Needs Some Major Restoration

[francescawinter212]

I have just recently got a kenneebec square stern boat that needs some major restoration. I am new at this but have a real love wooden boats. Can some help point me in the direction and possible give some pointers. The boat had the a tag with Kennebec Canoe Co. serial number 30347.Thanks in advance.

 

[Benson Gray]

The information about your boat is available at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/35/ from a previous request in 2004. We have since gotten permission to include scans here. The scans of these build records can be found by following the links at the attached thumbnail images below. These original Kennebec records are reproduced through the courtesy of the Maine State Museum.



The microfilms and scans of these records were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA). A description of the project to preserve other records like these is available at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha to learn more about the WCHA and http://www.wcha.org/store/membership to join.

More information about this and other Kennebec models can be found in the Kennebec catalogs contained on the Historic Wood Canoe and Boat Company Catalog Collection available from http://www.wcha.org/store/historic-wood-canoe-and-boat-company-catalog-collection in the WCHA store. Your boat's construction is very similar to a canoe so many of the books at http://www.wcha.org/store/books may help. The ones at http://www.wcha.org/store/wood-canv...tory-construction-restoration-and-maintenance and http://www.wcha.org/content/old-canoe-how-restore-your-wood-canvas-canoe could be especially helpful.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match the boat. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Benson

 

[Greg Nolan]

Welcome to the WCHA.

When considering any restoration work, whether you plan to do it yourself or to hire a professional, there are three good sources of information about canoe restoration that you would do well to get, or at least look at, before making any decision about how to repair or restore your canoe:

The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok

Building the Maine Guide Canoe by Jerry Stelmok

This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction. The third is the most recently published and has been well received.

Of course, you can always ask questions here on the forums. There is a good deal of information here on removing fiberglass.

These books are all available from the WCHA store, are often on eBay, or from Amazon and other book dealers.

Greg