Paddle Making (and other canoe stuff)

Leather Solo Seat

2012-01-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

Another off-season project I have been gradually working is a leather sling seat for the 15ft cedar canvas canoe. Paddling solo means kneeling as close to the center point of the canoe as possible. With my shorter, symmetrical 14foot canoe, the bow seat is perfectly positioned to paddling the canoe "backwards" so that my rump can rest on the edge of the seat and take weight off the heels if needed. With this option and full kneeling on the bottom of the hull, paddling the 14 footer is a joy.

The longer 15ft cedar canvas logically has its seats positioned further towards the ends of the canoe and paddling in reverse while resting on the bow seat results in an awkward stern heavy position when the boat is unloaded. So a solution was in order. I considered the idea of adding a permanent kneeling thwart but then wanted to explore a more removable option - hence the pursuit of a personalized sling seat.

Tom Seavey of Azland Traditions is the creator of Original Saddle Seat. I've seen a few first hand at some canoe gatherings and have always admired the quality leather workmanship. Here's shot of one I took at the WCHA Assembly held in Peterborough back in '08

Original Saddle Seat by Azland Traditions
I'm assuming this design was meant to be used as true seat with folks sitting while paddling...it is quite wide and sturdily built. Since I was making a sling seat for exclusively kneeling, I figured that the dimensions could be narrower.

While Tom's design is stunning, there was one more issue I had with my personal style of paddling. After maybe an hour or so paddling on one side, I might switch sides and heel the boat the other way to give muscles a needed break. This means the seat would need to be able to slide from the extreme port to extreme starboard side of the boat. Tom's design with its 4 independent straps doesn't allow for instant adjustment. The buckles would need to be undone and the seat repositioned each time.

Another option was for the seat to "ride" on webbing straps tied to the inwales. Stewart River Boatworks sells a canvas canoe seat with webbing that looks promising as well but hand stitching waxed canvas isn't my idea of fun.

Stewart River Canvas Canoe Seat
Eventually, I came across BigBlue's post on WildSurvive featuring a pic of his homemade sling seat made of a combination of leather and webbing straps.

BigBlue's Leather Sling Seat
His design with two layers of leather laced together riding on webbing straps strung across the boat fit the bill. I didn't have enough leather on hand to mimic his design and wasn't crazy about the lacing idea.

So my own version involved a 8" wide by 20" long piece of veg tan leather along with two 6ft long, 1-1/2" wide straps to sling across the inwales. The straps would be fashioned into a simple belt. To prevent the edge of the leather seat from digging into the skin, I thought I would fold over the edges and lace them in place by playing around with some grommets and scrap piece of leather lace.

8"x20" piece with grommets

Edges folded in and tightened with lace
Leather is a suitable medium for pyrography and like my EBook cover made a while back, I obviously wanted some canoe related theme. I was aiming for a sort of old-fashioned, western look with a paddler & bark canoe rather than a typical horse & rider scene. After finding some clipart on the web, here is my adaptation.

Burned decoration
Of course the leather gets darker when stained and treated with waterproofing finishes but here is the completed project...

Finished saddle seat
Before the very late freezeup of the lake this year, I got the chance to try out the sling seat on a short jaunt. Here's how it looks on strapped in...

Buckled into the boat
Because of the rib positions and the dimensions of the actual seat, the belt straps don't end up running parallel so the seat can't slide completely side to side as originally intended...oh well. I also seemed to have lost one belt keeper loop that keeps the straps nice and taught at the inwale, but all in all, it worked well. I ended up moving it one rib location further astern than the pic after giving it a trial run and this allowed to get into a full kneeling position behind the centre thwart if I wanted to and then quickly come up onto the seat if needed. Overall, it was more than sufficient to support my (ever growing) weight and is comfortable enough when paddling in the kneeling position to keep the weight off the heels. Plus, being a not permanent and removable accessory, it can be taken off and put into another canoe if needed.

Nigel's Krieghoff Paddle Replica

2012-01-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

Paddle enthusiast Nigel acquired an Edenwood Northwoods paddle and decided to decorate the handcarved beauty with some artwork. With his permission, some photos of his work are posted here in addition to more details on the WCHA forum. He ended up inspired by the some of the Cornelius Krieghoff paintings at the McCord Museum in Montreal which feature a colourful chevron pattern.

Aboriginal Camp in Lower Canada
Cornelius Krieghoff (1815-1872)
1847, 19th century

Paddle Closeup

Nigel's Decorated Edenwood Paddle

Blade closeup
The grip area was decorated with a burned image a rabbit smoking a pipe, a native theme symbolizing confidence in the face of danger, popularized in the film The Edge.

Grip Closeup
The cheerful colours and stunning contrast make the paddle highly visible and everyone will know who the paddle belongs to. I'm tempted to give pyrography decoration a break for a while and perhaps try some painting. Great work Nigel!

Maine Hunters Paddle

2012-01-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

From Windows on Maine, an image of some hunters in a canoe dated to 1887. The stern paddler has a nice looking paddle with an elongated, stepped grip. The canoe is a closed-gunnel cedar canvas canoe that would've been quite an early example of cedar canvas construction.

John Hall and Herbert Washington in a canoe on Ragged Lake, Maine. A trophy Maine whitetail buck is transported by canoe back to camp following a successful hunt at Ragged Lake, Maine in the late summer of 1887.

Paddle Closeup

Yellow Birch "Mistake" Paddle

2012-01-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

Everybody makes mistakes, right? I've often posted about some of my learning experiences (i.e. mistakes) in this hobby, some of which end in utter disaster...like my attempt a bushcraft carved cedar paddle a while back. Here's another mistake in paddle carving, but one I think I've been able to salvage.

The backstory: Next up on my "to do" list of paddle replicas was the c1878 Maliseet Paddle from the York Sunbury Museum...see posts here, here, and here.

1878 Maliseet Paddle
This time I wanted to be as accurate as possible and didn't modify the blade or grip design, just the overall length. For the pyrography decoration to stand out though, I decided to replicate the paddle in Yellow Birch...a nice carving wood for paddles that burns very evenly as well. A suitable plank of Yellow Birch as obtained and the design all sketched out. But being impatient, I couldn't wait to head up north to the cottage where I have a bandsaw to cut out the pattern. Instead, it was back to old fashioned method of chopping out the paddle with axe and hand tools...it worked out reasonably well in Ash Malecite a few weeks before.

Big mistake. This board of yellow birch proved to be quite a challenge. I've never chopped yellow birch with an axe before and even though the grain pattern looked quite straight, it somehow kept "reversing" so that every few axe strokes, there would be a tremendous amount of tear out. Flipping the paddle over and over and and trying to chop out the paddle in this manner without causing tons of damage proved to be quite difficult and frustrating.

Along the way, I ended up tearing off a huge chunk of wood from the of shaft and the edges of the blade where horribly torn into jagged splinters... basically the original design was ruined! I was angry at myself for spending a day making nothing more than expensive kindling and never took any pictures as a result. Eventually, things cooled down a bit (thank you Elijah Craig Bourbon!) and I figured out a way the paddle could be still saved.

This meant narrowing the blade by nearly 1 inch and reducing its length by cutting off a new, flatter tip 2 inches higher. This would've made the paddle much shorter than I like, so basically the grip was extended to compensate for the blade reduction. I usually draw on on the design about 2-3 inches from the end of the board since the ends tend to have minor splits from the drying process and so there was a little wiggle room. The grip was brought up to the end of the board. To my eye...it makes the grip area look ridiculously long, but the paddle balances out surprisingly well. In order to smooth out all the mini tears and rough patches on the blade, I ended up power sanding with a ROS for a long time (sorry neighbours!) but it's a smooth as it is going to get. Here's the end result when I finally decided to take some pics...

Here are some closeups of the damaged shaft just below the carved drip ornamentation at the base of the grip. To repair, I basically mixed some woodglue with the abundant about of sawdust from the sanding process to make a putty. Filled in the gouges, replaced the broken splinter of wood, wrapped in wax paper and clamped it loosely into place overnight. After some more vigorous sanding, it's not looking that bad.

Shaft tear-out; repair job
The new blade design (4" wide by 26.5" long) isn't even close to the original Maliseet pointed tip of the orginal paddle. So I'm going to forget about making a replica with that pattern and try another attempt with some remaining lumber stock. I'll have to think about what to do for decoration on this one...

New blade design; Very long grip with drip ring carvings

Menominee Family Canoe Paddle

2012-01-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

Family group of Menominee in a bark canoe. The male figure on the far right has a straight sided paddle which looks similar in design to the antique Chippewa Paddle featured earlier on LiveAuctioneers.com

Two Women and Five Children in Birchbark Canoe,
Women in Native Dress, Man Holding Paddle
Menominee Indians, Date: 1925
National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Full Citation

Paddle Closeup; Antique Chippewa Paddle

Woman's Ojibway Paddle - 1929

2012-01-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

The Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology BULLETIN 86 - Chippewa Customs (1929) has a nice image (Plate 53) and description of a woman's canoe paddle - crudely shaped from knotty wood.

The original caption
The specimen illustrated is a woman's canoe paddle (pl. 53, a) and is 4 feet 10 inches long, with blade 22 inches long and 4 1/4 inches wide. A man's paddle is usually heavier, longer, and of a somewhat different shape...

ADK Auction Paddles

2012-01-09T15:57:00.000-05:00

The Flickr page of the Adirondack Museum has some great images from their 2011 auction. A few paddles were featured in the collection

The white painted beavertail guide paddle above (2nd from left) has a copper (or maybe brass) tip protector. A while ago, I wrote a post about these vintage paddle accessories which seem to have fallen out of favour with paddle makers today.

1899 Penobscot River Canoe Trip Photo

2012-01-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

From the LA84 Foundation's archive of Outing magazine is a great little article describing an 1899 canoe trip down Maine's famous Penobscot River. Here's the full link and details...

Canoeing Down the West Branch of the Penobscot (.PDF format)
Outing, by William Austin Brooks. 1899 August Vol. XXXIV No. 5 p. 473-479.

Included in the article is a photo of one of the author's guides with a clear display of his classic guide paddle...

Peabody Passamquoddy Paddle Sketch

2011-12-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

Came across a wonderful illustration of a paddle in an out of print children's book, Discovering Canada: The Fur Traders. It is another version of the c1849, green and white painted Passamaquoddy paddle at the Peabody Museum.

I've posted on this paddle many times before as it is the basis for the paddle in the header of the site and one of my favourite blade designs. Here is the version illustrated by Tappen Adney and the new one by illustrator A.G. Smith.

Adneys's Illustration

A.G. Smith's illustration

Christmas Canoe Accessories

2011-12-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season. I've been a bit of a good boy I guess, because Santa delivered some presents in the form of some canoe accessories from Stewart River Boatworks.

My newly acquired 15 cedar canvas is a pretty heavy boat, weighing in at 68lbs dry. The ash gunnels, decks, shoe keel and heavy canvas all add up to too many pounds for my liking. Being a heavier-duty boat than my other 14 foot W/C, this one is intended to be a bit of a user for poling up rocky rivers & creeks in my areas with minimal portaging.

But since carrying the boat is always going to be inevitable, I thought I'd try out some clamp-on Portage Pads which seem to be quite popular in the BWCA - Minnesota area. Also ended up getting the waxed canvas kneeling pads. Here is all the new gear in the boat right before it was packed away for good at the end of November. This was also my chance to try out the completed Peter Polchies Ash Malecite. It's now Boxing Day and winter is barely here. A few pathetic centimeters of snow where normally it should be around a meter and the lake is completely unfrozen and open. I might've packed away the canoe too early this year and if things work out, might be able to get another paddle in.

