Old Town Canoe

[Southside]

Barbender - your white water trip brought back memories.  I brought a friend of mine down the Allagash many years back, all 90 something miles of it, - he was 82 at the time and it was on his bucket list.  Al had a heart attack a couple of months before the trip and I recall telling his doctor in the hospital that he had waited for his wife to pass and basically wanted to make this trip for 30 years, all he had to do was sit in the seat and I would take care of the rest.  I had my guides license back then and knew that river like the back of my hand, I was quite skilled in white water too.  So we paddle the southern part which is all lake for a few days and explore the old tramway, locomotives, etc and get to Churchill Dam which is the start of the actual river portion.  Now this section can have Class 2 to Class 4 water in it, probably 5 in the spring, but it's not hard at all as the dam keeper will portage your gear around the rapids for $5 back in the day.  So we set off in an empty canoe and I told Al to sit on his seat, put on his slicker as we "might get a bit wet" and off we go.  Well basically the first swell we hit you guessed it - bloop, over we go, I mean we are still in the pool at that time and the dam keeper is on the shore looking at me - she knows me, knows I know this river, and I am standing there trying to keep Al on his feet, get the canoe un swamped, and feeling pretty foolish.  All he says to me is "We might get a little wet hua?" and he is laughing and being a great sport about it.  I did manage to right the canoe, got us both in it and had a successful rest of the trip, but yea - it happens.  

[peakbagger]

Canoes can be addictive. I know several folks who have multiples. One aspect is to always have a spare so if someone drops by that they can go for a paddle. The other aspect most folks have beater boat for whitewater (plus lending out) and a lightweight boat for multiday trips. 

A friend of mine picked up a classic wood canvas boat built by a predecessor of Old Town canoe, he really didnt know old canoes and when I saw it, I knew he was in for project. Most of the ribs were cracked, and the hull was distorted. He and friend went to the Wooden Boat School up in Maine for a week long wood canvas restoration class. They brought the boat with them. When the instructor saw it, he let them know that it was a major project and they would need to work a lot of extra hours to get it in shape. They ended up working from sunrise until late into every evening. Near the end of the week someone touring through the class came by and asked them why they were using old pieces of wood in such a nice new canoe. They ended up replacing 70% of the ribs and lot of the gunnels. They ran out of time and never got to apply the canvas. I think its still in his barn uncovered along with another wood canvas that that also needs canvas that his wife won in raffle. I think he also has a Wenonha and at least one solo boat.  

I have two cedar strip kayaks and a solo canoe in the attic of my garage. 

[firefighter ontheside]

When I was a kid my dad owned two wood/canvas canoes.  One he says was an old town and the other hes not sure.  I remember my uncles doing a bunch of work on them one year with resin and glass.  They sat out behind our barn for a long time.  Both met their demise by being run over.  One my grandpa hit with the tractor and the other got run over by someone else.  Don't remember who.  I bet if I go dig around behind the barn I will find pieces of them.

[peakbagger]

Sad to say, fiberglass and epoxy coating a wood canvas canoe is the death of the canoe. Not sure the exact mechanism but they rot from the inside out once coated. I think if they were made to be fiber glassed instead of canvas its not an issue.      

[celliott]

That Penobscot will make you a great canoe. I've paddled over 1000 miles in one. We did the northern forest canoe trail a few years back, 740 miles from old forge NY to fort Kent ME. Upstream, whitewater, lots of portages, lining and tracking, plus many other trips. 
My only complaint is on big rough water I wish it was longer/deeper. Been paddling with my dad and brother in a tripper and they just pull away from my wife and me on a rough lake. 
You wanna talk lightweight, Kevlar and carbon fiber. Wow. But pricey. We have a 16' Wenonah Adirondack that needed major repair, got it cheap. 40#, it's a dream to portage.
We did the ADK 90 miler this year for the first time, it's just a sea of Wenonah brown with a few carbon fibers thrown in, and the occasional aluminum or royalex. Some of those carbon racing canoes are over 18' and under 30#, that's nuts!
Enjoy the Penobscot, and don't let it go!
You can find the year in the serial number. Ours is a 1991 model, my tripper is an 84. It'll have the last two digits of the year, I think at the end.

[firefighter ontheside]

Thanks.  The Penobscot will be mine for a long time.  It's a 1994.  The seller told me that she bought it in 1994 and the serial number concurs with that.  I'm gonna go put it in the water on Friday and paddle it around a little with my wife.  I don't think I've ever been in a canoe with her.  We've been married 20 years.  

