1948 Shell Lake 17’ “Camp” Model

The Backstory:

This canoe, a family treasure for three generations, had been given to the owner’s mother as a sweet sixteen birthday gift. Years of non-use and extended outdoor storage on the shores of Lake Nebagamon had brought this boat very nearly to its end. What saved it was a 1980s-era DIY fiberglass “restoration” that protected  all but the top sides of the boat from rot. 

The Work

First step was to remove the forty-year-old glass hull. The owner’s father had removed the canvas and epoxied glass fabric directly to the cedar planking. Heat to remove the glass helped reduce damage to the planking, and much sanding resulted in a fair hull.

Nearly every rib-top was rotted and had to be replaced. New inwales were installed at the same time. To maintain hull-shape, work was done one side at a time.

New decks, thwarts and seats were carved and installed before varnish, canvas and paint. The restoration also included new keel, outwales, out-stems, thwarts, and stem bands.

1993 Navarro Loon 16’

The Backstory:

This boat has been all over the BWCAW, a few rivers in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin including the Big Fork, the St. Louis, and the Red Cedar. In addition, it has been over the Lujeneida Portage out of Sawbill at least half a dozen times. Except  for regular oiling of woodwork and minor duct tape repairs, it hasn’t seen the inside of a shop until this winter. It is one tough boat. 

The Work:

The glass hull at both deck tips had chipped away from rough use. Glass/epoxy patches were made as soon as the decks were removed. A heavier-gauge stem band was installed to better protect this critical area.

New decks of black ash were carved to replace deteriorated mahogany decks. They were stained for color-match, sealed all around with penetrating epoxy, and varnished with three coats of UV inhibiting spar varnish. A new portage yoke was carved to replace the old, and other woodwork including deck thwarts, seats and outwales were cleaned, sanded, sealed and varnished.

Most of the cracked cherry wood ribs were found in the bow front quarters and port-side midship which is fairly typical – too many rough landings and end-of-portage set downs. There is wisdom in that old saying that the only things to touch the bottom of a canoe should be air and water. There is another saying …  if a boat can’t take a bump or two, it isn’t worth a damn.

All buttoned up with black cherry outwales and ready for the water.

1937 Old Town 18’ Guide Model CS

The Backstory:

Duluth Canoe assisted in the restoration of this boat in partnership with Randy Julian of Julian Boatworks. It was to be presented as a wedding gift to the groom by his father. Our part in the project was to repair/replace woodwork as needed (including the removable duckboards), stretch and fill a new canvas skin, and to clean and scuff the interior. We were to use a light touch to preserve as much of the boat’s patina and original woodwork as possible. RJ would handle varnishing and painting.

The Work:

A lot of sheer planking had gone bad along with many rib tops, but most of the field was in good shape. The eighty-year-old cedar soaked up three applications of boiled linseed oil.

Many people store their canoes over the summer use season by turning them upside down atop a couple of logs or beams. Make sure the ends of the canoe are not in contact with the ground. That didn’t happen here.

Both ends suffered rot as a result of ground contact. The stems were cut back to good wood and birds’-mouthed, and deck tips were scarfed.

Color matching new wood to existing is tricky business. Five full ribs were replaced; they appear in the photo above as those without the light-colored, lengthwise checking caused by eighty-years of coverage by the duckboards. In addition to repairing more than a dozen rib tops, two lightly damaged ribs were repaired with the controversial back patch method. Some say if a rib merits repair, it merits a full rib.

The caning in both seats had gone bad so the Duluth Folk School helped us locate an artist able to match Old Town’s weave. Original seat frames were cleaned, sanded and varnished, along with thwarts and yoke.