The portage pads appear quite bulky but they get the job done, even when used on a straight centre thwart as in my boat. I'm planning to carve a non-dished, curved center yoke as a winter project and eventually will use the pads with this new replacement.

c. 1900 Penobscot Carved Wood Paddle

2011-12-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another antique paddle from the archives on LiveAuctioneers.com. It is described as a Penobscot Paddle, circa 1900 with a red-brown pigment on the blade. The delicately shaped handle has wonderful curved features with incised floral and C-scroll designs. It's a long one at 77 inches!

Penobscot Carved Wood Paddle
circa 1900
length: 77 inches

Mackendrick Paddle Family Crest

2011-12-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

Came across this interesting bit of canoe related art in a family crest that features a muscled arm holding a canoe paddle. Kind of a neat way of saying, "Don't mess with us because we'll get medieval and beat you silly with our weapon of choice - a canoe paddle."

The Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada has a write up page regarding these heraldry symbols registered to the Mackendrick family. Apparently the canoe paddle alludes to the great success that family members over five generations have had in the sport of canoeing, beginning with the international success of the three sons of Mr. MacKendrick’s great-grandfather.

Curious to learn more, I searched a bit and came up with this info:

Harry F. MacKendrick (1866-1950), a prominent citizen and physician in Galt for many years, brought considerable fame to his city and to himself as a canoeist. In New York in 1890 he set a new record in winning the World Championship and with his brother, John, also won the tandem championship. Previously, when only twenty years of age, he won the American Championship at Sturgeon Point and upon his retirement it was said that he was never defeated in 122 races in "singles" competition.

His father, two brothers and he as a team member won four world titles during that era. He was talented in other sports and was a member of the Canadian all-star team which won the World's Soccer Championship in 1885.

Antique Harvard Paddle

2011-12-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

Another expired EBay listing lists photos of a 59" paddle with a beautiful patina.

The grip has an engraved "H" for Harvard and the blade is branded with "F. Brodbeck Boston". Some research on the WCHA forums revealed that F. Brodbeck was one of the "Charles River" builders in Boston, active between 1898 to 1930 so this paddle likely dates to this time.

Penobscot Moose Paddle

2011-12-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

From this link... a 54" paddle chip-carved and woodburned decorated by Penobscot artist Joe Dana.

Historic Paddle Illustration - Canadian Field-Naturalist

2011-12-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

An article entitled, "Canadian Aboriginal Canoes" originally published in Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol XXXIII(2), May 1919 appears on Archive.org. The well written article features some wonderful illustrations of various bark canoe designs as well as sketch of some different paddles shapes (mostly NorthWest coast designs)

Naskapi Cree Paddles - William Strong Collection

2011-12-10T11:11:00.000-05:00

Came across another treasure trove of paddle information on Archive.org. This publication entitled, Material culture of the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi outlines enthographic items collected by William Duncan Strong from the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi in 1927-1928.

Plate 49 (pg 89) features a diagram of 4 decorated Naskapi paddles accompanying the model canoes in the collection...

Naskapi Paddles in the Strong Collection
These are, not surprisingly, very similar to the sketches in Garth Taylor's, 1980 publication, Canoe construction in a Cree cultural tradition which I used in the painted decoration of my Bushcraft Cree spruce paddle. Pgs 19-20 contain a book contains a brief write-up on these paddles:

The collection contains seven canoe paddles, with handles approximately half the length of the blades or slightly less. The blades are flat or have a slight ridge down the center and vary in width from 7.5 cm to 11.5 cm. The handles widen slightly and are flattened at the end. Only two specimens show signs of use. The blades of five paddles are decorated; the decoration on the illustrated specimens, in orange pigment, red crayon, and indelible pencil, is typical (fig. 49A-D). The partridge design and a motif which Strong (1928e) called "whale tails" occur on one paddle (fig. 49B). These bands of decoration appear to be a common feature on paddles, at least as far west as the Cree around Great Whale River (Taylor, p. 94, fig. 9).

Peter Polchies Ash Malecite Replica - Part 2

2011-12-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

The ash Malecite I'd been carving was sanded down and ready for some decoration. For this one, the intention was to replicate the pattern from one of Tappan Adney's famous sketches of Malecite Paddles...specifically the model on the left.

Adney's sketches of Peter Polchies' carved paddles
Adney's scribbled notes mention that the paddles were made by "Doctor" Peter Polchies for a Lt. Col. Herbert Dibble. Curious to learn more, I found out that Dibble was a famous resident of Woodstock, New Brunswick. His full name was Frederick Herbert Jarvis Dibble which would explain the initials F.H.J.D. inscribed on the grip.

Lt.Col. Dibble is also mentioned in passing in Adney's text, Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America on page 75...

"One of the later developments took place on the St. John River, in New Brunswick, where two Indians, Jim Paul and Peter Polchies, both of St. Marys, in 1888 built for a Lt. Col. Herbert Dibble of Woodstock the racing canoe illustrated above (fig. 66)..."

I can't seem to date Adney's sketches and there isn't mention of date the paddles were made but it seems plausible that they were carved to accompany this Malecite racing canoe which would date them to 1888.

The paddle I was replicating featured a recurrent vine motif as well as images of a cow moose and a hunter. Ruth Phillips' book, Trading identities: the souvenir in Native North American art from the Northeast mentions that many paddles were carved with basic scenes such as hunters, game animals, equipment. In this way, these paddles might be similar to the Malecite Paddles ones in the British Museum featuring similar "vignettes" of native life.

After free handing the image as best I could, the design was burned in with my pyrography unit. This was the first time I've done any woodburning decorating with ash - not really the greatest wood for pyrography. The open grain structure and relative hardness of the wood makes it burn very inconsistently and the result is quite a speckled and splotchy look. In the end it worked since the original sketch diagram wasn't crispy clean either. Instead of Lt. Col. Dibble's initials originally scribed onto the grip, I ended up burning my son's initials to give this paddle a little more sentimental value. Here are some shots.

Replica Blade and Modified Grip

Peter Polchies Replica Paddle

Maliseet Paddle Carving Video

2011-12-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

The Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Language Portal is on online dictionary resource with an extensive archive of videos of conversations and activities of Passamaquoddy-Maliseet speakers.

Within their pages is an embedded video showing a conversation about carving and the native style of paddling titled "I could paddle all day long" where the two elders share paddle making knowledge and chuckle about how most people can't paddle straight...I hear that! Here are some screen shots...

Also found out the Passamaquoddy - Maliseet name for Canoe Paddle is tahakon based on their searchable online dictionary.

Terms of Use Credit: Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Language Portal - Language Keepers and Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Dictionary Project.

Menomini Paddle Photo

2011-12-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'm finding a bunch of different images of traditional native paddles on Archive.org. Page 222 of Material culture of the Menomini by Alanson Skinner has a photo of a "typical" straight sided blade design of this tribe.

Menomini Paddle
The blade design seems similar to the antique Chippewa (Ojibway) paddle from LiveAuctioneers.com posted about here. Since the territories and culture of the Chippewa and Menomini overlapped quite a bit, similarities in paddle and canoe design would be expected.

Chippewa Canoe Paddle
Length: 56 inches.
Early 20th century
Full Link
Further on in the book on page 339, Alanson depicts the decorative etchings found on a Menominee paddle in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History.

The excerpt from the text describing this paddle is below:

Floral designs and "war-clubs" or "lacrosse racquets" may be noted on the canoe paddle in fig. 63. This paddle, which is 31 in. long, is in the American Museum of Natural History.

This sounded familiar and sure enough, I had posted pics of these paddles in an earlier post on incised decorations. Difficult to make out the etching details in the pics, but they are there...

Catalog No: 50 / 9792
Culture: MENOMINEE
Locale: WI, MENOMINEE INDIAN RESERVATION
Dimensions: L:99.2 W:10.5 H:1.8 [in CM]
Accession No: 1910-44

Canadian Woodworking Article

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

The June/July 2011 issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement magazine featured an article on paddle carving and paddle history written by Beth Stanley, Artisan Program Coordinator at the Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM). The fellow on the cover is Don Duncan, one of the 2 volunteers instructors at the CCM who help me kick start this paddle making hobby.

I was in the process of moving into our house when the magazine was released and now that the chaos is over, the magazine is unfortunately no longer on store shelves. It is however, found in a handful of Toronto Public Library branches so I ended up taking my bike for the 1st time since our move in June and, of course, the route was horribly steep uphill all the way. I'm addicted to paddles however so the severe leg cramps I've been experiencing since the trek are a reminder of the pain I'm willing to endure for this hobby. The article, although brief, is concisely written with plenty of of detailed pics demonstrating the measuring and marking techniques taught at the CCM's paddle making workshop.

In addition to the main paddle making article, an additional 2 page spread features a write up on different paddle grips and blades. Among the distinct paddle grips illustrated is a design I intent to carve, the St. John Malecite grip illustrated by Adney in a paddle dated to 1896-1898.

Replica of a St.John Malecite rectangular grip
If only the CCM would make their entire collection of 150 paddles open to the general public, I'd have a field day!

Craig Johnson's Gorgeous Paddles

2011-11-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

I met fellow canoe enthusiast Craig Johnson at the WCHA Northern Lakes chapter event at Killbear Provincial Park back in September. We got to talking about paddles and he wanted to try out a custom design based on the blade pattern from my Cherry Passamaquoddy Guide, a large bladed design itself taken from the c1849 paddle in the Peabody museum. I emailed Craig a copy of this blade design which he adapted for use by combining it with an Old Town grip style he prefers.

His post "Slippery Slope" on the WCHA forums mentions how he's caught the paddlemaking bug and has already churned out 6 paddles...check them out below...all stunning!

Left to Right: cherry, sassafras, Honduran mahogany, tiger maple, walnut

Left to Right: cherry, sassafras, Honduran mahogany, tiger maple, walnut

Tappan Adney Illustration - (Killer) Beaver Ways

2011-11-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

Recently there's been quite a stir here in Canada regarding the comments of Conservative Senator who has launched a campaign to replace the industrious beaver with the majestic polar bear as Canada's national emblem, referring to beaver as nothing more than "a dentally defective rat."

Lots of healthy online debate seems to favour the graceful but deadly polar bear as a great symbol of strength and pride, but being an avid paddler who relies on beavers for building dams and irrigating waterways in the backcountry, I'm in favour of leaving our hard-working, furry little emblem alone.

Here's another image I found drawn by Tappan Adney which appeared in an article entitled, "Beaver Ways" in Outing - Vol XLI - March 1903. It clearly shows that beavers can have tough side too...check out the hilarious caption!

Tappan Adney Illustration - Moose Call

2011-11-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a beautiful colour image by famed Bark Canoe historian Tappan Adney which appeared in Outing, October 1902, to accompany a poem entitled "The Moose Call". It features a beautifully illustrated Malecite style canoe with etched scrolls in the winter bark panel as well as a nice angle of a paddle being held by the standing guide.

"THE MOOSE CALL"
By TAPPAN ADNEY

THE autumn sun sinks low
Behind the wall of sombre fir
And paints with yellow glow
The mirror’d surface of the lake.
With face upturned and ear
Attuned to catch the very breath
Of dying day and year
The Indian hunter stands and sifts
The stillness far and near.
Close to the hunter’s side
The trusty paddle’s season’d blade,
By rip and torrent tried,
Now steady holds the frail canoe,
While rests upon his knee
The rudely twisted coil of bark-
Himself so still the tree
Against the fading Autumn sky
Is not more still than he.

