Old Town "Camper"
 

I have an Old Town "Camper" that is deteriorating even as I type. The
gunnels and braces are constructed of ash and mahogany. I don't know the
proper name for the wooden wedge shaped pieces at the bow and stern, but
they are also mahogany. The seats are made of ash and wicker. My question
is, what is the best preservative to bring the wood back into shape. The
woods aren't dry rotted or anything, but the canoe has been stored in my
garage for the past 4 or five years, thus the wicker has rotted and the wood
is in need of something I'm sure.

How difficult is it to re-wicker the seats? Could I do it myself without
having to take any classes?

Mark

bearsbuddy wrote:

I have an Old Town "Camper" that is deteriorating even as I type. The
gunnels and braces are constructed of ash and mahogany. I don't know the
proper name for the wooden wedge shaped pieces at the bow and stern, but
they are also mahogany.

They are "decks" allbeit as small as you observe in this canoe which is
typical of its type.

The seats are made of ash and wicker. My question
is, what is the best preservative to bring the wood back into shape. The
woods aren't dry rotted or anything, but the canoe has been stored in my
garage for the past 4 or five years, thus the wicker has rotted and the wood
is in need of something I'm sure.

Lightly sand w/ medium-fine sanpaper & apply fresh marine-grade
polyurethane.


How difficult is it to re-wicker the seats? Could I do it myself without
having to take any classes?


One can buy ready-made wicker in sheets from some arts/crafts outlets.
Possibly furniture repair shops as well. One can chisel out the chine
(thin, long splint holding wicker in place) and use fresh ash chine. But
it's easier and perhaps as eceonomical to sinmly replace the seats. You
can buy replacements from Old Town - use Google to find their web page -
or you can get them directly from Old Town's supplier, Porter's
Woodworking in Patten ME 207-528-2106. Porter's also makes the thwarts,
folding seats & wooden paddles for Old Town as well as several other
canoe lines.

I would have no paddles other than Porter's. (OK, I do own one Shaw &
Tenny paddle but it was a gift.)

I have no connection with either outfit other than having great
satisfaction w/ their products, my own experience canoaeing in northern
Maine & one laborious session of replacing caning wherein I decided life
was too short & started buying replacements.

Yours in the north Maine woods,
Pete HIlton (Reg. Me. Guide) aka The Ent

--
Either everyone has rights or some have privileges.
It's really that simple.
Walt Kelly

"pmhilton" wrote in message
...
bearsbuddy wrote:

I have an Old Town "Camper" that is deteriorating even as I type. The
gunnels and braces are constructed of ash and mahogany. I don't know the
proper name for the wooden wedge shaped pieces at the bow and stern, but
they are also mahogany.
They are "decks" allbeit as small as you observe in this canoe which is
typical of its type.

The seats are made of ash and wicker. My question is, what is the best
preservative to bring the wood back into shape. The woods aren't dry
rotted or anything, but the canoe has been stored in my garage for the
past 4 or five years, thus the wicker has rotted and the wood is in need
of something I'm sure.

Lightly sand w/ medium-fine sanpaper & apply fresh marine-grade
polyurethane.


How difficult is it to re-wicker the seats? Could I do it myself without
having to take any classes?

One can buy ready-made wicker in sheets from some arts/crafts outlets.
Possibly furniture repair shops as well. One can chisel out the chine
(thin, long splint holding wicker in place) and use fresh ash chine. But
it's easier and perhaps as eceonomical to sinmly replace the seats. You
can buy replacements from Old Town - use Google to find their web page -
or you can get them directly from Old Town's supplier, Porter's
Woodworking in Patten ME 207-528-2106. Porter's also makes the thwarts,
folding seats & wooden paddles for Old Town as well as several other canoe
lines.

I would have no paddles other than Porter's. (OK, I do own one Shaw &
Tenny paddle but it was a gift.)

I have no connection with either outfit other than having great
satisfaction w/ their products, my own experience canoaeing in northern
Maine & one laborious session of replacing caning wherein I decided life
was too short & started buying replacements.

Yours in the north Maine woods,
Pete HIlton (Reg. Me. Guide) aka The Ent

Thanks for the advice Pete.

Mark

I don't have any Old Town model, but I do have a boat which originally had
cane seats, and I wasn't impressed with their longevity. Of course I didn't
help matters by keeping the boat stored upside down on the ground, but still.
I replaced the seats with premade wood and nylon webbing ones and I've had no
further trouble.

bearsbuddy wrote:

I have an Old Town "Camper"




To second what John has said about replacing seats, you can get nylon
webbed seats from Porter's or Old Town. Not as aesthetic as cane but
strong as hell and nearly maintenance free. If you do decide to use cane
seats, a light rubdown with linseed oil or tung oil especially at
storage time will extend the cane's lengevity.

Pete H

--
Either everyone has rights or some have privileges.
It's really that simple.
Walt Kelly

pmhilton wrote:
: bearsbuddy wrote:

:I have an Old Town "Camper"
:
:
:
:
: To second what John has said about replacing seats, you can get nylon
: webbed seats from Porter's or Old Town. Not as aesthetic as cane but
: strong as hell and nearly maintenance free. If you do decide to use cane
: seats, a light rubdown with linseed oil or tung oil especially at
: storage time will extend the cane's lengevity.

There is a place in Chicago called Chicagoland Canoe Base. I don't remember
how much I paid for them, but they sold regular wood/cane seats, you'd have
to cut the ends to fit (I just used my old seats as the pattern) and drill a
hole on each end for the bolt, but that's all (prefinished).

http://www.chicagolandcanoebase.com

--
John Nelson
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Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:

There is a place in Chicago called Chicagoland Canoe Base. I don't remember
how much I paid for them, but they sold regular wood/cane seats, you'd have
to cut the ends to fit (I just used my old seats as the pattern) and drill a
hole on each end for the bolt, but that's all (prefinished).




Yep. The replacement seats, thwarts etc. from Old Town/Porter's are the
same - all cut a bit long to allow modifying to a variety of hulls. Note
here that when I put web seats in my XL Tripper to replace the original
molded ones I needed to make adjustments & drill extra holes in the
gunnels as well since the replacements were wider (front to back) than
the originals & I had to adjust a little to maintain "center of balance"
for each seat placement - really quite easy.

Personal taste only, but I consider the molded seats one of Old Town's
few design errors. They presume tandem paddling, reduce left-right shift
of the hiney for trim and until recent years didn't have drain holes to
shed splash/condensation.

Pete H

--
A person is free only in
the freedom of other persons.
W. Berry