Old Town Guide back in Service

[Fitz]

I've been tinkering with a wood canvas canoe that originally belonged to a friend's grandfather. It had seen a lot of hard use, but now it's back and ready for more. Hopefully, it will see it's one hundredth birthday now. It's a 1923, 18 foot Old Town Guide.

The grandson and great grandkids will have a ball in it I'm sure.

Before:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p9cdaffdf2ec0744b7a11d90a9fa3e180/f23a4064.jpg

After: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p6c9f5f373b3a2801490a958af9821836/f23a404d.jpg

[ 09-19-2005, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: Fitz ]

[Bruce Hooke]

Nice job!!

[Paul Girouard]

Sweet :cool:

[Graham Knight]

VERY nice! What work did you have to do to it?

[joejapan]

.
Fitz, that must have been a labor of love, 'cause you had to put a helluva' lotta' work into it to look that good and a newer canoe
would probably have been cheaper !

[Fitz]

I started by stripping, stripping and more stripping - literally pounds of old black varnish, and paint. Then bleached the hull, then sanded the hull. Four new ribs installed. A dozen ribs I repaired from the backside. Replaced some planking, repaired a deck and stem. Varnish, new canvas, filler, primer, paint, some new hardware. Hand caned the seats.

The nice thing about these old boats is you can breathe new life into them periodically. :D

[Joe Dupere]

Originally posted by Fitz:
I started by stripping, stripping and more stripping - literally pounds of old black varnish, and paint. Then bleached the hull, then sanded the hull. Four new ribs installed. A dozen ribs I repaired from the backside. Replaced some planking, repaired a deck and stem. Varnish, new canvas, filler, primer, paint, some new hardware. Hand caned the seats.
:D You call that tinkering!!?? What in the world are you like when you really put some effort into a repair? :D

Very nice job on the canoe. It'll make it's 100th no problem.

Joe

[Graham Knight]

Yes that's quite a bit of work, the result is well worth it though. I have to say I'm rather jealous, I'd love to restore an old canoe like that but they don't seem to exist over here. If I could find an affordable way to have one shipped over here I'd jump at the chance!

[Fitz]

Graham:

You could always build new from scratch!!

Signed,

Devil's Advocate.

(Although, I think building may be easier - no stripping for one thing).

[Graham Knight]

You could always build new from scratch!!
I know, but there's something about a restored original, the fact that it's old and so many people have used it before you, where it's been etc...

[Brian Palmer]

Nice job, Fitz.

Checked out your gallery. Lot's of nice work you've done.

How much does that guide canoe weigh?

-- Slim

[Fitz]

Brian:

I donno..I'm gonna weigh it before it leaves for new waters. The Guides usually go around 85 lbs. I used heavier No. 8 canvas - which was probably on the boat originally.

Weight is one of those myth things with wood canoes. I was looking for a plastic boat for my dad to use in FL. and jeez some of these modern Royalex boats etc. weigh a ton! He was looking at a 17 ft. square stern that came in at an advertized 119 lbs!! The Discoverys etc. are not much better :eek: .

Plus the wood boats paddle much better.

[Graham Knight]

I tried one of those plastic canoes at an open day this summer (we have a canoe centre just around the corner) and it was awful. Our plywood Prospector weighs under 55lbs and leaves every plastic canoe on the river standing, with me and my wife hardly even trying. You should see the looks we get as we paddle past them barely breaking sweat, while a couple of purple faced guys who look like they're about to explode try vainly to keep up!

Where do I find your gallery Fitz?

[Fitz]

Here is the album:

http://community.webshots.com/user/fitzyknu

[nedL]

Beautiful job!! Nice to see you did it right (even backside repairs to maintain the originality). Well worth it! smile.gif Thanks for posting. And thanks for wandering over from the WCHA.

[ 09-20-2005, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: nedL ]