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Chestnut Pal and Chum day
- Thread starter Robin
- Start date
I brought the Pal over to Schuyler Thomsons shop this morning. He is busy this winter and shop space is at a premium but he found space and the willingness to help me out.
I removed the inwales and cut up some new ones from a 18' piece of northern white spruce.
My friend Bob canvassed his 18'6" E M White today and we brushed on the first coat of Gluvit epoxy to began sealing the canvas.
Monday I'm back to install the inwales on my Pal. Here is the Pal after I stripped it of some plank before removing inwales in my basement.
I removed the inwales and cut up some new ones from a 18' piece of northern white spruce.
My friend Bob canvassed his 18'6" E M White today and we brushed on the first coat of Gluvit epoxy to began sealing the canvas.
Monday I'm back to install the inwales on my Pal. Here is the Pal after I stripped it of some plank before removing inwales in my basement.
Hey Robin, can you send me a nice clear 18 foot piece of that white spruce please?
I guess you pass the canoe through a large basement window? Good idea. The basement makes a nice warmish workshop in the winter. No need to shovel your way out to the shed. Just flick on the light and carry your coffee downstairs.
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Actually Brad we did just that for a number of years at the house we were renting. We are better now as I have a garage attached by a breezeway and all we have to do is walk through that to the garage and we are totally in the heart of canoe country.
Its pretty nice to be honest.
Christy
Its pretty nice to be honest.
Christy
I think of your situation there Iskweo from time to time, and feel a whole lotta envy. House in canoe country, workshop- boathouse attached, just a hop skip and a jump from canoe put in...Nice.
And nooo, I don't wanna come and scrape your windshield at 6am on February weekday mornings.
And nooo, I don't wanna come and scrape your windshield at 6am on February weekday mornings.
We have a working forest in town, http://www.greatmountainforest.org/, they have some old spruce that where planted and trimmed regularly for many years, now they are being selectively harvested and Schuyler benefits from being a local craftsman when it comes to selling off the wood. They cut long lengths for him.No long ash yet.
There is a basement entrance door, so that really makes life easier, plus an "over nighter" wood stove that heats that room up fast, not the woodsy feel of the shop out in the barn, but much easier to heat up so this time of year I work alot down there.
So today I managed to get back into the shop and install the inwales and decks. Putting new inwales into an old canoe is very rewarding and inspires one to continue on with bringing it bck to life.
I removed the old inwales last Friday but a snowstorm prevented me from getting back on Monday, Tuesday I babysit my grandson so today was the day. Frank, Schuyler's assistant joked that my old Chestnut looked like a dead whale when I removed the inwales as the ribs where spread wide. We tied a rope around it to help hold it's shape, I worried that 5 days without support might cause the canoe to loose it's shape. Schuyler assured me that the ribs have been held in shape for 60 years, 5 days won't mean much.
Sure enough, it all went together smoothly today. New inwales really help motivate a restoration
I removed the old inwales last Friday but a snowstorm prevented me from getting back on Monday, Tuesday I babysit my grandson so today was the day. Frank, Schuyler's assistant joked that my old Chestnut looked like a dead whale when I removed the inwales as the ribs where spread wide. We tied a rope around it to help hold it's shape, I worried that 5 days without support might cause the canoe to loose it's shape. Schuyler assured me that the ribs have been held in shape for 60 years, 5 days won't mean much.
Sure enough, it all went together smoothly today. New inwales really help motivate a restoration
G
Guest
Guest
I have a novacraft royalite pal. I know it's not in the league with your wood boat,but I love paddling it. I agree that it is load limited. If I went solo and took a ton of stuff,I would use it or get a composite version. A sweet canoe.
Turtle
Turtle
Last week we made some ribs from white cedar and soaked them for a few days. Today we steamed 11 and bent 10, one broke. Tomorrow we remove those 10 and install them, then start with the next batch.
