another Huron thread

[mccloud]

There have been two recent threads from Howie & John about Huron canoes, so I'll begin a third. If you were at Assembly you may have seen this 12' canoe on the green. It followed me home. It appears crudely & heavily built. Gaps between planking are often 1/4 inch! Frequent saw cuts were made 80% of the way thru the planking to allow the planking to be bent around the curvature of the form. This can be seen in the attachment. Decks are somewhat like arrowhead, but the inwale was cut off straight. The stem tip comes up even with the top of the deck, and a single nail goes thru the stem and into the deck. It is hard to find evidence that canvas or outwales were attached, or a keel, because there are no tack holes or screw holes. The top plank is even with the top of the ribs and the inwales. These features are
consistent with a canoe built by one of the Huron builders. I haven't found any marks that will aid in a better identification, but would like tips of what to look for. There are 'halos' on the inside ribs near tack points, suggesting dezincification following use on saltwater, further confirmed by about 100 loose tacks that I have removed, all lacking points. It will take a couple hundred new tacks to stiffen this hull. I've found some iron nails, a couple staples and some brass ring nails. Also seems I have hauled home some large black ants.

What kind/shape of outwale would have been on this canoe and how should it be attached? If there is a 12-footer out there and someone willing to share photos and information about it, I would be very appreciative. Thanks. Tom McCloud

 

[Howie]

Yours kinda looks like mine when I stripped the canvas off: big gaps, 80% saw cuts, etc. Plus goofy caps atop the gunnels and thick clunky decks. And no means of identification aside from construction technique. Here are some pics from before I restored.

But they can clean up nice:

As to outwale shape, mine were square with a little rounding on the two outside edges. Mine had the gunnel caps so there was no notch in the outwales as they never came in contact with the outer side of the ribs. When I restored I got rid of the caps, notched the outwales, and notched the planking to accept the new outwales. I like the look much better. And there's not much of a upswing bend at the decks with this canoe so the outwales are easy to make.
I've got mine up for sale - you can see more pics in the Classifieds section if you like.

 

[KAT]

I think Howie's would have been a Bastien Bros considering the arrowhead deck style. The first canoe I worked on was a Bastien 15 footer in 2012. Link is here... http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?8532-This-is-my-first-cedar-canvas-project

Despite the obvious build issues, they are nice paddling canoes and there is a 13ft Bastien out in the boathouse waiting it's turn in the shop. I have a Morris and Penobscot that come first though.

Karin