Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: JW_Halverson on April 21, 2018, 01:28:25 pm
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Found this old Coleman canoe for a song, so I snatched it up. Gsulfridge has been posting near daily reports on Facebook with pics out on the water catching crappie, bluegills, bass, etc and he just was eating me up with jealousy! I have been planning on making a small skin-on-frame Wee Lassy canoe, but for the now, I just cannot wait.
I drove out to a really sketchy campground to meet an even sketchier dude to buy it. I wrote down the hull number and pretended to get a phone call from a friend and walked away a short distance. I called a contact at the local police and read off the hull number to see if it was hot. It came up clear and the last registration was in 2004 to the guy that had placed the add. Whew!
The hull number ends in the two digits "93", so according to one website that tells us that it was manufactured in 1993. Ok, so the canoe is 25 yrs old, good to know.
It's got the cheapy aluminum tubing framing and reinforcement in the keel, but nothing is bent and there appears to be no creases in the hull. A number of the bolts holding molding/etc in place have been replaced with random hardware, but not a lot is missing either! The aluminum is pretty hazy/oxidized, but a little fooling around with polishing compound will brighten all that up. Rub rails have a few rub-through spots, but once again, they are not thrashed out either.
My plan is to spend a few odd hours here and there tuning her up and using her over the summer, then put her up for sale next summer at a modest profit for my efforts. And considering I paid a light sale price for her, I am very sure I can make a couple bucks on the deal.
I know serious canoeists look down their noses at this model/mfr, but many of them also admit this thing is stable, can take a fair bit of abuse, and will last a long time. Anyone else have one of these, have experience with one, or have advice on it?
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NEED PICTURES!!!
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Here she is. The Tiny-tannic!
Dirt and some random bird turds discoloring the hull will wash off. Oh, and the guy threw in a pair of cheap-o plastic and aluminum tubing canoe paddles. I think I can turn out something nicer from wood!
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I have an old Coleman scanoe (the one with the flat back for a small motor). I have had mine for quite a while and love it. It is very stable and floats. I had a couple of cracks near the rear seat but they were easy to fix with a plastic welder.
Enjoy your canoe. Looks like a good score.
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swampman, cracks in the hull? or the seat?
jw, I have beat the crap out of two of those colemans. Back when we were trapping we would use it in icy rivers at well below zero. if the ice was thick enought to walk on, the canoe got dragged for miles, if the ice was sketchy, we would get in the canoe with all our gear and skate across the ice, pushing with ski poles until we broke through, then finally get out the paddles after icebreakin down to open water. when in open water and approaching ice again, we would paddle like hell and ram our way up on to the ice, using the ski poles until we could get out and drag the canoe.
my only reservation in an old canoe is sunlight making the poly brittle after many years. you might want to do some serious flex testing to see if cracks happen. When in newer shape, I have seen these canoes literally folded in half with broken aluminum ribs after getting wrapped around rocks in white water. when that happened the aluminun ribs got replaced with nearby spruce poles to get home. those guys never did get around to replacing those poles.
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She's got good flex. Not brittle at all. I am going to store on the north side (shady side) of the garage and tarp wrap as well, when not in use.
Worst case scenario, I am not out all that much money. But I think she has years left in her!
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Good score JW.How much do you think it weighs?
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Good score JW.How much do you think it weighs?
About 65 lbs
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Willie, mine had cracks in the sides by the rear seat. The aluminum frame puts pressure on both sides. It was an easy fix.
Mine was made in 1986 and is still in great shape. I hope I get quite a few more years out of it.
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That's not bad at all.
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Nice score!
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Real neat! Paddling plastic is better than not paddling! We got one like that sitting on sawhorses in the back yard, too! 15 footer! They do fade some in h e sunlight, but Turtle wax should help that. We aren't going for white water, or getting too far from shore! Also have a 17' wooden canoe to restore that somebody covered with fiberglass and resin apparently. That is a real tough job to look forward to! It is behind the bow, Flintknapping hunting, fishing and a lot of other to do's!
Hawkdancer
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Willie said it all,,we did about the same,,BUT if you tip it and it fills with water dude your screwed !! We would get inner tubes and stuff them inside the boat the inflate them,,,made righting a lot easier also a five gal bucket would sit fine in the tube,,,,,we made crude out riggers and used small electric trolling motors caught tons of fish,,be safe ,,,I'd lay odds that you'll take a liking to that boat jeffw
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Well JW. I'd say that looks like a match made in Heav... well I guess a sketchy park.lol. Looks cool to me Captain JW Halverson. I'm betting Jeff is right and it stays around along time. Have fun and stay safe. Hope your stringer is full of tasty fish.
Bjrogg
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Willie said it all,,we did about the same,,BUT if you tip it and it fills with water dude your screwed !! We would get inner tubes and stuff them inside the boat the inflate them,,,made righting a lot easier also a five gal bucket would sit fine in the tube,,,,,we made crude out riggers and used small electric trolling motors caught tons of fish,,be safe ,,,I'd lay odds that you'll take a liking to that boat jeffw
It has small covered decks and bulkheads on either end. Somewhere in the process of tuning her up, I intend to make sure that both are filled with new foam flotation baulks.
Well JW. I'd say that looks like a match made in Heav... well I guess a sketchy park.lol. Looks cool to me Captain JW Halverson. I'm betting Jeff is right and it stays around along time. Have fun and stay safe. Hope your stringer is full of tasty fish.
Bjrogg
....and a sketchy buyer completed the circle, is that what you are saying? >:(
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Haha no JW not what I'm saying at all. I'd say that ship found a good captain.
Bjrogg
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Haha no JW not what I'm saying at all. I'd say that ship found a good captain.
Bjrogg
In a crew of one, I am without a doubt the best man for the job!
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Nothing wrong with those at all, Jdub. The friend I used to dive the river with has been using the square back version with a 10 hp Honda for years. They work great in our rocky, poke holes in fibre glass rivers. You cam patch any leaks with a plastic Kayak repair kit or in a pinch, melt a six pack ring holder or milk jug.