Book Review: Mike Elliot's This Fancy Old Canoe

Another spectacular resource for canoe restoration has been created by Mike Elliot of Kettle River Canoes. This Fancy Old Canoe is Mike's second publication on the topic following his highly successful and well received first book from back in 2016. This Fancy Old Canoe is set to be released on Amazon on June 3rd, 2024. I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy to review and share with readers here.

Mike's well known Canoeguy's blog has been providing restoration tips online since 2009. His posts have been a valuable resource for folks who have wanted to tackle a repair on their own, especially for those intimidated by the job.  These posts formed the basis for his first book, This Old Canoe, which exclusively focused on wood-canvas construction. These included typical repairs such as replacing broken ribs and planking, splicing rib tops, dealing with rotted stem tips and of course, re-canvassing. 

Having covered these common types of damage and repair, Mike's new book tackles more difficult restoration challenges seen in other styles of canoe construction. As many of these styles are no longer being actively built and have been relegated to being viewed as vintage antiques, Mike appropriately refers to these classic hulls as "Fancy Canoes".   

In particular, the book discusses the various forms of all-wood construction, which rapidly evolved in the region of Peterborough, Ontario. These various "Peterborough" canoes did not have a waterproof canvas exterior but instead relied on precise wood joinery to create a water-tight hull.  This Fancy Old Canoe thoroughly describes how to repair and replace every component in these elegant designs.

With over 400 photos and more than 100 plans and illustrations, This Fancy Old Canoe helps to methodically direct the restoration process and provides a clear guidance to handling some of the more challenging woodworking tasks.

In addition to these all-wood hulls, Mike delves into the repair of other forms of wood-canvas construction that were not covered in his first book. Included are topics such as reverse engineering highly curved stem profiles, steam-bending short decks and rebuilding the long extended decks typically seen on fancy courting canoes. 

Further chapters cover the complex task of dealing with pocketed inwales commonly seen in B.N. Morris canoes as well as additional topics of wide outwales and handling restorations to sponson air chambers. The caning patterns for a trapezoidal seat from a 1905 Rushton Indian Girl is also included as are plans for a wood slat Peterborough portable canoe chair. Even repairs to sailing rigs and floor systems are thoughtfully discussed along with a chapter on applying fancy hand-painted decorations to a hull.

As in his first book, This Fancy Old Canoe concludes with a series of handy schematics for the key components of a variety of historic canoe models. The plans include information on the Old Town Otca,  Thomson Brothers Ranger, Rushton Indian Girl, Peterborough Lake Queen, and a Willits Brothers double cedar hull.  

Collectors of antique canoes as well as folks interested in appreciating the elegant complexity of these watercraft will no doubt appreciate the fine photography and explanations. Those who wish to tackle getting an heirloom canoe back on the water will find these two books are wonderful resources to help overcome challenges and achieve success in their canoe restoration project.

This Fancy Old Canoe: A Comprehensive Guide To Restoring Antique Canoes will be available on Amazon starting on June 3, 2024.

This Fancy Old Canoe: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring Antique Canoes

8.5″ x 11″ paperback

248 pages

more than 400 photographs

more than 100 plans and illustrations

$25.95 USD ($34.95 CAD)

Mariner's Catalog (1973) - Henri Vaillancourt Paddles

Came across a 50 year old photo published in the 1973 publication,  The Mariner's catalog, available for 1 hour borrowing on Archive.org. It accompanies a brief write-up of the Malecite style paddles carved by Henri Vaillancourt. The photo is B&W is quite dark and grainy but the beautifully sculpted blades with sharp spines are visible. 

Image Source

Historic Paddle Illustration - Chestnut Canoe Paddles

Before the company was incorporated in 1907 as the Chestnut Canoe Co. Ltd., canvas canoes were being manufactured by R. Chestnut & Sons, an established hardware business in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The company also manufactured two styles of paddles which were effectively copies of what was being offered by the B.N. Morris Canoe company of Veazie, Maine at the time.