At the gloomy edge
Of the forest dark a muskrat,
Sporting in the sedge,
Chippers to its dusky mate;
From out the misty hill
A night owl’s lonesome cry is heard—
A cry that sends a chill
Of fear through beast and sleeping
bird—
Then all again is still.
Hark! the hunter starts!
A sound borne softly on the air
The mighty stillness parts
And makes the hunter’s heart beat fast.
Tender, low, it thrills
The listening hunter’s inmost soul;
Yet resonant, it fills
The valley with an echo from
The everlasting hills!

Paddles - Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage Museum

2011-11-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

Some paddles from the Public Facebook Wall of the Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage Museum. Most look to be ash but a few seem like weathered maple with their blades painted a deep forest green. The subtle variety of grips tend to have that elongated feature I've begun to favour in my paddle carvings.

Variety of Passamaquoddy Paddles

Peter Polchies Ash Malecite

2011-11-16T11:20:00.001-05:00

After obtaining my recent batch of lumber, I've eagerly begun carving again. In this case I wanted to try carving a wood I haven't yet worked with...ash. While I've finally acquired an old 12" bandsaw (hand-me-down from my Dad's old shop), it's been setup up north in the Cottage garage. I'm stuck in the city until the Christmas holidays so figured I'd try shaping ash plank the old fashioned way with an axe. This creates a lot of waste chips from an otherwise usable board, but this plank was quite narrow (just a bit over 4.5 inches wide) and ash isn't too premium a wood around these parts.

For this paddle, I wanted to try and replicate Tappan Adney's Malecite paddle sketches which appear at the back of John McPhee's famous canoeing book, Survival of the Bark Canoe. Adney's scribbled notes mention the paddles were carved and decorated by a Doctor Peter Polchies and were 6ft long with a 6inch blade. I intend all my paddles to be users so the dimensions were reduced to fit my preferred length of 58" with a narrowed blade width to accomodate the ash board.

Adney's sketches of Peter Polchies' carved paddles
After marking out the shape on the rough lumber, I made a few stop cuts with the saw and commenced hacking away. Now that we have a backyard instead of a condo balcony there's much more space and enjoyment to be had.

Paddle waiting to emerge

Sawing stop cut

Chopping away
Still not totally competent to chop right along a fine pencil line, so I stopped with the edges of the paddle looking a little ragged. They can easily be cleaned up later. A little trick I learned is to leave a few inches on the top and the bottom of the blank until the very last minute. Makes it much easier to handle the blank when wielding the axe.

Chopped out paddle blank
After thinning out the blade face with more axe work, I set up my portable shaving horse made way back in '08 that's still serving me well. Quick work with the spokeshave and the blade & grip were coming along nicely. Ended up with a pretty nice piece of ash - the grain isn't too difficult to work with and the pattern on one side of the blade is quite appealing. The whole paddle was thinned out quite a bit with the shaft thickness reduced down to 1" to make the whole thing light & flexible.

Set up on the horse

Grain pattern on the blade
I've purposely left the grip area a bit bulky to be true to the sketch and because of the fact that bulkier grips suit my palm just fine

Carving done
Decoration post to follow...

December 12, 2011 Update: Decoration is complete...see part 2 here

Paddle Tripod

2011-11-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

From the New Brunswick museum archives is this photo featuring paddles rigged up in a tripod.

Snipe Shooting near Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick
W. Albert Hickman
c 1900
glass lantern slide
New Brunswick Museum Collection (X15566)

The rigged tripod is similar to what I've seen documented in an earlier
post about Canadian artist Paul Kane.

Detail from Eleven Studies of Indian Life, Southeastern Ojibway
Paul Kane (1810-1871)
August 1845

A full colour painting entitled, Indian Encampment at Georgian Bay (1850) features a similar paddle tripod on the left side of the image.

Indian Encampment at Georgian Bay
Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1995-215-1
ca. 1850

Walter Walker Canoe Paddle Pattern

2011-11-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

John Summers, the General Manager at the Canadian Canoe Museum, wrote a post on his blog about carving a paddle design by legendary Peterborough area builder, Walter Walker.

Apparently Walter had a favourite shape that was based on a late 19th century pattern from the Lakefield Canoe Company. It featured small shoulders at the top of a straight sided, narrow blade, as well as a pear grip with smaller shoulders at the base.

Walter Walker's 19th Century Lakefield Canoe Co pattern
Also found in Walter’s workshop was a split, weathered paddle apparently carved from birdseye maple. It had longer, curved shoulders at the top of the blade but features the similar style grip as the Lakefield Co. pattern. John ended up carving a replica of this (adjusted to his preferred length) out of cherry.

The museum apparently has a new display devoted to Walter's work - another reason to make the trip out to Peterborough again. Walter was actively building canoes until he turned 99 and carved his last paddle at 101!

Alternative Bark Canoes from Poland

2011-11-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

Blog reader Tomas from Poland sent me a link to his website, www.wooden-boats.eu which documents his boat building hobby. Included on his site are some images of a birch bark replica canoe made with plywood, not unlike the type discussed in these earlier posts. Tomas' canoe however doesn't have any interior sheathing or ribs.

My understanding is that Hans-George Wagner from Germany pioneered this building technique using thin 3-4mm baltic birch ply as a substitute for the bark. The chaps at Northern Sound in the U.K. are also building using this method. I'm seriously considering attempting a build similar to this perhaps next summer. Thanks for your photos Tomas and well done!

Finally back to carving

2011-11-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

It's been a while but I'm finally back into the actual paddle making part of this blog. Recently picked up some nice lumber from Century Mill including some curly cherry, basswood, yellow birch, some ash, and for the first time, some sassafras. I've been staying up late excitedly planning out my upcoming paddle carving attempts in our new home's basement (a.k.a. man cave).

New lumber: Cherry, Yellow Birch, Sassafras, Ash, Curly Cherry
I'm planning this next batch to be primarily recreations of some of the historic paddles from the Northeast coast - Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, etc. More on some of the upcoming designs in future posts.

c1900 Authentic Maliseet Paddle (for Sale)

2011-11-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

Recently I've been getting some emails inquiring whether my paddles are for sale. The short answer is no. A few have been sold off, given away as gifts, or donated for charity auctions and the rest I use regularly when paddling. This whole thing is a hobby for me (fun!) and not a business (work!).

BUT for those who want a chance to own an authentic, antique Maliseet paddle, you might consider contacting Rose McNeilly of Hampton, New Brunswick who is selling a circa 1900 authentic Maliseet paddle. Rose sent me some pics of the paddle as well as some history...

Circa 1900 Maliseet Paddle

Diamond shaped secondary grip
The paddle was orginally acquired 30 years ago at a farm auction on Washademoak Lake, off the Saint John River. It has no etching decorations on it and was therefore likely meant to be utilitarian piece...in my mind, this makes it even more valuable since it was carved to be used and not just meant for the tourist trade. It features a short, diamond shaped secondary grip that isn't too common in northeastern native paddle design, but one that I could see would have a functional value.

Here are some technical details about the dimensions:
Length : 60 ¼ inches
Width of blade : 5 ¾ inches
Blade Length : 24 inches
Grip Width : 1 and 7/8 inches
Grip Length: 4 ½ inches
Shaft Thickness: 1 ¼ inches

The paddle was appraised in 2007 by Donald Ellis, one of Canada's renowned experts on native art. It has also been identified at a Maliseet paddle by the Curator of Cultural History and Art at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. At one time someone painted it white, then green. But the experts stated that this by no means diminishes its value. In fact, the painting is what likely preserved this 110 year old piece which otherwise would've disintegrated with time.

Many thanks to Rose for letting me post these pics of this historic piece. You can contact her directly if you have more questions.

Tomah Joseph Etched Paddle

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

From the Portland Press Herald comes this article which features a paddle made by famous Passamaquoddy, Tomah Joseph. No closeup of the grip, but the shoulders of the paddle have some nice etchings

Descendants of famous Passamaquoddy chief Tomah Joseph, from left, Joan Dana, Natalie Dana and Cassandra Dana show off a paddle made by Joseph and on display at the Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage Center & Museum in Indian Township.

Woodpecker Paddle Art

2011-10-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

Check out this awesome Woodpecker paddle art piece made by Joanna Haslem at Owl's Pen.

Carved Woodpecker Paddle

Closeup

Closer Closeup

Steersman Voyageur Paddle

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a long steersman voyageur replica paddle found on Flickr...

Seems very much shaped like the paddle used by the Avant (Bowsman and lead voyageur of the brigade canoe) as pictured in Arthur Heming's exaggerated depiction on Voyageurs running a rapid below...

Untitled
Arthur Heming
illustration from his book, The Living Forest

Woodspirit Canoe Paddle

2011-10-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting bit of paddle decoration. From the BWCA Forums
is this post of laminated paddle with modern "voyageur" style blade and tripper grip. The area at the base of the grip has been carved with a Wood Spirit motif...

Wood Spirit Tripping Paddle
Always wanted to try my hand at carving something like this...might be nice to add a touch of flair to an otherwise mediocre laminated paddle. Still, I'd be afraid to mess up the carving until I get more practice. For those interested, there is a lengthy (33 pages!) and pic heavy post on Bushcraft USA that offers a very clear step by step tutorials on wood spirit carving.

Porpoise Hunting Canoe & Paddle

2011-10-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

From the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are some public domain images regarding the fishing industry in the US. I found an interesting photo of some native hunters in their ocean birchbark canoe posing before a porpoise hunt.

Indian porpoise hunters of Passamaquoddy Bay
Image ID: fish6819, NOAA's Historic Fisheries Collection
Photographer: Archival Photographer Stefan Claesson
Credit: Gulf of Maine Cod Project, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries; Courtesy of National Archives
Photo Link
The chap on the far left is holding an exquisite example of a Maliseet/Passamaquoddy style paddle with fine lines and elongated grip. You can just make out the decorative semi-circular cut out near the bottom of the grip. Looks to be like the modern replica to its right (sorry can't seem to find the original source of the image)

Paddle Closeup; Similar Grip pattern
For visual example of native porpoise hunting from a canoe, check out this post which features a 1936 silent film of Mi'kmaq hunters in their canoe.

Windpaddle Sail Review

2011-10-18T16:42:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of the paddling season coming to an end (always a depressing time for me), I had splurged on a bit of retail therapy to help my mood - a WindPaddle sail. When a breeze picks up during paddling trips, many folks rig up a makeshift sail with paddles and tarps for some downwind crusing. I've done the same when paddling with a partner, but solo canoeing makes it more akward. This sail seems to fit the needs of solo paddlers and was different from any other product I've seen out there - a fiberglass, tensioned hoop supporting some ripstop nylon clipped to a boat and controlled by a loop of line (sheets) from the shoulders of the sail.

It can be folded to 1/3 of its size and pop-up ready for action at a moment's notice. I liked the fact that it was absurdly lightweight (13 oz.) and did not require any permanent modification to your canoe...it can be simply secured to seats or thwarts with two unobstrusive clips

On the stern seat for scale>
The larger version of this sail (the "Cruiser") has been reviewed by canoeists before...check out this one over on Song of the Paddle. Since my boat is a very light, 14footer I went with the smaller, more manageable "Adventure" sail which seemed a better fight for my canoe. Like MagiKelly's review, I found the sheets to be awkward to hold at the location the sail was placed...so I ended up using an extra bit of line tied with a tautline hitch on one end which allowed for some lateral adjustment and attached this new line to the center yoke with a quick-release highwayman's hitch. This freed up my hands to steer with a paddle and in case I needed to bail out, a quick yank of the free end line and the sail would immediately collapse forward onto the deck and power down.

