Snoopy and a Chestnut Prospector: A Wood-Canvas Canoe Restoration

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes

When you talk to Mike about growing up in Northern Alberta, the stories all revolve around his Dad and their 17’ Chestnut Prospector.  The canoe was the centre of Mike’s young life – especially because his Dad painted “Snoopy” on each side of the bow.  So, when Mike brought the canoe to Kettle River Canoes for restoration, the first question was, “Can you put “Snoopy” back on the canoe?”

Mike’s canoe was typical of the canoes that come into the shop for restoration.  It had been well-used but not abused.

I could find only one broken rib.  At the same time, the planking through the main body of the canoe had seen better days.

The original slat seats suspended about an inch below the gunwales had been replaced with hardwood frames and nylon webbing lowered several inches.  Mike asked me to build new seat frames and weave natural cane in the Chestnut canoe pattern.

The original canvas was rotted to the point where it broke away from the hull under the outwales.  Since the only thing holding the canvas to the hull were a handful of tacks, the canvas simply fell away from the canoe.  The outwales typically are exposed to the elements much more than the rest of the canoe.  They had rotted and would be replaced with exact replicas in white ash.  It is interesting to note that, even in the 1960’s, they had to splice two pieces of ash together with a scarf joint to produce the long lengths required.

The inwales in most canoes are in good condition except for the ends.  Water gets trapped where the inwales come together around the stem-end and creates a warm, moist environment for rot.  Both ends of this canoe would have to be rebuilt.  “Snoopy” was all but completely gone from the original canvas.  I was wondering how I was going to replicate the original design when Mike produced the template drawing his father used.

The interior varnish was still in reasonable condition, so the restoration started by cleaning the interior with TSP (tri-sodium-phosphate).

Next, the ends were disassembled to expose the rotted inwale-ends and stem-end.  I discovered that the original maple decks were also rotted.  New ash was spliced into the original stem and inwales and new decks were made.  I don’t think Mike would mind that the only maple I had was some birds-eye.

New seat frames were made with white ash.  A mortising chisel was used to create the mortises for the frame joints.

Even though there was only one rib to replace, the process takes as long as that required for a half-dozen ribs.  The cedar is cut with tapered ends, soaked for 48 hours and steamed for an hour before it is bent over the outside of the hull at a location where the outside dimension of the new rib is the same as that of the broken rib on the inside of the canoe.  The bent wood dries for 48 hours before it is installed and attached with about 60 brass tacks.

New cedar planking replaced sections that showed the most wear.

Gouges in the original planking (resulting from the removal of original tacks when various broken components were removed) were filled with exterior-grade wood filler.  Then the entire exterior was sanded smooth.

A mixture of boiled linseed oil thinned 50% with turpentine was applied to the exterior of the hull.  The oil was allowed to dry for a couple of weeks before canvas was stretched onto the hull.

For me, it starts to look like a canoe again when the canvas is stretched over the hull and tacked into place.  Then, the filler was applied and allowed to dry for at least four weeks.

Once dry, the filler was sanded smooth with 220-grit sandpaper.  Then the original brass stem-bands were re-installed to protect the canvas seams at ends of the canoe.

It takes more than a week to apply four coats of alkyd enamel paint to the filled canvas and two coats of spar varnish to all of the exposed wood (hull interior, seats, outwales, etc.).

Once the paint is allowed to dry for a few days, it is protected with a coat of carnauba wax.  Then, the new outwales are installed.

The new hand-woven cane seats are hung from the inwales with 6” silicon-bronze 10-24 carriage bolts and new hardwood spacers made from 5/8” dowel.

A Chestnut canoe is incomplete without new decals on the deck and hull.

Of course, the crowning glory on this canoe was an exact replica of the “Snoopy” that Mike’s Dad painted more than 40 years previous.  I pulled out a set of artist brushes and used a 36” piece of dowel to keep my hand steady and away from the canvas.

If the look on Mike’s face was anything to go by, the day he loaded his fully restored canoe back on his car was better than a hundred Christmas days rolled into one.  He had already sent some pictures of the finished canoe to his Dad (now well into his eighties).  Apparently, he was especially impressed with the job I did on “Snoopy”.  My hope is that there is someone around forty years from now to restore the canoe for Mike’s kids and keep “Snoopy” in the family.

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