The earliest known advertisement for these "Chestnut" paddles appeared on page 12 of the April 11, 1906 issue of the The Daily Gleaner. The same ad ran for several issues during the spring of 1906 

Source Link

Years ago, a relatively rare R.Chestnut & Sons paddle came up for sale by Blanchard's Auctions (see original post HERE). Not sure who purchased by the paddle appears to be the wider tipped blade featured on the left on the ad.

R. Chestnut & Sons paddle on Right

The paddle included a red oval decal oddly positioned on the grip area. Here is a closeup...

Paddle Related Reading: Cabin Collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe

Cabin collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe (2000) is available to digitally borrow on Archive.org. The opening chapter discusses the use of paddles and canoes as decorative objects. The section is well illustrated with photos as well as as generic descriptions of grip styles...

Northwoods Paddle Article: Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors

A while back I had posted on the news that famed Maine Guide and paddle maker, Alexandra Conover Bennett, retired from paddlemaking. Her "North Woods Paddle"  has been passed on to  Shaw & Tenney Paddle Company who have added the traditional design to their line of commercial paddles.

A newly published article describing the Alexandra's paddle legacy appears in the May/June 2020 issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine. Author Donnie Mullen delves into the fascinating local history of the paddle design in his piece, "The Living Legacy of the North Woods Paddle". The article, complete with some photos by the author, is currently available for preview on the magazine's website.

Screenshot: Maine Boats, Homes & Harbor, May/June 2020, Issue 164

The issue also has another canoe-based article on two famed wood-canvas builders, Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow both of Atkinson, Maine.

Many thanks to blog reader, Joe D, for bringing these online readings to my attention.

WCHA Membership Drive

Readers of this blog and lovers of historic canoe craft in general should consider joining the membership of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association.

The WCHA is a non-profit membership organization devoted to preserving, studying, building, restoring, and using wooden and bark canoes, and to disseminating information about canoeing heritage throughout the world. For the very affordable cost $40 US ($45 in Canada, $52 International) a year, members receive six issues of Wooden Canoe, the WCHA’s 28-page full-color journal. The journal is loaded with relevant build articles, historical info and priceless restoration information by the widely accomplished membership base.

In addition, members are allowed to post free classified ads in print and on the web site as well as reduced cost access to the summertime Annual Assembly. The organization also has Local Area Chapters to  help connect with WCHA members in your region for off season social events and paddling opportunities.

The WCHA's online store features some unique and exclusive content including a beautifully prepared 2019 Calendar as well as digitized catalog content of all the historic canoe companies amongst other items.

Joining (renewing) online can be done via their membership page  Alternatively, you may join/renew by phone at 603-323-8992 or by mailing a check to WCHA, PO Box 117, Tamworth, NH 03886.

Circa 1770 Cree Paddle Reproduction - Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1, work on the hard maple replica of the c1770 Cree paddle in the Private Nagy collection proceeded well but slowly.

Hudson Bay Cree Paddle

68 Inch long

circa. 1770 
Photo Credit: Clinton Nagy - SplendidHeritage.com

Blank being shaped

Hard maple is exceedingly heavy so the blade was thinned considerably from the normal 3/8 inch thickness used by many paddle makers. Once the blade portion was done, I thought of staining to match the tones of the original paddle. But a decision was made to use a propane torch and do an extensive charring on the shaft and grip to mimic the aged patina and a lighter burn to replicate the uneven colouring on the blade.

After the brief torching process, I wanted to take some photos. Being distracted by getting the camera, I neglected to realize that some of the thinned maple edge were left smoldering and eventually revealed some splits. In the end, I salvaged the paddle by having to reshape the blade tip a bit from the original shape. Lesson learned when exposing thinned maple to a propane blow-torch!

The original notes provided on the webpage listing mentioned that the zigzag decoration was made by etching the surface when the varnish applied was still wet. I wasn't aware of native use of varnish sealants but after doing some additional research have learned that a rudimentary varnish made by clarified pine resin and turpentine has been documented.