Rigged up with clips to the seat
You can also power down by pulling the lines in - after a very moment of acceleration, the wind spills over the top and the sail collapses under its own weight. It would then rest easily on the the widest portion of the canoe until you flicked it up again to catch any wind. In practice, this is where my tripping packs would be and the sail could easily lay on top of them without hindering any paddling performance. When portage time begins, it can then be recoiled and secured to the seat easily enough for transport across the trail.

Easily pulled forward

When needed again, a quick flip up and the sail begins to capture wind again...
All in all a lightweight bit of gear that I plan to bring along on some overnight trips next summer to take advantage of any blowing wind.

Windpaddle Power

1860-1875 Voyageur Paddle

2011-10-14T17:05:00.001-04:00

Searching through the forums on Canadian Canoe Routes, I came across a this dated post by Dave (Watersong) with a link featuring an aged but interesting canoe paddle. Apparently experts at the Canadian version of Antiques Roadshow confirmed it is an authentic voyageur paddle dated to between 1860 - 1875. Very cool!

Aged Voyageur Paddle

Narrow Blade Width

Small pear grip
The relatively short length (56") with a long & narrow blade (35" long by just 3 inches wide!) makes it very consistent with true voyageur style working paddles. While the term "Voyageur" is used by many paddle makers because of its romantic connotations, most that bear the name are usually paddle designs inconsistent with historical evidence.

The main power of the large trade canoes were supplied my the grunt working Milieux Voyageurs who needed very narrow bladed paddles to prevent fatigue with their manic stroke pace. Also if a paddle was lost or broken, one would have to be carved from a log en route. From my own experience in making a few bushcraft style paddles, it is a whole lot easier to find and quickly carve a narrow blade from a log than try to carve a wider blade pattern with an axe and crooked knife. Add the fact that that along more northern trade routes, the diameter of the trees are limited by the short growing season and you have a practical limitation with blade width.

Although designed to power large 26-36 ft trade canoes, I personally believe that this design still has merits for the modern solo paddler. The relatively short shaft length of only 21 inches on Dave's paddle can be explained by the fact that voyageurs travelled in heavily loaded boats, some with just a few inches of freeboard. As a result, the paddler was in fact quite close to the water line and a narrow shaft makes sense to sink the whole blade into deep water for the propulsion stroke.

Today, many solo canoeists heel the canoe over to its side for added paddling comfort and maneuverability. This means the modern day solo paddler is also quite close to water line. Check out the pic from BB's article on the "Omering" technique

Solo paddling close to the water line
In my own experience with slender blades (both the Walnut Kingfisher and Sparrow Maple Solo, I've made the shaft shorter in comparison to the blade length but nowhere near as Dave's Voyageur. Still, they are a delight to use but of course have their limitations in shallow, rocky water so I tend to use them only for deep water style paddling rather than tripping.

This might be a fun design to replicated by carving from a log and recreating some authentic Voyageur history when the season begins again in the spring.

Circa 1860 Penobscot HBC Paddle

2011-10-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

From Jeff Bridgeman American Antiques comes another antique paddle. The description cites that the wood is Tiger maple and that the paddle was made by the Penobscot Indians in Maine for the Hudson Bay Company for their for 50-foot-long "barge canoes" that were used to transport furs. It is dated to circa 1860.

Native American Barge Canoe Paddle
Circa 1860
Width: 7.5"
Height: 83"
Depth: 1.5"

The whole backstory seems very strange to me. Never heard of 50 foot barge canoes before. My understanding is that the largest birchbark canoes (Canot du Maitre) used in the Fur trade of this era were limited to about 36 feet since this is the approximate maximum length before the weight of the hull would cause the bark to collapse onto itself. This is described by Canadian Canoe Museum Curator Jeremy Ward who built a 36 ft replica that was featured in a Ray Mears episode here.

The wide paddle blade at 7.5" is very inconsistent with narrow fur trade paddle that voyageurs tended to favour for their arduous stroke pace. This is also the first I've ever heard of the Hudson Bay company commissioning Penobscot Indians from Maine in United States (never part of HBC fur territory) to make canoe paddles for their fleet. Although, I have read about the tradition of Cree, Montagnais, Algonkian tribes in Canada assisting with the construction of paddles and canoes (particularly in Quebec). Maybe I'm missing something here but it is an interesting piece nevertheless.

Historic Paddle Photo: The Sennet Girls

2011-10-10T01:44:00.000-04:00

Hope all my Canadian visitors are having a great Thanksgiving weekend. Weather here in Toronto has been stunningly warm...hot enough for shorts and bathing suits. In that theme, here is a oddly quaint shot of some "bathing beauties" with a canoe paddle dated to dated to 1919 (via Vintage Ephermera).

Another angle of this same shot can be seen on Shorpy.com which contains a caption explaining the context.

Washington, D.C., circa 1919. "Sennett girls." Producer Mack Sennett's comedy reels featured a bevy of "bathing beauties," among them Marvel Rea, seen here in the harlequin costume. National Photo Company.

c1890 Green Ojibway Paddle

2011-10-04T12:27:00.004-04:00

The October Current Items page from the CherryGallery.com features a painted Ojibwa canoe paddle circa 1890...

Ojibwa Indian Canoe Paddle
A finely carved maple paddle with an early light green painted surface. It features a rolled-top handle with faceted details, and a stepped transition from blade to shaft.
Circa 1890
4.5" w, 67" h
$1,100

Here are some closeups of the interesting roll grip and blade pattern. It looks very consistent to Graham Warren's outlines of Ojibwa paddles with the interesting addition of some notched shoulders...

Chartres Canoe Model Paddles

2011-10-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Found some pics of another, earlier canoe model with some decorative paddles. These photos date from 1955 showing the "Chartres Canoe" dated to 1672, at the Musée des Beaux-arts in Chartres, France. Black and white only, but you can just make out the chevron style hash marks on the paddles.

"Model of a birch bark canoe 1672, at art Museum, Chartres; Summer photos 1955; CCFCS [Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies]"

Daytrip - Algonquin Edge Scouting Trip

2011-09-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of a daytrip to the Western Edge of Algonquin Park. Fall colours have begun. Some of my previous experiences in Algonquin park have been disappointments...mostly because of dirty campsites littered with refuse from disrespectful campers. These tend to be the well used "maintained" routes.

With a single day devoted to exploring, I thought I would venture to a region that is technically not part of the park, and therefore appears on maps as an "unmaintained" region. An added bonus is that it is only 20 minutes away from our Cottage.

Access is from a little trail right off Highway 60 which leads into a boggy section of "Park Lake". On the Algonquin Adventures forums a while back, a question was asked about the worst/ugliest lake in the whole park...someone answered this "Park Lake". Wasn't that bad in my opinion...but its unfortunate location running parallel to the busy Highway 60 corridor means you certainly hear transport trucks rumbling over the hilly terrain. Not much of wilderness experience here.

Start Access Point

View across the length of Park Lake

Hills stating to change

Despite this, the lake had lots of wildlife, owing to some boggy areas along eastern and western edges. Plenty of waterfowl like bufflehead ducks, loons, and even a great blue heron in these areas. My goal was to paddle to the small chain of lakes tucked behind the hills and scout the "unmaintained" campsite on a little spit of land jutting into Victory Lake.

After paddling the canoe through some weedy shallows and over an old beaver dam, I entered Victory lake and landed the canoe at the base of the site.

Campsite landing

Clean, sweet little site
Pleasantly surprised! It was an clean, elevated site with a nice fire ring and some perfectly spaced out trees for my hammock. Someone also built some two flat benches with some stones around the fire pit. For an unmaintained site not officially part of the park, this was one of the cleanest I've ever encountered...no bit of food or junk in the firepit and even a nice pile of wood stacked up for the next visitor.

The lake has plenty of dried wood along the shoreline and a nice creek at the end which begged for more exploration. A little upstream I just missed snapping a pic of a beaver.

Solitary maple turning

Bright's Creek

Just missed the beaver
In any event, time was running out and I had to head back. While certainly not a deep backcountry location, I'll be heading back here again for an overnighter eventually. The added bonus for my worried wife is that there is cellphone coverage at this location so she can call me to rush back home at the slightest emergency.

Motorcyle & Canoe Sidecar

2011-09-25T21:39:00.000-04:00

From the The Vintagent, a site devoted to vintage motorcycles, comes this fantastic "sidecar"...

Website details:

"In 1925 through 1927, the Rudge-Whitworth company introduced a line of touring accessories which have never been equaled by any other motorcycle manufacturer...

Specifically, Rudge introduced a full touring caravan, complete with dining table and beds, which could be towed behind one of their '4-valve, 4-speed' models. Added to this, one could order a sidecar chassis carrying a quick-detachable canoe! This was no 'miniature' boat, as some manufacturers produced in the 1950's for sidecar haulage; the Rudge canoe was fully 14 feet long. Yet, the company advertised that the "Canoe sidecar can be turned round in a circle of 20 feet diameter, which very few motor cars are capable of doing. To river lovers it gives great mobility and makes it possible to become acquainted with half the rivers in the country."

Here's another shot of a similar scene.

Man oh man this would make arranging canoe shuttles a blast on river trips!

Paddle Hemp Oil

2011-09-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

Lately, most of my paddles have been maintained in basic oil finish. I prefer the simplicity of oil, the feel, and the ease of doing touchups. Most oil finishes have chemical solvents to speed up the drying process...chemicals that are quite toxic and foul smelling.

I've been intrigued with a new product brought out by the good folks over at Badger Canoe Paddles, a hemp based finishing oil. A lengthy writeup on their blog sounded very convincing. And after seeing the gorgeous satiny smooth finish on some of their commercial paddles at a local outfitter, I decided to give the oil a try on the spruce bushcraft cree paddle recently painted and on the canoe pole made last summer. So far, I'm very happy with the product and it's now my finish of choice. Obviously, you pay a premium price for a specialty finishing oil like this but it's great for those who want to get away from nasty solvents and other chemicals.

Historic Photo - Louis Mitchell - Passamaquoddy

2011-09-18T21:12:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of another "Celebrity" canoe paddle. That of Louis Mitchell, a Passamaquoddy who apparently was the first Indian member of the Legislature of Maine.

Louis Mitchell, Passamaquoddy, in a Canoe at Saint John, New Brunswick
1898
Saint John, New Brunswick
Accession Number: 1987.17.461

Louis Mitchell, Passamaquoddy, with Paddle
1898
Location: Saint John, New Brunswick
Accession Number:1987.17.464

The scale paddle shows just how large some of them could be - assumingly for use in ocean going canoes and for standup paddling.

New Canoe Id: Richardson Copy cat

2011-09-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

Turns out the cedar canvas canoe I obtained in a trade isn't a likely Chestnut Chum at all. Mike Elliot of Kettle River Canoes mentioned in a comment that the canoe wasn't consistent with a Chestnut. Instead it looks to be similar to a Richardson or Rilco based on the narrow red cedar planking and other features

Richardson and Rilco were descendents of Lakefield Canoe company. According to the ID page on Dragonfly canoe, in 1962 Jack Richardson, the former General Manager of the now defunct Peterborough Canoe Co. purchases the Lakefield Boat Co and renames it Richardson Aquacraft, also called Rilco Industries. The company closed down around 1969. The narrow red cedar planking is an identifying feature of this style of canoe.

Intrigued, I did some more searching and came across this posting on Kijiji for a fully restored Richardson. The planking pattern is neater but similar to mine.

Richardson Canoe

Despite the fact that the rawhide seats had long ago deteriorated on my canoe and had been replaced with simple plywood planks, the underside of the seats revealed a curious hole pattern to the seats - basically a line of offset holes. This pattern is also found in Richardson / Rilco boats.