If you look at the picture, you can see a hump in the middle of the canoe between the bent ribs. Years ago I replaced a bunch of ribs in one section and because of my inexperience, I ended up with that bulge. I asked Schuyler if he thinks I could get the bulge out cause I have a hard time keeping up with the lightweight kevlar solo canoes and I end up missing half of their conversation.
He said two things, one, yes he will show me how to remove the bulge, and two, people in kevlar canoes don't have much to say that I need to hear...got quite a laugh in the wood canoe shop.
If you look at the picture, you can see a hump in the middle of the canoe between the bent ribs. Years ago I replaced a bunch of ribs in one section and because of my inexperience, I ended up with that bulge. I asked Schuyler if he thinks I could get the bulge out cause I have a hard time keeping up with the lightweight kevlar solo canoes and I end up missing half of their conversation.
He said two things, one, yes he will show me how to remove the bulge, and two, people in kevlar canoes don't have much to say that I need to hear...got quite a laugh in the wood canoe shop.
Here are a couple of Morris canoes (the 2 green canoes in the center of the picture) for Mihun, the sun reflecting off the snow made it hard to get any good pictures, but those are some really nicely restored canoes
oes
oes
Those are beautiful canoes, and the upsweep on the sheer is amazing, way more than the Morris here. This one will be distinctive but nothing like those two. All shiny like that I think they would look great hanging from a wall, not ever wanting to it in the water.
Installed 10 ribs today, we steamed, bent and hope to get 8 more in tomorrow. The lighter colored ribs are the new ones, good day in the canoe shop. My co-worker friend, Bob with one of those beautiful Morris canoes in the background.
Looking Good!
Thanks, Almost finished installing all the ribs, I'll have a count tomorrow with some more pics.
You know, you commented last year on all the ribs that needed to be done in the Morris, and here you are doing 18 in your Chestnut! 
I know, the Morris was just another canoe compared to all the trips I have taken with my Pal, starting back in the 80's. This canoe has been so good to me, I had to restore it no matter what the cost.
The Pal had a bulge in the bottom from a major section of new ribs I did myself long ago. It looks like we have gotten it out this time around with a strongback bolted to the inside and outside of the canoe. We reset the old ribs that are staying and installed new ribs next to them and it seems to be helping to remove the bulge. We will know for sure next week.
The great thing about owning a few wood canvas canoes that are used for tripping is that you always have something to do over the winter....no funny rant here about frozen water, spending time getting the canoes ready for the warmer days to come is a pleasant pass time.
Early days with the Pal in LaVerendrye, Quebec
Riviere Noire, Quebec, with my Pal, I ran that set of rapids to the take out just above the falls at Mountain Chute (a 20' falls)
Pleasant River, Downeast Maine.
Woodland Caribou PP, with the Pal
The Pal had a bulge in the bottom from a major section of new ribs I did myself long ago. It looks like we have gotten it out this time around with a strongback bolted to the inside and outside of the canoe. We reset the old ribs that are staying and installed new ribs next to them and it seems to be helping to remove the bulge. We will know for sure next week.
The great thing about owning a few wood canvas canoes that are used for tripping is that you always have something to do over the winter....no funny rant here about frozen water, spending time getting the canoes ready for the warmer days to come is a pleasant pass time.
Early days with the Pal in LaVerendrye, Quebec
Riviere Noire, Quebec, with my Pal, I ran that set of rapids to the take out just above the falls at Mountain Chute (a 20' falls)
Pleasant River, Downeast Maine.
Woodland Caribou PP, with the Pal
I know what you mean about bulging the hull. It is so easy to create something that was never there before when replacing ribs, if we use too much force to put in a new rib or set of ribs together, or if they are formed on a wrong part of the hull. I've done that and it is more work to remove the bulge than create it. I doubt it affects performance much but it is certainly not very attractive.
I'll be putting the other Tremblay back in the shop this weekend to get it finished so we can sell it. The Morris is on stand-by until I exhaust all possibilities of getting white spruce for the inwales.
I'll be putting the other Tremblay back in the shop this weekend to get it finished so we can sell it. The Morris is on stand-by until I exhaust all possibilities of getting white spruce for the inwales.
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