In order to complete this paddle in the spirit of the original, I decided to try and make a similar varnish formula using harvested pine resin in my local area. Large globs of resin were collected from a neighbourhood park where some mature pines had been pruned. On my backyard work bench, the harvested resins were heated in the same old pot ($1.99 thrift store purchase) used for making pitch for the birchbark canoe years ago. The modest  flame of an alcohol camping stove provided the heat.

The melted resin smells wonderful but can spontaneously ignite so precautions must be taken, including having a tight lid for the pot to snuff out any flames.

 Once filtered through some cheesecloth, the resin was cooled to solidify into a block.

In a separate setup, a small shallow can was filled with some non-refined turpentine obtained at an art supply store. Using a double boiler method, the can was placed into another pot with heated water serving to warm the turpentine while small chunks of clarified resin were added in approximate ratio of 1:2 resin to solvent.

I eyeballed it to make enough for a single coat on both sides of the blade. Once thoroughly melted and slightly bubbling, the mixture was removed the heat an allowed to cool to room temperature.  The resulting liquid had the expected golden colour with the flow consistency of watery honey. First tested on some scrap, the thin homemade varnish went on well. Waiting roughly 24 hours between coats, the process was repeated 2 more times.

To mimic the zigzag etchings, a final coat of 2:1 resin to solvent was put on. The pattern was mimicked as best I could given the time restraints of the drying mixture and the difficulty of working with a sticky, resinous surface. Etching just the pattern worked, but given the charred surface of the wood, there was very little contrast to make them visible, so in the end, I let the homemade varnish cure for a few days and then scraped out the pattern to reveal the blonde maple wood below.

Afterwords I realized that my zigzags were not as steep or spaced as close together as the original, but I'm still happy with the results. The shaft and grip been oiled but the glossy sheen didn't come out in the photo I took. Here is my reproduction

Reproduction of the Hudson Bay Cree Paddle

Collected by George Holt

1768 - 1771

I've written an article for Wooden Canoe with more historical details and images. It has been printed in the December 2018 issue - Voume 41 No.6). A downloadable version in *.pdf format is available HERE.

Popular Woodworking Article (2004)

Here's a link to a PDF Format online article which appeared in Popular Woodworking August 2004. The eight page spread outlines how to make a canoe paddle from board of framing lumber.

Included among the many photos are illustration of the plans as well as a closeup of the grip carving. The author has sketched out an 25" long ottertail blade with a max with of 5-1/2".

Historic Paddle Illustration: Digby Mi'kmaq Canoe Photo

The free online library at Archive.org has a great book outlining the extensive history of the Native culture on the East Coast.  Twelve thousand years : American Indians in Maine by Bruce J.  Bourque is a thorough publication that features some photos beyond just the Maine border to include First Nations groups from Canada. Among one particular shot in the appendix section is photo A-18 featuring a Mi'kmaq group with canoe in front of a bark wigwam. 

The two standing gentlemen at the far right and far left are each holding up an inverted paddle clearly showing the shape of the blade.

April 2020 Update: The three men standing in the photo have been identified as (Left to Right): Malti Pictou, Jerry Lonecloud, John McEwan, all noted canoe guides. The image source is from the Nova Scotia Museum, photo by Harry Cochrane or Ralph N. Harris, NSM 97.31)

Small Boats Monthly: Rollin Thurlow - Atkinson Traveler

A great online article by Donnie Mullen published on SmallBoatsMonthly.com discusses the paddling features of Rollin Thurlow's famed design, the Atkinson Traveler. Included in the article is a photo of Rollin and his shop assistant Elisa Schine using some Maine style paddles with beautiful grips.

Courtesy: Small Boats Monthly

Photo Credit: Donnie Mullen

Source Link

Paddle Article for Wooden Canoe

Special news to report. A short article regarding one of my historic replicas was published in the February issue of Wooden Canoe (Issue 205, Vol. 41 No.1). "Paddles from the Past" discusses the history behind the decorated steering paddle illustrated by H.R. Schoolcraft in his  1821 publication Narrative journal of travels through the northwestern regions of the United States...