Babiche weaving pattern with offset lacing holes
It would seem that my canoe has many features of this style made by a less experienced or a rushed builder. So for now I'm calling it a Richardson copy-cat.

Regardless of the history of the boat, I've already had lots of fun poling and paddling her and am eagerly looking forward to my own attempt a basic restoration.

Killbear Paddlers Rendezvous

2011-09-12T08:32:00.000-04:00

Managed to snag about 36 hours of free time to attend the 15th Annual Paddler's Rendezvous held in Killbear Provincial Park neary Parry Sound. The event attracts an eclectic mix of different paddlers - from marathon racers, to canoe sailors, to just regular old paddle power folks like myself. It's also a great way to catch up with other Wooden Canoe Enthusiasts as the event is part the Northern Lakes chapter. Folks drove from as far away as Ohio, Michigan and Maine to get a taste of the rocky Canadian shoreline. Made some great new friends who are just as nutty for canoes as I am.

It was my first time attending and I could only spare one night camping but what a fun time it was...with stunningly warm weather and moments of shear beauty on Georgian Bay. Fantastic comraderie between folks at this real down to earth event. Much thanks to John Hupfield of Lost in the Woods Boatworks in organizing this yearly funfest. Some of the pics:

Assembled fleet on the beach

Fleet Closeup

Craig Johnson's Red Maple Leafed Kennebec...we joked that this was his passport into Canada at the U.S. border.

Andre Cloutier got this Keewaydin tripping canoe made by Don Fraser after Chestnut closed up shop. Featured a few double ribs fore and aft of the centre thwart to accommodate a traditional wannigan made by Rob Stevens.

Three sister canoes all built in Pam Wedd's shop (right to left)...Pam Wedd's 16 footer, Craig Johnson's 15 footer, and my 14 footer.

Master builders Dick Persson of Buckhorn Canoe company paddling a Peterborough Champlain and Pam Wedd of Bearwood paddling her personal boat

Wind picking up

Out with good friends Pam Wedd and Rob Stevens in the crystal waters

My paddle in the shimering water

Another Paddlemaking Blog

2011-09-07T08:31:00.003-04:00

Paul Clarkson has started his own blog called Up the Creek... which documents his new paddle making hobby.

He's experimented with some fun painting ideas including staining an ash paddle with blue and then sanding off to highlight the open grain structure...quite nice.

Eagerly looking forward to reading about his new design and decoration ideas!

Celebrity Canoe Paddles: Hollywood Canoe Stars

2011-09-05T23:10:00.000-04:00

An old thread on the WCHA forums featuring Marilyn Monroe in a canoe resulted in post by Dave Osborn featuring other Hollywood actors lounging in a gorgeous canoe.

Of course, wooden canoe fans first tried to I.D. the beautiful boat and the conclusion was a Kennebec. After than folks were guessing at the ID of the couple with no definitive answers. Recently I came across an ad posted on EBAY ad featuring the same shot, which identified the actors as Joel McCrea & Maureen O'Sullivan, who played the original Jane in the first Tarzan movie! They starred in a film together in 1935 called Woman Wanted. This shot may be promo photo or image from the film. Either way, it's one of my favourite vintage canoe pics.

PEM Artscape Paddle

2011-09-01T20:18:00.000-04:00

Here's a decorative Anishinabe souvenir paddle now part of the Peabody Essex Museum. It features a two toned painted blade with some etchings on the shoulder and neck area...

Chippewa-Ojibwa (Anishinabe)Paddle
44.5 inches
c.1823-25 (painted wood)

Paddles were among the souvenir items produced by Anishinabe artists in the early 19th century. This paddle's small handle and painted decoration indicate it was made for the souvenir trade. The carved curvilinear designs, occurring on objects from the Great Lakes region and the eastern Plains, are sometimes interpreted as a feather motif.

Adding to the Fleet: Possible Chestnut Chum

2011-08-24T12:10:00.004-04:00

We'll I've been out of commission again with illness and a severe allergic reaction to some prescription medication I was put on for my back...just miserable. The bright spot in all this is that I acquired a cedar canvas canoe as part of trade while getting rid of some stuff.

It is completely usable as is with perfectly intact canvas and no cracked ribs or planking; but the previous owner never really maintained the gunwales or decks - some rot is beginning to set in. There are no markings or a serial number on it but from the dimensions (15ft x 33" wide), narrowish ribs (1 1-2" to 2" wide), narrow planking and basic sheerline, it looks to be late 70s era Chestnut Chum. In addition, it shows the poorer build features that plagued Chestnut before they closed shop in 1979 - poorer selection of wood (knots & imperfections), gaps between planking, cheaper fastenings, aluminum bang plates.

Still, I'm happy with it. I've already taken it out for quick paddle and pole. It was apparently restored at least once before getting to the previous owner with a scarf joint near the bow and while the seats simply have wood boards nailed to them, the underside reveals holes where the original cane would've been used to form the seat tops.

Previous Scarf repair
This'll be my first attempt at a restoration and I don't think this one will be out of my league. My plan over the winter is to slowly restore the canoe with new decks, outwales, replace the cumbersome centre thwart with a chestnut-style carrying yoke (thanks to Mike Elliot's wonderful plans) and a few other bells and whistles. In the end I'll have another canoe that I'm planning to be a bit more rough with that my other boat.

Centre Thwart - too painful on the shoulders

Another Presidential Canoe

2011-08-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

Here's an 8 x 10 press photo of Ronald & Nancy Reagan paddling on a pond dated to July 27, 1976.

Seems like Reagan was part of the ranks of paddling Presidents which included Calvin Coolidge's hilariously named canoe "Beaver Dick" and the stately birchbark canoe of FD Roosevelt built by Tomah Joseph

Contact Voyaging Company Paddles

2011-08-11T19:14:00.000-04:00

Contact Voyaging Company has come out with some paddle art for folks who want some colourful accents to their home or cottage. They've launched a line of 56" basswood beavertail paddles, called the Semaphore Series, which is based on the alphabet flag system of International Code of Signals (ICS)

Contact Voyaging Co Paddles

Alpha (A)

Bravo (B)

Charlie (C)

Bashed up Canvas Canoe

2011-08-07T20:18:00.000-04:00

Check out this great pic from Life Magazine featuring a cedar-canvas canoe after a run down some wicked rapids...she's still afloat!

Canadian woodsman Robert Rock, in a battered canoe that is leaking furiously but still afloat.
In this photo: Robert Rock
Photo: Wallace Kirkland./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Nov 01, 1953

Myra Emerson Moose Carving Paddle

2011-08-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

LiveAuctioneers has another, unique paddle up for sale. It has long, elegant lines reminiscient of Maliseet style paddles and a short but shapely grip with an etching of a moose. The title page says it was made by Myra Emerson. Some snooping on google search revealed that she was a resident of Maine who lived between 1878 - 1945.

"Canoe Paddle made by Myra Emerson with carved moose motif">
Unfortunately there is no info on dimensions, but the closeup picture of the grip shows some fingers grasping the paddle to give an idea of scale. Assuming she made this paddle for herself, it would explain the smaller, compact size.

Painted Canoe Model Paddles (circa 1799)

2011-07-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics of some painted model canoe paddles built for a swiss tourist in 1799 now part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography in Neuchâtel. Pieces like this really give a clue to possible native decoration on life-sized paddles on the era.

Wabenaki, Huron (Wendat), Mohawk, and Algonquin converts from Roman Catholic mission villages along the Saint Lawrence River cooperated with nuns to manufacture Native "tourist art." Older traditions of doll-making were adjusted by using wax to model faces for figurines that were then clothed in the Native dress fashionable at that time. For tourists who bought canoe models such as the one shown here, their souvenir represented a vivid and portable manifestation of their more or less close encounter with the American aborigines and of the latter's ability to adopt Christianity. This one was acquired by a Swiss tourist, Jeanne Elisabeth Gugy, in
1799.

Poling Attempt

2011-07-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Another small project last summer was the construction of a spruce canoe pole (see part 1 and part 2) After getting numerous questions from curious onlookers about what I was carving and why I would consider even standing in a canoe, the pole was quitely finished just in time for the paddling season to end.

This year I wanted to try and learn this new skill, so during the most ridiculous heat wave of the summer when dunking into the lake wouldn't be a concern, I tried it out. Quite happy with my cedar canvas canoe and how it performs. Most chapters about poling in books mention not to bother with canoes less than 17ft in length. My 14 footer tracked well enough and the hull design has outstanding secondary stability. The main trick was to be as loose and limber as possible - tension in the legs seem to translate into quick loss of balance and control. Here is a sequence of shots my wife took from the dock while the boy excitedly looked on...

Of course, right after I got my confidence up, I wanted to go faster to impress my boy...I sped up right to the dock with the intention of jamming the pole ahead of me to do a quick stop. All was going well and the canoe slowed to a snail's pace but the bow still nudged the dock slightly. Guess I forgot I was standing for a second because the force knocked me off balance and I face planted into the water right below his feet with the canoe shooting behind to the beach. Of course, now he thinks canoe poling is about belly floping in the water so he keeps asking if I am going to use the pole. Luckily the camera wasn't fast enough to catch me going down...but here is a shot of the aftermath

After an embarrasing fall, there's only one thing to do...get back up!
In any event, I'm eager to learn more and get out of the safety of the cottage shore and try poling up some of the local rivers which really get too low for enjoyable upstream paddling by late summer. We'll see.

Bushcraft Cree Completed

2011-07-23T18:41:00.000-04:00

Last summer, I had worked on a bushcraft cree style paddle hacked out from a chunk of 2x6 spruce with an axe and finished off over a weekend with a crooked knife.

Crooked knife work; Paddle taking shape
With an hour of free time up at the cottage, I worked on cleaning up the blade and reducing the shaft thickness my angled crooked knife, a superb tool for finishing work.

For decoration, I thought I wanted to replicate some historic line designs found in some printed texts. Spruce isn't a good choice for wood-burning decoration so I figured I could use some of the left over Epifanes enamel paint from the cedar canvas canoe to add a nice bit of color.

Decorated Cree Paddles
In the end I came up with a slightly different pattern than Paddle (D) on the far right, a museum model piece from Fort Chimo now at the McCord Museum in Montreal. Using some masking tape and a cheap foam brush on hand, the painted accents were added easily enough.. Still, my hand isn't as stable working with messy paints so they are quite amateurish

Final Paddle

Blade Closeup

Historic Paddle Illustrations - Beothuk Paddles

2011-07-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

Came across this historical illustration of a Beothuk canoe and paddle dated from 1773. It may be the source documented by Adney and others as the representation of paddles for the exterminated Beothuk tribe of Newfoundland. Notably, this style of paddle has a very elongated, narrow "willow leaf" style blade with a pole grip, the length of which (to the scale of the canoe) seems to corroborate its usage as an paddle for the uniquely designed seaworthy canoes of the Beothuk.

Beothuk Canoe & Paddle Sketch

Paddle closeup
My own, reduced sized interpretation of a Beothuk paddle with a cherry laminated bobble grip is still awaiting some woodburning decoration.

Vintage Paddles & Poses

2011-07-15T07:21:00.000-04:00

Another curious paddle related vintage photo...

Women with canoe paddles dressed for the chorus of the musical production of Princess Bonnie, University of Washington, 1913
Photographer: Unknown
Digital Collection: University of Washington Campus Photographs
Item Number: UWC1751
Source

Canada Day Paddling

2011-07-05T22:10:00.004-04:00

My Canada Day weekend canoe outing with local members of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association got derailed with an ill wife in bed. Good news is that I still managed to score some paddling time with the little one even if it was a routine paddle around the shoreline of our cottage lake.

