Canoe Club Extracurricular Activities?!?!?

[Jatfomike]

So a long time club member discovered these old club photos and they were published in our monthly club newsletter with a challenge to see if anyone could guess what the contraption was....the photos were taken in the canoe locker area of the club back in the 1920's give or take a few years.......Upon seeing the photos, my first guess was correct.....but then my mind started to wander and knowing the history of the area, I remembered that during this time period from when these photos were taken, directly across the river from the club was "McCook Military Airfield", the country's hub of military aviation technology.........this nugget of information could be a clue or a smoke screen.......

McCook Airfield




I will check back in a couple of days with some more details.....

Mike

 

[Woodpuppy]

Deadly airboat!

 

[Boatman53]

Power ice boat.
Jim

 

[alsg]

Combination early black fly/mosquito repellent and automatic fire bellows. You set it up at the far end of camp, and the steady breeze keeps away all manner of flying insect and keeps your campfire fed with a steady stream of air. Kind of a pain on portages.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Some prototype of an airplane engine used by the Wright brothers, who were from Dayton. Or maybe someone tried to propel a canoe with the contraption.

 

[Loon]

Power ice boat.
Jim

Yeah, I gotta second this one.

 

[goonstroke]

Combination early black fly/mosquito repellent and automatic fire bellows. You set it up at the far end of camp, and the steady breeze keeps away all manner of flying insect and keeps your campfire fed with a steady stream of air. Kind of a pain on portages.

Nobody's going to tell you your Svea 123 is too noisy if that thing is running.

 

[Mike McCrea]

Years ago I belonged to two local canoe clubs, and there were a half dozen canoe clubs within an hour’s drive, in Baltimore, Frederick, Lancaster, Harrisburg and several in Washington.

Today they are still (mostly) there, now Canoe & Kayak Clubs, some now accessible only via Facebook. You could read two rants there, but I don’t have anything against kayaks.

I led only a few trips with those clubs, but took part in many other extracurricular club activities. $15 annual dues bought a menu of benefits; a cruise schedule with several trips of varying difficulty every unfrozen month, novice to advanced paddling classes, safety classes, 1st aid classes.

The various non-class gathering were immensely enjoyable. A mid-summer potluck, always at a riverside park; great food, great fellowship, many tales told and boats sold or traded. I hauled a few boats to the picnic and came home with empty racks, including two beyond hope beaters I beefed up for use as a victim canoe to be pinned for Z-drag demos.

The winter meetings were equally enjoyable, usually a presentation by some noteworthy paddler, boat designer or paddle maker. Best paddling related $15 I ever spent. If I had taken more paddling classes I might be more skilled.

 

[Jatfomike]

So, ice boat is the correct answer, it is believed to have been built by club members from a kit sold by Kemp Machine Works of Muncie, IN. The engine is a Kemp “Gray Eagle” airplane engine….they sold ice boat kits on the side….

Mike

 

[Benson Gray]

The links below may interest anyone who has ever thought about an air powered canoe.

Benson

Old Town Yankee 16 with Aerothrust Engine- 1944 - Lane Motor Museum

Old Town has been making canoes and kayaks in Old Town, Maine since 1898. While the first boats were canvas over a wooden frame, the company soon expanded to all wood and, lately, even three-layer polyurethane – whatever the best material is for the end product that results in light weight...

www.lanemotormuseum.org

Canoe and aircraft prop... what is this?

www.wcha.org

Old Marine Engine: Aerothrust pusher prop outboard