoe tripper and won the Adirondack 90 Miler this year.
I was wondering what you were going to do with the form. I don't think Rollin offers the kit to build them anymore so they will probably be rare in the future. I think it was very generous of you and a good choice to donate it to the Adirondack Museum. I know their resident boat builder from telemark ski forums and he seems like a community minded guy. He is also leading an effort to get young people into telemark skiing by building a demo fleet through donations. In addition to that he is an avid canoe tripper and won the Adirondack 90 Miler this year.
Interesting to know that about Nate. Coincidentally, his last name is Atkinson, so it just seemed appropriate that it should go to his program!
Honestly, I don't know just what I will use the new canoe for. I know that sounds crazy but I just wanted to build a canoe and that's the form that became available. I know from my research that it is a very well respected design, and perhaps I'll even solo it though I'm hoping it's not too heavy for an old(er) guy! I will definitely take her out into the wild; maybe with my son and grandson along. That would be very cool.