Here's my little guy all set with his paddle and flag...

A shot of him in the canoe...

View off the bow...

Quick pose with the auto shoot feature of the camera set on the dock...

Hope everyone got some time on the water!

P.S. I'm working on another fun child's paddle for my boy's older cousin...should have some more pics in the near future.

Busy Paddle Makers

2011-06-25T16:50:00.000-04:00

We're finally moved into our house and have "survived" the week without internet service...very pleasant actually. I think we all need some disconnect time in our busy lives. We still need to settle in a bit before I can start carving again (this time in our small but peaceful backyard...if I can only find my crooked knife packed away somewhere in the mountain of boxes lying around.

During the days before our move, I received some emails from folks showing off their latest creations. Here are some samples.

Dulce Washburn sent this photo of some commercial blades decorated with some delightful wildlife pyrography. Dig the whole idea of the animal tracks with each little creature...was planning on doing stuff like this before I started venturing off into replicating figurative native designs.

Creative paddle maker Kent Lund sent me these pics of his latest work. The Camp We-Wa-na paddle was purposely made to look weathered and worn. Kent wanted it look like it came from an old camp.

The feather paddle is made from Sassafras for an old friend. Having heard great things about this wood as for paddle carving, trying one from this wood stock is on my to do list.

The paddle on the far left is his version of the c. 1839 chip-carved historic voyageur paddle posted by the Minnesota Historical Society. His first attempt at chip-carving looks great to me and I'm anxious to experiment with this decorative technique this summer.

Kent's Chip carved paddle
Lastly, Mark from Wildpaddler.ca has been busy with some laminated designs inspired by old world tradition. Check out his posts on his Carbon Fibre straight shaft, his laminated voyageur inspired by the Voyageur art of Francis Anne Hopkins, and a Maliseet style stretched beavertail

Carbon Fibre cloth blade

Label Closeup

Voyageur style

Maliseet style

Missing in Action

2011-06-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

To all the loyal blog readers and folks who have emailed me recently,

Many thanks for your continued interest in my little hobby page. I haven't been able to post as of late since we purchased a new house...no more carving on a condo balcony. After weeks of extra work on my plate, we're finally set to move in tomorrow, but won't have internet setup until some time next week.

Everyone else has been busy carving paddles it seems - this week alone I've received pics from 3 readers showcasing their work...hope to have these wonderful works of art posted when I get up and running again.

Exhaustedly yours,
Murat

Celebrity Paddles: Tomah Joseph's Paddle

2011-05-30T09:05:00.000-04:00

Having previously posted on the paddles of certain canoe "Celebrities" like Gabriel Acquin, Eric Morse, and Grey Owl, I thought I'd revisit another post from the past on this blog...specifically that of famed Passamaquoddy Tomah Joseph (1837-1914). Here are some zoomed shots showing some of his paddle's features.

Poplar Diamond Passamaquoddy - Part 4

2011-05-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

Wow...this paddlemaking hobby really ground to halt lately with all sorts of distractions getting in the way. Well over a year ago in January, 2010, I started work on a Diamond Bladed Passamaquoddy replica from Adney's book.

It's been hanging in the den for quite some time desperately calling out to be decorated. Finding time to do intricate artwork with curious youngster at home has been impossible so to simplify things, I figured this paddle would be nice choice for some historic chevron themes seen in much of the artwork from when this paddle originated.

At first I thought it would be fun to get the little one involved by painting the paddle with the gaudy colours seen in the painting entitled, Aboriginal Camp in Lower Canada by Cornelius Krieghoff (dated to 1847) pictured below:

Paddle Closeup
After getting all the supplies ready, suddenly he refused to paint! So instead I reverted back to pyrography to burn alternative light & dark chevrons onto the blade while also highlighting the angular edges of the flat-faced grip. A single line was burned down the shaft for added effect. This will likely be the last time I use yellow poplar as a paddle making wood. It may be a cheap wood stock and light weight but it also burns very unevenly for an extremely patchy and amateurish effect. At least now I can move on to the next project without the guilt of an unfinished one looming over my head.

Chevron decorations
While up north for a long weekend holiday, the boy grabbed his cedar bushcraft mini paddle and proceeded to slap around a beachball. I ended up grabbing this newly completed paddle and we killed some time with a rowdy game passing the ball back and forth. All the while, he kept excitedly saying, "I'm playing hockey!"...so it seems it seems I've done my Canadian duty as a father to instill love of our national obsession with a hint of canoeing tradition too.

Working on the backhand pass

Beach game of Paddle Ball

Paddle Art: NC Wyeth

2011-05-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

Newell Convers Wyeth Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N.C. Wyeth, was an American artist and illustrator. According to Wikipedia, this prolific artist created over 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books! Here's a painting featuring a decorated paddle blade...

The Indian in His Solitude
NC Wyeth
1907

Paddle Closeup
The paddle decoration seems very similar to Indian Maiden by Moonlight by Charles Realyea that I posted about here. The 2 artists seem to have been contemporaries so might've influenced each other.

Paddle Art: Indian Summer by Bob Timberlake

2011-05-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a shot of Bob Timberlake's 1993 painting entitled Indian Summer which features a bark canoe, pack basket, and green painted paddle.

Indian Summer
1993

Paddle Closeup
Description from his site...

Indian Summer was painted at Bob's new studio at the rock wall to the right of the guesthouse. The term "Indian Summer" refers to the mild, warm, hazy days of autumn that usually occur before the chilling frosts arrive. The birchbark canoe is just one of Bob's large collection of canoes and boats which is said to be one of the finest in the Southeast.

The paddle in the painting looks similar to this antique Maine paddle posted back in 2008. Not only did he capture the general shape of the grip, blade and spine, but even the weathering of the paint is visible in the artwork.

Antique Paddle from the Cherry Gallery

More Luc Poitras Paddles

2011-05-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

Paddle Maker and blog reader Luc Poitras sent in some pics of his latest designs both made with his crooked knife collection.

The longer one on the right is made from birch and features a leather drip ring and the base of the grip. The shorter is made from tamarack - certainly a type of wood I'd be interested in trying out soon...such a lovely grain pattern. This paddle features a grip with a carved drip ring and chip-carved decorations. Thanks for the photos Luc - Fantastic work!

Gould Auctions Antique Paddle Set

2011-05-05T07:46:00.000-04:00

Gould Auctions is holding another sale dated for May 21st. Their online collection of items includes a set of antique paddles pictured with their descriptions below:

Paddles (Left to Right)
• Superb Maine Indian made Canoe Paddle
• Exquisitely made canoe paddle with Indian head decoration
• Paint Decorated Canoe Paddle
• Painted and dated 1929 Presentation Canoe Paddle

Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Pics

2011-04-30T20:49:00.000-04:00

From an online exhibit entitled, Wolastoqiyik, Portrait of a People are some historic pics featuring some nice paddle shots

Campsite at Blue Mountain,
on a bend of the Tobique River
c. 1862.

From Tobique, Simon Paul and sons, Charles and James.

Innu Canoe Making Videos

2011-04-26T18:24:00.000-04:00

The Innu Aitun website has some fantastic videos of traditional Innu canoe construction. The videos are a combination of French and Innu languages, but have english subtitles. I've embedded them here but if you can't see them because of missing plug-ins, they are available on this page regarding the canoe in Innu culture(Quicktime needed to view).

The most interesting one for me was part 2 where the men use a PVC coated canvas instead of birchbark as the skin of the boat - a very practical solution given growing scarcity of quality bark. Also, check out the last video which details the method of lashing paddles for the portage. It is exactly as described in Paul Provencher's book about the Montagnais method - with an angular position of the blades and the grips crossed onto the forward thwart.

You need the Adobe Flash Player to view the above movie. Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded from Adobe.
Materials and Preparation
9:18 min

You need the Adobe Flash Player to view the above movie. Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded from Adobe.
Assembly
10:24 min.

You need the Adobe Flash Player to view the above movie. Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded from Adobe.
Specificity, Trial
1:24 min

Keelor - Lost Paddle Art

2011-04-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

From an expired Ebay auction is an intense watercolour by Canadian Artist, Arthur Keelor. I haven't been able to find any info about Keelor's life other than the fact that he painted many War Bonds and Propaganda posters during World War I. In this work, the canoeist has lost his only paddle in some crazy current. Check out the look of fear and panic on his face.

Watercolor - No Title
Signed in pencil – A. Keelor
This is why I always take 2 paddles with me into the boat!

Presidential Canoe Photo

2011-04-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

Came across this interesting pic on Flickr of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge being guided in his all-wood, board and batten style canoe. The caption is from the Flickr page.

President Calvin Coolidge fishing at Cedar Island Lodge, rustic lodge of Henry C. Pierce, 35 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, on the Brule River. This lodge was later dubbed The Summer White House. The canoe is named Beaver Dick and the guide is John LaRock.

The juvenile in me couldn't help but chuckle at the Commander-in-Chief's chosen name for his personal watercraft

AMNH Montagnais Paddles

2011-04-09T15:16:00.000-04:00

Apologies to those wanting to see more paddle making specific posts. Things have gotten very hectic as of late but another piece is sitting here in the den awaiting some free time for decoration. In the meantime, here are some Montagnais paddles from the American Museum of Natural History

PADDLE, WOMAN'S
Culture: MONTAGNAIS
Locale: QUE, LAKE SAINT JOHN
Country: CANADA
Dimensions: L:153.7 W:9.9 H:4.1 [in CM]

Culture: MONTAGNAIS, CHICOUTIMI?
Locale: QUE
Country: CANADA
Dimensions: L:167.5 W:10 H:2.8 [in CM]

Victorian Canoe Art

2011-04-05T10:08:00.000-04:00

The history buff in me really gets a kick out of these old Victorian canoe prints featuring some elegant ladies who can paddle...

Frank Crerie, 1911
EBay Link

Female Portraits by Maud Stumm, 1905
10 x 12-1/2 inches
LINK

Girl in Canoe
Lithograph by Maud Stumm
This 10" x 12-3/4"
Ebay Link

Historic Photos - Paddling & Poling Quebec

2011-03-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a 1926 photo of a French-Canadian guide in a canoe in the Laurentides region in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Great shot dismissing the common warning of never standing up in a canoe!

1926 Canoe Guide, Laurentides, Quebec
Year: 1926
Type: Original Photogravure
Expired Ebay Link
A closeup of the paddle reveals a very slender blade with a distinct spinal ridge. Seems to be somewhat consistent with the ideal paddle of Paul Provencher from the similar North Shore region of Quebec.

Paddle Closeup

From the same seller is a 1902 photo of a man poling up a tiny stream

Man Canoeing Canoe Stream
Photograph by William Lyman Underwood.
Year: 1902
Type: Original Halftone Print

Oldest Bark Canoe on Display

2011-03-22T12:24:00.001-04:00

An update on the previous post about the world's oldest "surviving" birchbark canoe estimated to be over 250 years old. It seems the canoe is now on display at the National Maritime Museum in England. While browsing through Flickr, I came across this pic below of the fractured canoe from the photostream of John Durrant

Photo courtesy of John Durrant
Thought it interesting that they've used a backdrop with an image of John Buxton's "The Agile Bark Canoe" to add a little ambience to the display. If everything pans out according to the published media reports, the canoe should be on its way to the Canadian Canoe Museum some time in the future where I'll be able to get a real look at it and perhaps post some more pics.

