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I will save you the gory details, but at 55, I have been having my own bout with cancer. I am in good shape otherwise, and after radiation, surgery, chemo cocktails, more surgery, should be "cancer-free" now, but I continue to get scans every three months. I haven't done any tripping since...

If the vinegar doesn't work, you might try lacquer thinner. Try a little first to make sure it doesn't affect the core. Stinks a lot though. Fitz

I am guessing it is Western Red Cedar. It is readily available at lumber yards even here back East and used for house trim and decking. I use that stock to get planking for my Old Town canoe projects. Even Old Town had it shipped in way back then. I would not use it for gunwales. It dents too...

Sweet!!

For the sheer sweep, I typically soak the rails for a few days in a PVC tube and then use the polyethylene bag method to steam them. The poly bag allows you to periodically try the bend to see if it is ready to go, and then you can clamp the rail, bag and all, to the canoe. There is no cooling...

How long is this portage of which you speak?

Fisher Cat? These critters are agile and pretty good size. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WhEM0rMCa8

I skimmed the movie and watched the canoe looking for obvious identification features. There wasn't much to go by. The deck, thwart and tapered ribs suggest an Old Town canoe to me. There is brief look at the head of a carriage bolt over Groucho's shoulder which might be a diamond head bolt...

Nice trip. Thanks for sharing. Fitz

You can get a copy over at the WCHA Store. $45. https://www.wcha.org/store/books?page=2 Ooops. I guess the product is not available. Sorry.

If you had swum twice that is a good chance you could have been considered for an Norumbega Chapter of the WCHA, Honorary Double Dipper Award!!

Those are silicon bronze ring nails. You can see the rings on the bent shank in the picture. Next to impossible to pull out. Yeah, the outwales are only decorative for the most part. You can see in my photo they are only maybe 1/4 or 3/8's inch thick or so. The two inwale pieces on each side do...

Ash is what was likely used on the boat originally. Those brass tacks are likely silicon bronze ring nails. That is why they bent over at the head. They are an absolute PITA to remove. See my other post. If you look closely, you will see that the "inwales" are actually two pieces on each side. A...

Acetone is not yet considered to be a carcinogen. "Acetone has been studied extensively and is generally recognized to have low acute and chronic toxicity if ingested and/or inhaled. Acetone is not currently regarded as a carcinogen, a mutagenic chemical nor a concern for chronic neurotoxicity...

It looks like a Stowe Mansfield canoe. These can be freshened up, but the inwales and outwales are installed with ring nails which are a PITA. I used a plug cutter to cut over the offending ring nails and then removed the wood rails and then cut off the remaining ring nails with a hacksaw. Then...

Always the first sign of spring! The Norumbega Chapter’s annual Winter meeting will be held in just two weeks, on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Veasey Memorial Park, in Groveland, MA. This year we have reserved the large front room with the fireplace for our gathering along with a dining room and a...

Good to hear you are well, my friend. Keep up the good work. The Norumbega Meeting is March 3rd up near Groveland. I can provide details if anyone needs a road trip to shake the winter blues. Cheers, Fitz

I know people like the durability of webbing, but I can't get over the "lawn chair" look. ;) Hot water or steam assists greatly with spline removal, assuming wood glue was used to install. Cheers, Fitz

There are many schools of thought on this. Lately, I haven't been putting anything on the cane. I have used tung oil, and very, very thin traditional spar varnish on the top of the cane only. A pro-caner told me to do that on canoe seats, but I am still a bit on the fence about it. I...

Very nice job, but they are like potato chips. You can't have just one!!! Congrats on a nice rebuild. Fitz