Fig. 2 Schoolcraft's steering paddle

from Plate II - Indian Manufactures
Narrative journal of travels through the northwestern regions of the United States...
 Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Source Link

For anyone who might be interested, I've made the two page article available for viewing at this link here.

As an aside, the 2018 Wooden Canoe Heritage Association Assembly is finally back in Canada this summer and will be in nearby Peterborough, Ontario July 17-22. More on that in another post.  I've been scheduled to discuss historic paddle designs and decoration. The Schoolcraft reproduction will be there as part of a display.

Historic Paddle Photo: Rough Waters on the Restigouche

Here's a wonderful action shot of bark canoe rushing down down some rapids. While the blade of the Guide's paddle is submerged under the water, the long flat grip is faintly visible in the photo.

Source : New Brunswick, Canada  (Publication date 1920)

Image Link

Book Review: Border Country

A recently published book may interest those with a keen interest in historical canoe tripping and vintage wood-canvas canoes.  Border Country: The Northwoods Canoe Journals of Howard Greene  documents the tripping adventures of an enthusiastic group of wilderness seekers in the early  20th century.

Border Country: The Northwoods Canoe Journals of Howard Greene

2017 • Author: Martha Greene Phillips
Foreword by Peter Geye

$39.95 cloth/jacket ISBN 978-1-5179-0107-3
408 pages, 376 b&w plates, 9 x 10, July 2017

University of Minnesota Press

Beginning in the summer of 1906, a successful Milwaukee businessman departed with his son and some friends and to explore the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. After that first trip, the group was hooked and spent multiple summers tackling more ambitious routes in Minnesota, Michigan and Canada until a final journey in 1916. As tends to happen when a close-knit group form a tripping camaraderie, nick-names began to emerge. The crew called themselves "The Gang" and labeled their intrepid leader, Howard Greene, affectionately as "Dad".

Howard "Dad" Greene
Courtesy of Martha Greene Phillips

Greene was not only the trip organizer, he was also the record keeper of the group maintaining meticulous notes of the long journeys. More significantly, he hefted along a cumbersome Graflex camera and tripod to photograph the unspoiled portions of the routes, daily camp life, remote Indian villages, lumber camps and mining operations during a critical time of change in the region.

Tripping photography in the early 20th century
Courtesy of Martha Greene Phillips

A shoreline break

Courtesy of Martha Greene Phillips

Camp in 1915

Courtesy of Martha Greene Phillips

Once back in the city, the ever-talented Greene would type up his notes, develop dozens of large format photographs and sketch out route maps of the trip. He would then bind them with attractive leather covers and make a nostalgic copy for each member of The Gang. The effort and workmanship alone made these journals works of art in themselves.

Howard Greene's Leather Bound Journal gifts for each member of "The Gang"
 Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Press

Copies of the original journals were lost over time but a complete set, along with hundreds of never-before-seen photos were held in the private collection of Greene's youngest child, daughter,  Martha Greene-Phillips.  Thankfully, she was willing to share this personal treasure trove with a wider audience. The resulting collaboration with the University of Minnesota Press resulted in a handsome hardcover complete with over 370 photos of the successive trips.

As a lover of wooden canoes and tripping in general, the collection of journals and photos were a mesmerizing read. Normally, personal journals can be quite mundane creating a limited connection with the reader, but Greene's writing style, observational nature and wit succeeds in drawing in the outsider. One almost feels like a ghost member of "The Gang" tagging along,  enduring their hardships yet enjoying the journey. Folks who have paddled these same regions today, now part of Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, might further appreciate the historic documentation that predates the work of other famed wilderness writers  like Sigurd Olson and Calvin Rutstrum by decades.

Modern canoeists will certainly get a historical lesson of the difficulties in logistics for the trips of the time. A significant portion of each trip involved lengthy rides by train, wagon, horse and steamship just to reach the access points. Maps of many areas were still incomplete or inaccurate and navigation required a constant focus rather than the comparatively lazy method of plugging in coordinates into GPS. Tripping like this doesn't seem like a restful vacation yet the summer escapes of the Gang were the highlight of their year.