Kirk Wipper Paddles On

2011-03-20T17:58:00.000-04:00

The tight canoeing community here in Canada is saddened by the loss of one of this country's iconic characters - Kirk Wipper, who amongst other accomplishments in an amazing lifetime, collected hundreds of watercraft that eventually became the collection of the Canadian Canoe Museum. A touching tribute can be read on CCM's site, here.

I never met Kirk personally, but it was through his efforts that the Canoe Museum was founded and this where I learned the fun hobby of paddlemaking by taking a weekend course there back in '07. I recalled that while we were busy carving away on our shaving horses on the Saturday afternoon, Kirk swung by the museum and gazed down at us, the crowd of novice woodworkers. It was almost like a proud father watching his children learning a new skill. We all paused for a moment to listen to his words of encouragement and then he was off to tour the rest of collection with a friend.

The museum has really become of favourite place of mine and for someone who rarely likes to visit the same place twice, this says a lot about the beautiful collection they have on display. So from myself and any readers who appreciate this blog, I send a heartfelt thank you to the man who is responsible for preserving this vital part of Canadian culture.

Verner Illustration - Auction

2011-03-19T15:27:00.000-04:00

Found another canoe related painting by Frederick A Verner (February 26, 1836 – May 16, 1928), this time on the Sotheby's Auction's archive.

Canoes with Indians on a Lake

Frederick Arthur Verner
Watercolour over pencil heightened with bodycolour
31 by 63cm., 12 by 24 3/4 in.
Signed lower right: Verner/1883
Estimate: 2,000—3,000 £
Sold: 5,040 £

Once again, Verner has illustrated the paddles with a distinct red chevron pattern, a common feature in his work.

Paddle Decoration Closeup

For other posts on Verner's work see this post from November 2009 and another post from September 2010.

Sketches of Paddle from Around the World

2011-03-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

This Italian website features sketches from the author interest in nautical themed art. Included is a page with some paddles from around the world. Included in his list is a small sketch of the Passamaquoddy and Malecite paddles featured in Adney's book.

Historic Illustrations - Henri Julien

2011-03-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

Henri Julien (1852 – 1908) was a French Canadian artist and cartoonist and a leading figure in the field of illustrative art in Canada. His wide array of topics and sketches include a few fantastical images of voyageurs in canoes.

Henri Julien
The Ghost Canoe (1872 - 1908 )

The first is a version loosely translated to "Ghost Canoe" based on some traditional folk tails like the one below...

After a night of heavy drinking on New Year's Eve, a group of voyageurs working at a remote timber camp want to visit their sweethearts some 100 leagues away (300 miles). The only way to make such a long journey and be back in time for work the next morning is to run the chasse-galerie. Running the chasse-galerie means making a pact with the devil so that their canoe can fly through the air to their destination with great speed. However, the travellers must not mention God's name or touch the cross of any church steeple as they whisk by in the flying canoe. If either of these rules are broken during the voyage, then the devil will have their souls. To be safe, the men promise not to touch another drop of rum to keep their heads clear. The crew take their places in the canoe which then rises off the ground, and they start to paddle. Far below they see the frozen Gatineau River, many villages, shiny church steeples and then the lights of Montreal. The bewitched canoe eventually touches down near a house where New Year's Eve festivities are in full swing. No one wonders at the trappers'/loggers' sudden arrival. They are embraced with open arms and soon are dancing and celebrating as merrily as everyone else. Soon it is late and the men must leave if they are to get back to camp in time for work. As they fly through the moonless night, it becomes apparent that their navigator had been drinking as he steers the canoe on a dangerously unsteady course. While passing over Montreal they just miss running into a church steeple, and soon after the canoe end up stuck in a deep snowdrift. At this point the drunken navigator begins swearing and taking the Lord's name in vain. Terrified the devil will take their souls, the men bind and gag their friend and elect another to steer. The navigator soon breaks his bonds and begins swearing again. The crew become more and more shaken at the possibility of losing their souls, and they eventually steer the bewitched canoe right into a tall pine. The men spill out and are knocked unconscious (or pass out). Notably the ending of the story changes from version to version. Sometimes the men are condemned to fly the canoe through hell and appear in the sky every New Year's Eve, but in other versions all, or all but one, escape the terms the devil made.

Another image of this canoe legend is below, complete with Jolly Roger pirate flag in the bow and the horned devil as Gouvernail (steersman). Guess this is the canadian version of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Henri Julien
Illustration pour "Tom Caribou" c. 1886
pen and black ink over graphite on wove paper
National Gallery of Canada (no. 4508)

Celebrity Paddles: Marilyn Monroe

2011-03-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

Don't know if the title of this post caused you to pause for a moment. Marilyn Monroe, sex symbol of the 20th century, a canoeist? Well, The Toronto Star had an article a while back entitled "Red, white and blonde" describing a current exhibit of the blonde bombshell at the McMichael Gallery (Running February 19 to May 15, 2011). The Star article has an untitled photo with a clear shot of Marilyn paddling the stern of a closed gunnel, cedar canvas canoe with the gorgeous Canadian Rockies in the Background

Marilyn in Canoe, 1953
This earlier thread from the WCHA forums has another pic of Marilyn posing with a Mountie. The conclusion was that these pics were taken in Banff as while she was filming River of No Return.

Marilyn with a Mountie, 1953
It also happens that this isn't the first time Marilyn was filmed paddlng. An obscure 1947 film called Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!, featured scenes of Marilyn and another hollywood hopeful paddling a canoe. The following stills were found on this Monroe Fan Site. If you're a fan of Marilyn and Wooden canoes, these photos are sheer joy...

Celebrity Paddles - Frederic Remington Photo

2011-03-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

Came across an exciting new resource for canoe history junkies. The LA84 Foundation has all the archived issues of Outing magazine which features some fantastic reads (all in .PDF format)

Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as The Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923. Since all of these US works were published before 1923, they are considered to be public domain according to US Copyright Law so over the next little while I'll be featuring some great articles and photos.

To start off, I found an article entitled, "Frederic Remington, the Man" by Edwin Wildman. It documents the personality of one of America's most well-known illustrators and outdoor artists. The article also includes a stunning photo of the artists by the shore holding his paddle and his birchbark canoe by the shallows.

With his bark canoe

Paddle Closeup
Some of Remington's paintings feature a bark canoe with a dramatic sheerline (online gallery here and here). It seems his real canoe served as the model for one of my favourite pieces of his, Coming to the Call (1905)

Coming to the Call
Frederic Remington
c. 1905

The Howl of the Weather, aka The Squall
1905/6, published 1907 in Collier's Weekly

New Images - c1839 Minnesota Voyaguer Paddle

2011-03-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Historical Society posted new pictures of their circa 1839 paddle on their Collections Up Close blog. I had previously written about this paddle and posted some grainy photos I could find but these full colour and high resolution pics really bring out the gorgeous detail on this historic piece.

Here is the writeup:

The donor of this wooden canoe paddle stated that it was found near the current location of Stillwater, Minnesota around 1840. The paddle contains a long slim tapering blade, a concave indention at the base of the grip, and elaborate carving on the remainder of the flat grip. The carved design include a cross, a shield under a diamond and scroll band, and diamond shapes filled in with cross-hatching. There are also the carved initials "W. D.", which may not be original. It is purported to be a Voyageur paddle.

Posted according to their CC fair use policy

Paddling Themed Nook Case

2011-02-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

A while back I posted a writeup about the Nook eReader I purchased. It's been a fantastic way to read some classic literature and canoe related adventures. My intention is to take this lightweight device on some paddling trips for those rainy / lazy days where you want to read in camp.

As a winter project, thought I would try my hand at creating a leather case that would serve to protect the device in a basic way (although it would certainly be stored in a waterproof drybag during trips). With some leather scraps I had on hand, ended up using a vertical flip top style case that seems to work nicely.

A piece of leather was wet molded around the Nook and then stitched to a sturdy backing. I made a slight measurement error so the front piece isn't perfectly symmetrical and my handstitching is sloppy too but this isn't meant to be a masterpiece.

Molded leather front; Pieces stitched together
Along with some rivets in the corners, I used a mystery braid technique to make a piece that runs across the top of the device. Another scrap piece of suede was reused by glueing it to the back and this allows the Nook to slide in nicely will protecting the back from scuffs. In addition, I cemented a scrap piece of open cell foam that came from some packaging a while back...nice to reuse this stuff instead of just throwing it away. With the cover folded down, the foam protects the screen adequately.

Suede and foam inserts; Device in the case
The fun part was deciding on how to decorate the cover. Of course it had to be a canoeing theme and I decided to replicate one of the illustrations from Thomas Sedgwick Steele's 1882 classic, Paddle and Portage. The image is entitled "Sunrise on Echo Lake" and it seemed to be the perfect one to try and burn with pyrography. I modified the original a bit by foregoing the image of the rifle (don't paddle with firearms) and added some lashings to the gunwales as well as some gummed seams to the hull so that it somewhat resembled my own birchbark canoe.

Burning the image
I tried my hand at tooling by wetting the leather a bit and attempted to bring out the image by stamping some of the image to create "waves" on the lake. Didn't turn out to well and frankly, I don't like the constant pounding needed for leather tooling...not relaxing at all. To secure the cover flap, some remnant latigo lace was woven into a 3-ply braid and secured in a figure 8 pattern. All I need to do is gently pull the knotted ends outwards and it holds the flap in place nicely

Completed Canoe Case
Might seemed odd that I ended up making a totally rustic case for a modern electronic device, but when you're desperate to go canoeing, you come up with some wonky ideas.

Family Day Canoe "Trip"

2011-02-23T21:36:00.001-05:00

This past Monday was a holiday here in Ontario, the so-called "Family Day Long Weekend" so we spent the brief break up at our cottage in Huntsville. Lots of winter fun was to be had outdoors, but my boy was enamoured with the bark canoe model made back in '08 that is now decorating the wall.

He wanted to take it out for an imaginary canoe trip throughout the place and loaded up the 3 foot, 1/4 scale model with a mini bark basket, his mini cherry paddle and two of his stuffed toys, Colin and Todd from the Monster Factory (a cute stuffed toy company started by a family friend).

Prepping for the trip
After lots of pushing and pretend paddling all over the kitchen, the bedroom, and the main floor, the bark canoe is no worse for wear. If these craft can handle the vigorous play of 2 1/2 year old and survive, they aren't nearly as delicate as people think.

Colin and Todd have taken up their positions in the canoe as part of the wall display ready for the next trip...

Unfortunately the Wilderness Canoe Association's annual symposium was also held this weekend and would've been a welcome canoe-related distraction. Thankfully, Mike O posted a thorough synopsis on his blog about the event.

Paul Provencher - Coureur du Bois Paddles

2011-02-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

Paul Provencher was a forester in the Quebec and Labrador country on the north shore of the St. Lawrence river. He traveled extensively with native guides and eventually wrote a book entitled, I Live In The Woods . It's a great little book of personal recollections and woodland lore complete with sketches by the author. Included amongst the many diagrams of bushcraft skills like trapping, snowshoe making, wilderness survival is a brief section on canoes & paddles.

Here is a sketch of Provencher's preferred paddle design, certainly influenced by the Innu designs local to his region.

His write up:

"Long, narrow paddles, such as the North Shore canoe paddle illustrated here, are much better in rapids. Wide paddles are too hard on the fellow who has done a hard day’s work and are of no use in rapids as they are too apt to split. Besides, they cannot be relied upon for poling purposes. An extra paddle should always be carried along and kept on hand in case of emergency. If a man is alone when going up rapids, he should also place an extra pole near him."

