Hello from Aurora, Colorado

Just1moredave

Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
I'm Dave, amateur woodworker and photographer, ambitiously starting my canoe restoration project.

My canoe is an Old Town HW 16', #140711, built in 1944 with western red cedar planking, spruce gunwales, ash decks, sponsons and ash thwarts, painted green. My dad bought it in 1967, with three paddles and an outboard motor, for $125. It was light blue. About three years later, he fiberglassed it and made it bright red. We took it camping two or three times a year, mostly to lakes in New York. Dad sold the motor when he found out he would need to register the canoe to use it - besides, he needed to impress one of his kids for ballast because the motor and him were so heavy in back. The canoe was "stolen" twice but both times, found pulled up on some nearby beach. We were never all that delicate with it. I remember ramming a beach chair with it once. We used to fill it entirely with water and pretend it was a submarine. At some point in the late 70s, a second partial layer of fiberglass was added. In about 1987, someone offered my dad an Old Town Katahdin 16', and the HW was retired.

We bought my dad some books on repairing it but then it became clear that it was a lot of work. For a long time, he used to say that he wanted to have a Viking funeral with the canoe. He had a friend who was an archer so he figured he was all set. Probably kidding - anyway, we didn't do that.

Every time I went back to visit my parents, I'd take a look at the canoe and talk about repair. In 2016, my older brother drove halfway out here, we met near Chicago, and I got the canoe back to my garage. I know enough about myself and boats to not predict when I'll finish, but I will finish it!
 
Interesting story. When you put it in the water you will feel like you conquered time itself. Go for it.
 
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