[rjwoelk]

When I was a kid my dad owned two wood/canvas canoes.  One he says was an old town and the other hes not sure.  I remember my uncles doing a bunch of work on them one year with resin and glass.  They sat out behind our barn for a long time.  Both met their demise by being run over.  One my grandpa hit with the tractor and the other got run over by someone else.  Don't remember who.  I bet if I go dig around behind the barn I will find pieces of them.

For a min I thought you were referring to your uncles being driven over, oh no! then the last line was too much, the light bulb got turned on.      

[firefighter ontheside]

Lol.  I guess you could read what I wrote like that.  No, my uncles did not get run over while they were sitting behind the barn.

[SwampDonkey]

We just got news today that Bill Miller (Miller Canoes) passed away. Mother was talking to him 2 weeks ago and he said he has cancer and was on his way to Moncton to the hospital. That would be a 4 hr trip down there.

[firefighter ontheside]

That's too bad.  
I just realized that I have a friend in Fredericton NB.  That's not too far from Centerville is it?  She is kind of know as the Clothes Pin Lady.  Have you heard of that?  She's a retired Mountie.

[SwampDonkey]

Fredericton is over 100 miles from here. But no, I haven't heard of the clothes pin lady.

[firefighter ontheside]

She started making clothes pins in her garage shop just for fun.  These are heavy duty, large clothes pins much better than you can buy at Walmart.  Then she slowly started to make them and sell them.  Now she has made and sold over 1 million clothes pins.

[SwampDonkey]

Respect is what that is. That's a lot of cloth pins.

I see her Facebook page doing a quick search.

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[firefighter ontheside]

Yep, that's her.

[firefighter ontheside]

I put the canoe on the top of the car to take it down to the river to paddle around a little.  The river is only about 1/4 mile away, so I didn't need to get to crazy with tying it down.  I put a couple boards across the top of the roof rack and strapped the canoe down to it.  I love this canoe.  It went very straight.  It was quiet.  It was nice and stable.  I've read the Penobscot can be tippy, but its not any more tippy than I'm used to.  I'm sure it would be even more stable with a little more weight.  My wife and I probably weigh 320lbs together.  She's little.  This canoe hasn't been used in 15 years.  The cane seat broke under the wife.  I will have to replace it with something.

 

 

[SwampDonkey]

I'm sure it will be a great canoe.

[JJ]

Cars always look better with a canoe on top.

     JJ

[Don P]

 :D That brings back a memory. My wife worked on the landscaping crew for a large TV station. One of the "action news" reporters... I better not say who cause he is now bigtime, but we called him action Ned. Everything was higher than needed drama, including his urban assault ride with a kayak on top. I asked about it one time, "its a hood ornament, it's bolted to the roof racks  :D"

Look up chair caning supplies, those seats are easily recaned.

[doc henderson]

the inside looks new.  must have been well cared for despite not being used.  good score.

[peakbagger]

I have done a couple of canoe seats over the years. Unless you really want authenticity, use a "plastic" cane, instead of real cane. A lot easier to handle and far better longevity. If you need to redo the frame its pretty easy, just make sure that you put coats of good quality UV resistant poly on the frame and down the caning hole before you cane it. If you dont the rot can start in the cane holes and split the seat frame. 

Or you can take a short cut Amazon.com : Kenco Old Town Canoe Seat : Sports & Outdoors 

[firefighter ontheside]

I think I will do the cane myself.  Plastic "cane" may be the way to go.   The wood is like new.  As Doc pointed out, the inside of the canoe looks like new.  There are some dings and scratches on the bottom, but not like you might expect for a 28 year old canoe.

[celliott]

I'd recommend nylon webbing. Will last longer and it's more comfortable IMO. 

[Ron Scott]

Had an 18-foot Old Town and a 16-foot Thompson back during the late 1950's and early 60's when I did a lot of rivers running and duck hunting. Both were wood canvas ventage and were great canoes.

[Otis1]

You can get a new seat with a variety of options for less than $100. Boundary Waters Catalog has nylon and cane seats, different sizes. 

I'm pretty well convinced that the Old Town Royalex are among the best solid performing, workhorse canoes out there. They are lighter and more stable than the newer versions. 

You lose a little in weight over a Wenonah or something but you gain durability and affordability. I am looking for a 12-13' Royalex solo canoe, so if anyone sees one let me know.

[firefighter ontheside]

After watching a few videos of guys putting nylon webbing on a seat, I think that's the way I will go.  I have no doubt it will be more comfortable.  

Otis, I will let you know if is see something like that.