Two members of the group would eventually purchase their own their own wood-canvas canoes and would freight them back to Milwaukee by train once each trip was over. Greene owned a very early Kennebec canoe whose fine lines and attractive heart shaped deck can be seen in many of the photographs. By the end of his final journey 1916 journey, it had become so battered and patched that it was sold off to local barber for the grand sum of five dollars. Another member of The Gang had an early Thompson. Today, wood canvas canoes from that era are relatively rare and sought after by collectors. Greene's photographs are a valuable early record of these craft  and would be useful for those who wish to study the lines and components for research and restoration purposes.

Greene was also keenly interested in the local Ojibwe people and their culture. The journals discuss exchanges about gear and beadwork with local bands. Photographs of native camps and birchbark canoe construction provide a rare ethnographic visual of these encounters.  Although Martha Greene Phillips writes that her father held enlightened views for the time, she and the publisher made no attempt to sanitize language considered very offensive today, nor hide the fact that while initially respectful in their early trips, The Gang would go on to desecrate native grave sites for souvenirs in later years.

As distasteful as this episode seems to modern ears, the true essence of the book is about the bond of family and friendship through the mutual experience of wilderness escape. Containing a visual photographic feast and delightful tripping stories, Border Country would make a fine addition to any canoeist's library.

Historic Paddle Photo: Bark Canoe on the St. John River (1899)

Here's a beautiful image from the 1899 publication, St. John River, The Rhine of America by the New Brunswick Tourist Association.

Image Source Link

closeup

Historic Paddle Illustration: Patrick Cambell - Travels in the interior inhabited parts of North America...

Two more historic illustrations can be found in Patrick Campbell's Travels in the interior inhabited parts of North America : in the years 1791 and 1792. The first image illustrates a cleared farm hacked out of the dense forest in the background with labels identifying key features.  In the foreground are two sets of canoes in an early Wabanaki style with exaggerated pointed ends (see Enys canoe post for a surviving example).

Image Source Link

The details on the etchings are quite elaborate with the artist capturing the gunnel lashings and even the curved "fiddlehead" etchings and other decorative elements along the hull.

Decorative etchings on the hull

Another image in the text showcases a family traveling with their canoe upstream...

Image Source Link

Canoe closeup

Historic Paddle Illustration: All Afloat from Verner

The 1920 publication by William C.H. Wood,  All afloat : a chronicle of craft and waterways features some canoe art on the inside title page. A replica of a painting by Frederick Verner showcases a romanticized view of a canoe brigade in foggy waters. The stern paddler uses a paddle with a distinct chevron motif...

Source Link

Paddle Closeup

"Weymontachie" Atikamekw Paddles

La culture matérielle des indiens de Weymontachie by Norman Clermont (‎1982) contains a grainy image of paddles made by members of the Weymontachie Reserve (now Wemotaci) in Quebec. These are straight sided working paddles although one of them features an elongated grip with carved vine motif.

La culture matérielle des indiens de Weymontachie 

Norman Clermont (‎1982) 

A second sketch appears in the book providing a closeup of the decorative element...

La culture matérielle des indiens de Weymontachie 

Norman Clermont (‎1982) 

Historic Illustration - Jacques Bidault - Pirogues et Pagaies, 1945

From La Bibli du Canoe website is an excerpt from a 1945 publication entitled,  Pirogues et Pagaies by Jacques Bidault. Page 139 contains sketches of various paddles. Unfortunately apart from the brief figure captions, no signification details are provided.

The first paddle is reminiscent of  Innu shaped paddles. The second figure is labelled as a "Pagaie chippeway" and looks to be a resketching of the "Chippewa Woman's Paddle" from the Smithsonian complete with knots on the shaft and grip area..

Bureau of American Ethnology

BULLETIN 86 - Chippewa Customs

Plate 53

Image Source Link

The final paddle sketch (figure 138) contains some decorative etchings and a hole in the flattened grip area. Unfortunately, it is simply listed as an "Indian Paddle" with no other clues to the specific origins.