Boat ID please

[Ben Staley]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I frequent the wooden kayak forum (Guillemot) and have built several wooden kayaks. I posted this photo there hoping someone could ID this boat a friend of mine purchased to restore and was refered here. Hope someone here can help.

It is planked with painted canvas covering and appears to be 50 to 70 yrs old.

He is considering replacing the canvas with fiberglass/epoxy to get it seaworthy instead of redoing with canvas. I haven't seen the boat yet but I think this may be possible.

Thanks for your help http://home.sprynet.com/~gbstaley/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/jiml_boat_small.jpg

[Donn]

I have no idea what it is, but it's gorgeous. Beautiful rower of some sort. I wouldn't glass it. If it was canvas over planks originally, I'd replace that.

Edited to add, welcome to the WBF.

[ 08-26-2003, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Donn ]

[Donn]

The hull's shape, from what I can see, looks very much like Ducktrap's glued lap wherry.

http://www.duck-trap.com/1stdtwherry.jpg

[Todd Bradshaw]

I don't know what it is, but it certainly has nice lines. In general, I don't think you will gain anything by substituting epoxy and glass for a proper recanvasing job. It makes any future rib or planking repairs quite difficult and in many cases has shortened (or ended) the lives of a lot of old wood/canvas canoes which are similarly constructed. The boat is obviously in good enough condition to be restored to like new or better condition and go another 70 years. Why change in the middle of a good thing? If you want more wood/canvas canoe and boat restoration input, the place to go is the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association forum. The best wood/canvas builders in the world hang out there and are a pretty decent bunch who have talked a lot of folks through the process.
http://forums.wcha.org/

[Chris Ostlind]

Excellent lead, Todd.

From the photo, Ben, it looks as if you'll be able to get that boat back to "as new" condition with some work and thought. Soon you guys will be on the water again with a sweet, rythmic stroke to glide across the water.

Chris Ostlind

[Conard]

Re-canvas it. WCHA is a good source of info. And Bill Clements is a good source of materials, including traditional canvas filler. He's at www.boatbldr.com. (http://www.boatbldr.com.)

[nedL]

As the others have said, don't glass it(!). Canvas is cheaper, faster, easier to replace & make future repairs under, and as you have already seen will last at least 50-70years if taken care of. fiberglassing is usually a slow one way trip down hill. - Beautiful little skiff!

[Ben Staley]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, especially on the canvas -vs- fiberglass.

I'm assuming #10 cotton Duck with an oil based exterior paint?
Or is marine enamel better for this type of application?

[Todd Bradshaw]

The #10 Duck is fine, but it should be filled with canoe filler to fill the weave before painting it. You can buy filler or make your own "home-brew" as several recipes are available, but don't leave home without it. It would probably be a good idea to get a copy of one of Jerry Stelmok's books, like "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" which will explain the canvasing and filling process in detail before starting the work. It would be $20 well spent.

[RGM]

Nice looking boat. Perhaps you and your friend could do a little research and try to determine the original builder? You might enjoy the hunt. Lots of these types of boats where built for local resorts around Puget Sound and some of the lakes. I wouldn't be suprised if fellow formite Plimsol might have some input regarding this boats possible PNW origins. Keep the fiberglass away from it.

[TimH]

Thats a beautiful looking boat! where did you find it?

[Ben Staley]

Thanks, I believe he was walking in his neighborhood, saw it and made an offer on it.

I'll look for a plaque when I see the boat and post if I find anything.

It sure sounds like canvasing is the better option.

I built a Skin on Frame West Greenland style kayak this past spring and covered it with canvas and an oil based exterior house paint. The canvasing was a lot easier than I expected it to be.

[Ian McColgin]

Glad you're on your way to recanvassing. It's such fun.

A transom is only a little harder than the canoe shape: Getting it really tight still uses the hang-folded-canvass-up-and-stuff-the-boat-in approach except that the stern area is spread on a form which in turn is tied to something stout.

Point of this story is that the stress on the verticles you hang it from is huge. I was canvassing a wee little pram in a friend's basement. We streatched the canvass between two lolly's.

I was sitting in the boat and my buddy was whacking away with the staple gun when we looked up to see that the lollys were shifting inwards. Fast action to get some spikes in the way halted that and we went back to streatching the canvass.

Have fun.

[Conard]

The guy who helped me re-canvas had a great system for doing it the other way up. He has anchors in his concrete shop floor about 6' or 8' past the ends of the boat. The boat goes upside-down on sawhorses, and the canvas gets stretched with come-along connected to the anchors. It worked really well.