New (to me) canoe

[NKlamerus]

Well I've been on the hunt for awhile for another watercraft so other people can join me on the water

I searched for 2 weeks on marketplace and craigslist and chose the absolute worst time of year to buy anything that floats

I got lucky on Saturday and saw an ad for a yard sale with 2 canoes, I drove out and both were available for cheap

I picked up an unknown year Old Town Discovery 133k for 75$ with some paddles that will be art for the fiance

I immediately liked how short it was, and it's about as wide as my nucanoe. It's a combined tandem and solo, the non-k model is rated for ~750lb capacity

Hull is in great shape, seats were not, seperated and dry rotted.

 

[NKlamerus]

I removed the seats and was unsure of what to do with them

I've owned aluminum and fiberglass canoes before but never one with wooden seats

These are factory and a out 70$ minimum each to replace

The factory hardware is absolutely too small, almost all the hangers were bent, they will be switched to 1/4-20 stainless.

For now I made some seat bases out of 3/4" treated plywood and a new center thwart out of some fir just for strength, I definitely want to eventually have a center seat but that's a good winter project

I'm also going to move the front seat back about 6", it's way too far forward

 

[NKlamerus]

Seat bases are cut, epoxy sealant is way too expensive so I went with protective enamel for now

 

[fromthelogo]

Looking forward to seeing this project progress

 

[Casting Call]

I like what you are doing "on the cheap". I would do the same Just to save on some $ for some up-grades. Tony

Looking forward to seeing this project progress

Ditto!!!!

 

[NKlamerus]

Used a cheap drill press to make some new seat drops, still not convinced that the 2" drop at the seat makes a huge difference in stability

There's 3 different lengths, the rear seat has to make up for the rise in the gunnel

Thought about painting them to match but it wouldn't have been easy to keep the coats even, just used some old stain instead.

 

[NKlamerus]

Photo retry

 

[NKlamerus]

This thing was DIRTY

It's probably only 75% of the way done but after a vinegar soak, bleach soak, and hours of scrubbing I'm calling it good for now

I treated the hull with 303 as well. Definitely added some shine back to it

First big flaw I've seen with the design is lack of drainage when it's stored upsidedown, the gunnel catch all the water off the hull and gutter it to either end, where there's no drain at all so dirt has been collecting and building for years. I drilled a 1/2" hole in each end to let all the stuff out, full of leaves and mud

 

[Casting Call]

Beautttttttiful! as a 12yr machinist I can apricate your work. Tony

 

[NKlamerus]

Beautttttttiful! as a 12yr machinist I can apricate your work. Tony

Thanks brother, we will see what you think after I throw in the conglomeration of seat hardware I have lol

I've got about 5 coats of enamel on all the wood, should get them in today

 

[NKlamerus]

Not my best work, for some reason I miss judged the plywood so my hardware was too short, but also anything over 4" in stainless is 4x the price.

So instead of the wood droppers I just used rubber washers on the front seat to level it out

The rear seat is flush, we'll decide this weekend how well it'll work

I used some extra aluminum bar to help support the head of the bolts in the plastic gunnels.

 

[Casting Call]

It's good enough for the women I go out with. Tony

 

[NKlamerus]

It's good enough for the women I go out with. Tony

I'll get the seal of approval from mine tomorrow!

Biggest hurdle now is storage.

 

[Casting Call]

Hang it from the rafters. Tony

 

[NKlamerus]

Hang it from the rafters. Tony

I've though about that hard but my ceiling is 8' and it's a single wide garage.

I already have the wife's kayak above mine in my cart, might slip into that space between them but it'd be tough

I'd love to hang out above the couch in the living room

First trip was a success, really stable both of them were able to stand. Seats worked great they preffered the height for their knees anyways

Bottom flexes quite a bit more than I suspected, guess it's normal though, I compared it to another old town 17' canoe out there. I packed a heavy yeti 50qt cooler for the center, you could tell it held that part of the hull down well, and likely added some stability.

We did a quick trip around Alton Baker, fine in the current, definitely would need a skeg or rudder for solo paddling I think

Some quirks to figure out on the truck, just need to be able to pack my motor and battery, don't miss paddling.

 

[Oregunner]

If you put a motor on it, you have to register it. Did you get a title, or manufacture certificate? Cost by the foot. 17’, ouch! Might be better to learn to J stroke.

 

[NKlamerus]

If you put a motor on it, you have to register it. Did you get a title, or manufacture certificate? Cost by the foot. 17’, ouch! Might be better to learn to J stroke.

My bad I meant motor for my kayak (already registered) while someone else uses the canoe, usually it sits in the back seat but there's passengers there if we are all going out

 

[NKlamerus]

Stored for now, even if this isn't permanent I can at least walk around the garage at the moment

2 locks and 2 cables, hidden from the road and tucked in a back corner, I only have 1 gate for my yard right outside the front window

 

[NKlamerus]

Added a center support to help hold the center of the keel

 

[NKlamerus]

Picked up a rod holder that will clamp on to the gunnel, but I've also got some bench mounts to add to the center.