Ribs for the Thompson

February 27, 2012

I fired up the steam box for a few skinny ribs for the Thompson. At only 7/8″ wide the ribs bend like spaghetti once hot. That such a lightly built boat only needs a few ribs replaced is a testament to both the durability of wood canvas canoes and the respect of the brothers that [...]

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Getting Closer

February 24, 2012

The ’59 Otca is starting to look like a proper canoe again. All replacement ribs are in and all but the sheer planks as well.

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Published

February 22, 2012

It’s always nice to see your work end up in print! In this case it’s a double – both the image and the boat. The scan below is the inside back cover of the latest issue of Wooden Canoe (bottom right image is my shot of the first Old Town I restored). You can click [...]

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First Batch

February 21, 2012

Got the first batch of additional ribs bent over the Otca. Even got a few tacked in after they set for a while.

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Otca and More Otcas

February 19, 2012

Over the weekend in between Granddad play, I finished replacing the bottom planking on the 1959 Otca and removed a few more ribs. Two steps forward, one back. I had to leave several damaged ribs in place to help define the shape of the hull, now that the midsection has been rebuilt I have to [...]

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Working on History

February 12, 2012

Wood darkened by the passage of time. Scars hinting at stories told by generations past. Seats that have been re-caned time and again. Each boat has its own history, its own personality even. When I first started building traditional wood canvas canoes it was the thrill of pulling a hull off the form that hooked [...]

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Braces Off

February 10, 2012

After adjusting and nailing the rib ends, I removed the temporary braces that I used to sandwich the new ribs into alignment. The technique worked as hoped. The old Otca won’t be as fair as she once was but she’ll be vastly improved.

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1950 Thompson

February 5, 2012

This one came all the way from Louisiana and has been in the same family its entire life so it’s a real honor to restore it for yet another generation. Overall it’s in good shape – a couple of broken ribs in the middle and a few more in the stern where it appears it [...]

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More Improv on the 59 Otca

February 5, 2012

As I stated in an earlier post, the normal procedure in replacing multiple broken ribs in a row would be to screw some bracing battens to the outside of the hull and replace every other rib then go back a few days later and do the ones you left to help define the shape. In [...]

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Toys for Boys

January 22, 2012

I made it by The Antique Boat Center’s open house Saturday. Lots of good wood with big motors! Had a great time talking with Lou, Dennis, Bryan and the rest of the gang plus I added a trick or two to my bag for the shop!

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