My Winter Project - Restoring a Canadian Canoe

[Mourneman]

Looking good mate,when will it be finished?

[Dowser]

Looking good mate,when will it be finished?

Hopefully ship shape in three weeks.  Gonna finish preparing the hull for painting this week, then I'm off to Lanzarote for a week, then the following week she will be finished and taken on her maiden voyage 

[LandyLiam]

i'll maybe stay on shore, purely to take pictures  or maybe get a wee video for you've been framed    i hope your painting it yellow again (it'll be easier to find underwater!)

[Dowser]

i'll maybe stay on shore, purely to take pictures  or maybe get a wee video for you've been framed    i hope your painting it yellow again (it'll be easier to find underwater!)

O ye of little faith, but if you do get any footage for You've Been Framed I want 50% 

[LandyLiam]

only if you don't drown 

[velvetmonkey]

Hi Dowser,

Have you had a chance to lauch her yet?

[Dowser]

Hi Dowser,

Have you had a chance to lauch her yet?

It's the big launch weekend this weekend, weather permitting.  To be honest, even if the weather is awful she's getting her bum wet.

Top Coated the whole thing last weekend and she has come up nice.  Going to spend the next couple of evenings adding the finishing touches and varnishing my paddle (and that's NOT and innuendo lol).

It was like Christmas for me last week with the arrival of Buoyancy Bags, Rigging (For when I sail her), New Life Jackets and of course my ultimate hobo stove which is probably going to be used for the first time on an island overnighter on Strangford Lough.

I've been holding back on posting any more photo's until I get her sitting just right with her new decals an all 

I have to admit, she's looking really well, in my opinion anyway 

Oh, okay then... Here's a sneak preview:

[Dowser]

What a weekend of awful weather but the sun came out in Killyleagh today between 3pm and 5pm so I headed for the shore and finally converted my Winter Project into a new hobby!!!

My first outing was excellent and the canoe handles very very well both paddling and sailing.  Bit nervous sailing it for the first time as I had a few spectators loitering about but it handled as well as any sailing dinghy I've ever been in so I'm well pleased.

I'm going to give it a few more sea trials, in varying weather conditions, then its off Island Hoping in Strangford for me.  If anybody fancies an Island camp then I'm now good to go 

Here's a few pics of the finished article.  None of me actually paddling or sailing it yet because I wasn't leaving my camera with a 5 year old at the waters edge but hopefully get a few action shots next time out:

















All in all a very successful launch 

[Mourneman]

  pure class Dowser,must say you did a first rate job restoring it,look forward to seen what adventures you get up to !

[Dowser]

pure class Dowser,must say you did a first rate job restoring it,look forward to seen what adventures you get up to !

Thanks Mourneman... I am really really pleased with the way it has turned out.  I'm also surprised at how steady she is in the water, even without the centre board down.  I was out with the two kids for a while and it was so steady and when the centre board was down you could have stood up and paddled it like a gondola 

I can see many adventures unfolding with this new toy.  Possibly a lot of fishing too 

PS Mourneman, I'll pm you about that other stuff we were chatting about.  I got distracted putting the finishing touches to the canoe and forgot to reply 

[Kayakgirl]

Looking good Dowser.. May you have many happy days sailing and paddling your boat.

[RedLeader]

Looks like an awesome chum, just in time for summer too, what more could you want!

[whoRya]

Looks fantastic.  Fair play for  having the guts to do a project like that.  Maybe you could post a before and after picture at the end of this thread?

[Rumblebum]

Yeah Dowser she looks brilliant! So this is the reason you havnt been in the hills then eh

[Wolf_Larson]

What a cracking job mate, well done and have fun on the water mate.