Some more sketches show the paddle profile while illustrating his method of portaging using a tumpline to carry packs and a fully assembled reflector oven

Provencher also details the Montagnais method of prepping a canoe for the portage. It includes using a canoe tumpline and lashed paddles which are uniquely crossed before being secured onto a thwart

Montagnais Tying Method

His write up on the topic:

In packing a canoe, the best canoe-carriers of the Manicouagan and the Moisie Rivers just cross the paddles and tie them on top of the front bar. They then pass the tumpline over the blades at the middle bar. To judge the distance from the bottom of the canoe to the tumpline they measure a handspread upright.

Other carriers prefer to put the paddles parallel. If you wish to carry an extra packsack with the canoe, I suggest the Montagnais method of crossed paddles, as it gives you more room to put the bag and the blades of the paddles are not in your way. With parallel paddles most of the weight rests on the crest of the shoulders while, in the Montagnais way, the weight rests on top of the arms. Other advantages of this method are that the tumpline is more comfortably loose and it is much easier to load the canoe on the shoulders or to set it back on the ground. When the tumpline is too short, “canoe bumps,” as they are called, are apt to develop.

Eva Morrison Paddle Pic

2011-02-17T16:29:00.001-05:00

Blog reader Chris G recently emailed a great vintage photo showing some well-to-do dressed men in a beached canoe posing behind a woman on shore. Unfortunately, Chris didn't remember the source but the photo certainly peaked my interest and I've spent some time trying to dig up more info about this curious scene. Turns out the photo is from the U.S. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (no copyright restrictions) and is from 1935.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA,
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Call Number: LC-B2- 2200-11

The woman is Eva Belle Morrison was a long distance swimmer who attempted to cross the English Channel multiple times and won some local endurance swimming competitions. I'm assuming the paddlers in the canoe are her "support team" who likely would paddle by her side for the duration of her swim and not just some bathing beauty "gawkers" as I first assumed...the expression of the sternsman just seemed creepy to me.

Since my wife is the avid swimmer and I'm the paddler, I think this photo just gave me some inspiration for new way for us to spend time together!

Alain Crozon's "Kiki Paddle"

2011-02-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Paddlemaking Blog reader Alain Crozon from France sent me a email documenting his homemade "KiKi" paddle. The many uses of its unique blade shape are illustrated by Alain's accompanying cartoon below. Very creative!

Alain's homemade paddle

Another Crooked Knife Project

2011-02-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Over the winter, I've been working on another smaller project...another attempt at a crooked knife from a file. My first attempt is still very functional, but prolonged use like in carving the bushcraft spruce paddle from the summer left my wrist quite sore. Many crooked knives I've seen have dramatically angled blades (nearly 45 degrees to the plane of the handle) and this seems to ease wrist strain while allowing for the skewing cut of the knife to delicately shave off wood. Below are some examples I had pulled from the net somewhere.

While back in Turkey visiting family in '09, I had stumbled across a perfect crook in an Olive Tree branch from my Great Uncle's abandoned property. It seemed to match my hand perfectly and even had an indent for the thumb-rest from a healed branch wound. The piece was cutoff and brought home and gradually shaped into a a leaner handle.

A broken branch crook; Fit my hand nicely

Shaping the handle
The blade was made from another old file (this time with an angle grinder and cutting disk) and after a little amateur blacksmithing, an offset tang was bent into shape. For this one, I decided not to bend the tip of the blade up as my intentions for this knife are for softwood shaving for paddle blades and cedar canoe ribs & sheathing.

The Blade
A slot was carved into the top of the handle to fit the tang. This was all trial and error until it sat nicely in the wood.

Tang slot carved
The handle was whipped tightly with waxed linen thread and everything is nice and secure. For the decoration, I wanted to leave as much of the handle bare as there were some nice grain patterns in the olive wood. Along the edges of the thumbrest, I burned a chip carved pattern.

Decoration Burned
Here is the completed knife all oiled up and ready to go...

Historic Illustration - Iroquois Elm Canoe and Paddles

2011-02-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

League of the Ho-dé-no-sau-nee or Iroquois, the work of Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881) has sketches of typical Iroquoian artifacts ranging from clothing to weapons to baskets. Volume III includes a write up on the elm bark canoes used by this tribe as well as an illustration.

Elm Bark Canoe
The image dates from 1849 and clearly illustrates the crimped bark of this type of craft, equipped with paddles for a crew of six. Some of the paddles have the decorations on them, simple cross hatched patterns with other carved figures, likely the personal marks of the owner. Here are some closeups.

Marked Paddles - Man with staff/club?

Horse Decoration?

Hazen Maliseet Paddles

2011-02-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

Page 60 of Trading identities: the souvenir in Native North American art from the Northeast by Ruth B. Phillips (available partially online through Google Books) has some great pics of historic Maliseet carved paddles.

The black & white images show closeups of the blade decorations; the first paddle featuring a familiar double curved motif while the second a pictorial representation of a sporting camp scene.

Excerpt from her book...

2.7 a,b Two of four canoe paddles (details) commissioned by Frank Hazen from Maliseet carvers, c. 1880. Fig. 2.7a displays traditional double-curve motifs, while 2.7b displays an innovative pictorial vignette of a sporting camp scene, which would have been appreciated by touristic collectors but generally rejected by turn-of-the-century ethnological collectors.

I find the traditional curved etchings much more pleasing and remembered that I had seen this pattern before. A post from October 2009 featuring Rick Nash's gorgeous cherry Maliseet paddle seems to be a replica of this pattern.

Rick Nash paddle
Woodland Heirlooms

circa 1900 Adirondack Paddle

2011-02-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the winter storm hitting my region today (which really isn't that bad in my opinion), my workplace has cancelled all classes...this means a SNOW DAY and a chance to post another paddle picture. This one is from February's "Current Items" page at the Cherry Gallery which features a nice looking Adirondack paddle.

Looks like it has already sold. The details from their site...

Adirondack Guide Boat Paddle
This guide boat paddle has a characteristic elaborately carved diamond-motif handle and a long, narrow blade. The front of the blade is painted with the four playing card suits - perhaps the guide was a gambler...
Circa 1900
5" w, 58.5” h

The carved motif area below the circular grip adds a nice decorative flair to whole piece. Here's another angled shot showing this interesting Adirondack feature.

Diamond Motif on grip

James D Julia Auction Paddles

2011-01-30T18:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a collection of eclectic paddles from an expired 2006 auction at JamesDJulia.com.

FINE COLLECTION OF SIX CARVED CANOE PADDLES
Info on each paddle (listed top to bottom) are...

1) 63” curly and birdseye maple.

2) 60” paddle signed “W.A. Whitney Maker Milo, ME”.

3) 48” carved shaped paddle with chip carved and shaped handle.

4) 63” with Victorian motif with gold, red and green paint. Carved handle red and black paint.

5) 61-1/2” slender tapered paddle with T-end.

6) 61” carved tapered paddle with U-carved end.

PROVENANCE: From the John Delph Collection. CONDITION: Generally very good with nice old craquelure varnish finish.

The 4th paddle down with the painted "Victorian motif" sure looks stylish. Maybe one of those that was used with equally luxurious courting canoes at the turn of the century.

Making a Paddle from a Broken Oar

2011-01-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

A great little visual article from Boys' Life April 1953 outlining how to make a paddle from a salvaged, broken oar.

Falstaff Beer Canoe Ad

2011-01-26T08:35:00.000-05:00

Came across a funny little vintage ad featuring an attempted beer rescue - Falstaff bottled Beer..."Worth Going After."

Ebay Link
They don't seem to be the only canoe themed beer ads out there. Check out this hilarious aluminum "Bud Boat" and macho themed slogan...

Ebay Link

More Woodland Auction Paddles

2011-01-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

Found 2 stunning antique paddles dated to circa 1860 from the Stair Galleries auction site (May 23, 2009 Past Auction catalogue). Both of these beautiful paddles dramatically exceeded their estimated price value so there seems to be a market of enthusiastic paddle collectors out there.

WOODLANDS CANOE (Ottawa?) PADDLE
circa 1860
74 x 6 1/2 in.
Estimate : $500 - $700
Realized : $1,600
Maple
Traces of red and grey paint. Engraved and stained decoration of top of grip

NORTHEASTERN WOODLANDS (Malecite?) CANOE PADDLE
Circa 1860
5 ft. 3 3/4 in.
Maple
Estimate : $700 - $900
Realized : $2,500
This paddle was collected in the St. John's River area of New Brunswick, Canada. Floral designs are incised on the top.

The two pieces in question were featured in Pleasing the spirits : a catalogue of a collection of American Indian art by Ewing, Douglas C (1982) - plates 473 & 474. Luckily one copy of this out of print exhibit catalogue was available at the Toronto Reference Library where I went to find some extra information. The black and white pics included a closeup of the floral carving details etched on the grip of the 2nd paddle not featured on the auction images.

Basic Floral Etchings on grip
Really dig this unique stepped grip shape, quite different than others I've seen so far and I think this replica will be added to my ever growing "to-do" list of historic paddles.

Nook eReader

2011-01-16T11:25:00.000-05:00

Picked up one of those fancy eReaders as a present to myself. After doing some research on the topic, I decided to go with a model that isn't available for retail sale here in Canada, the Barnes & Noble Nook. I was able to find a virtually unused version on Ebay and scored a deal. Didn't like that Amazon has a version called the Kindle that uses an exlcusive proprietary format so instead went for one that uses a more universal format called the EPUB.

There are so many free books online available on sites like ManyBooks.net, Archive.org and Gutenberg.org that I've gotten back into reading some fantastic canoeing classics.

Below is a shot of one of the pages in Thomas Sedgwick Steele's 1880 paddling adventure, Canoe and camera: a two hundred mile tour through the Maine forests

This .epub format is just a different version of the HTML language that is used on websites, so basically material on the net can be downloaded and read on the device. With this great online tool called Instapaper, you can quickly save webpages into a condensed epub file and transfer it for hours of offline reading. Using this nice little application, I downloaded the fantastic 1948 article on the WCHA site entitled "Canoe from the Penobscot River". Here's another shot below showing the crisp black and white graphics.

.
So far the batteries lasted over a week before a quick recharge was needed. I'm planning on making a leather case for this thing and am seriously considering bringing this handy, lightweight eReader on future paddling trips (with some waterproof protection of course).

Innu Paddle Photo

2011-01-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

Another historic paddle photo from the McCord Museum, this one exhibiting an Innu (Montagnais) family posing with slender, straight sided paddles. Clicking the image will send you to the McCord's site which has a zoom feature.

Innu group standing in front of a tent, QC, about 1881
Jules-Ernest Livernois
Silver salts on paper mounted on card - Gelatin silver process
MP-0000.1107.5

John Smith - Pride of Peterborough

2011-01-08T17:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a sort of "Celebrity Paddle" photo that perhaps many people don't know about...

Ebay Link

The pic is a rare photo of John Smith (also known as "Boshkung Bill") who in 1934, hatched the idea of paddling his canoe from Peterborough, Ontario to Peterborough, England attempting to be the first to cross the mighty Atlantic in an open canoe.

His 16 foot boat, called the Pride of Peterborough, was loaded with gear & supplies (including fresh water) and rigged with a sail. You can just see his paddle in the corner of the photo. Looks like he attempted to get across the ocean with a toothpick!

Unfortunately, not every dream ends up successful. Somewhere off the Gaspé peninsula during his 400+ km leg to Newfoundland, a typical Atlantic storm hit. Smith's body, surf-bashed canoe and supplies washed up on various beaches along the shoreline.

For more info on Smith and his ill-fated journey, check out the The Fall 2009 edition of CanoeRoots Magazine which had a brief writeup on Smith's misadventure.