smerchly Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 This old Harbour Craft aluminum canoe was bought over 40 years ago at Fort Erie before Nichols Marina took over . It was a new "second" as it has a twist in the transom, for $150 . It has seen a lot of rough water and has taken me many miles down lakes and rivers , including the Moose River and a nice ride on the Polar Bear Express. It has been welded , dented a thousand times , scratched and patched . She finally got a new coat today ! I sanded it with 600 grit , used some fine steel wool , sprayed her with vinegar , then used an etching /primer before the paint job using 3 colours of camo paint . I am looking to get some flat matt finish spray paint to help protect the camo ....I used some tree/garden plants for the design and a leaf from a maple to make a stencil on heavy paper . She does look a little younger ...... ....a bunch of photos ...all done in an hour . verado, Mbocco, NiagaraRiverFisher and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba14 Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 Looks awesome my friend!! smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-turd Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 Nice job, my dad and I are still finishing up our canoe, did all the fibreglass repairs and now just sand and paint to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Bass-turd said: Nice job, my dad and I are still finishing up our canoe, did all the fibreglass repairs and now just sand and paint to go Are you doing a solid paint job or camouflage ? I looked at some you tube vids for ideas for camo . They have stencils at Michaels bur very pricey , so I went with the plants ....cheap ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 They are great canoes Bill. I still have mine that I bought from Harbour Craft back in 1973, and the camo paint job is still holding up. I just don't use it any more since I haven't been duck hunting in years. It works great with my old 36 Lb thrust Minn Kota electric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-turd Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 2 hours ago, smerchly said: Are you doing a solid paint job or camouflage ? I looked at some you tube vids for ideas for camo . They have stencils at Michaels bur very pricey , so I went with the plants ....cheap ! Solid paint job in red, the original colour. Like yours my father purchased this approximately 40 years ago, this was at the sportsman show back in the day, and I made sure the purchase was justified, put many war wounds on this canoe, we’re lookin to bring this back close to original condition. She’s a freighter style, is rated for somewhere in the 800-900 pound range. I can stand up in either front or back and fish comfortably like it’s a casting deck, good balance is still required, although I can walk from front to back comfortably. Biggest downside is the weight, approximately 90-100 pounds, makes this a two person portage canoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 That's a heavy duty freighter like my 90 lb. freighter which was said to hold 1000 lbs. We had some big loads in it and powered it with a 3 hp Evinrude with a built in gas tank , and it's very stable . About 20 years ago I painted my 16' Prospector canvas a bright red . I used a small sponge paint roller and painted it in the shade on a hot sunny day . I quickly moved it into the sun which made the roller marks look like a spray paint job . It was about 60 lbs . and a little too "tippy" for me. It would be great to see a few photos of your project . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-turd Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 I’ll definitely be posting some pictures of it soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonietoon1 Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Smerchly where can l get the etching primer and what is the name on the can sir thank you🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 8 hours ago, smerchly said: This old Harbour Craft aluminum canoe was bought over 40 years ago at Fort Erie before Nichols Marina took over . It was a new "second" as it has a twist in the transom, for $150 . It has seen a lot of rough water and has taken me many miles down lakes and rivers , including the Moose River and a nice ride on the Polar Bear Express. It has been welded , dented a thousand times , scratched and patched . She finally got a new coat today ! I sanded it with 600 grit , used some fine steel wool , sprayed her with vinegar , then used an etching /primer before the paint job using 3 colours of camo paint . I am looking to get some flat matt finish spray paint to help protect the camo ....I used some tree/garden plants for the design and a leaf from a maple to make a stencil on heavy paper . She does look a little younger ...... ....a bunch of photos ...all done in an hour . Great job smerch. Now gotta get some fish slime on it. smerchly and Bubba14 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiagaraRiverFisher Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Smerch that looks great , the red maple leaf is a nice touch ,good job sir.🍁 smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Beautiful......................Great job........................🙂 smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 12 hours ago, genec said: They are great canoes Bill. I still have mine that I bought from Harbour Craft back in 1973, and the camo paint job is still holding up. I just don't use it any more since I haven't been duck hunting in years. It works great with my old 36 Lb thrust Minn Kota electric. Is it also a square back ? I find the electric motor hard t make a left turn with the handle back 2 ft. I have some rubber mats for the floor since aluminum is so noisy . 10 hours ago, Loonietoon1 said: Smerchly where can l get the etching primer and what is the name on the can sir thank you🤔 I got it at Can.Tire in the auto dept .where they have the primers . ( can in my photo) It's $25 and I would need 2 cans if I was to do the bottom properly , but it would only be scraped off when I beach the canoe on sandy /rocky shores . 10 hours ago, NiagaraRiverFisher said: Smerch that looks great , the red maple leaf is a nice touch ,good job sir.🍁 Since it was CANADA day , I thought the red maple leaf would look good on the Canadian made canoe . We need more of this ! ......just got on line ,cable was out to lunch ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonietoon1 Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 21 minutes ago, smerchly said: Is it also a square back ? I find the electric motor hard t make a left turn with the handle back 2 ft. I have some rubber mats for the floor since aluminum is so noisy . I got it at Can.Tire in the auto dept .where they have the primers . ( can in my photo) It's $25 and I would need 2 cans if I was to do the bottom properly , but it would only be scraped off when I beach the canoe on sandy /rocky shores . Since it was CANADA day , I thought the red maple leaf would look good on the Canadian made canoe . We need more of this ! ......just got on line ,cable was out to lunch ... Thank you sir 👍will check them out doing my 14ft tinny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Squareback, same as yours. I have an extension handle for the electric, and I mounted a swivel seat base on the back seat so I could add a fold-down boat seat - much more comfortable than the bare aluminum bench seat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 I'll have to fit a piece of plastic pipe on the handle and I remember I have a swivel fold down boat seat mounted on plywood with a felt backing .That should do the trick . The biggest problem is carrying the heavy deep cell battery in and out of the canoe . First outing will be paddle power .... I have removed a seat from my Astro van and can fit about 9 ft. of the canoe inside . I have to lower the side windows while driving to help push exhaust fumes out . Going to get some matt finish clear coat at H.Hardware today ,hope to finisherup today ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Looks great. Can't wait to help you try her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Smerch, looks like you are getting ready for a moose hunting expedition. All camo’d up and ready to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 hours ago, bigugli said: Looks great. Can't wait to help you try her out. For sure Bruce , always better to have 2 people to get that 90 lb.barge in and out of the van ! 2 hours ago, Surf and Turf said: Smerch, looks like you are getting ready for a moose hunting expedition. All camo’d up and ready to go! Those days are gone . I'm the last guy standing from the 6 of us who spent many years hunting moose . I lost the picture I had showing the canoe loaded with 4 quarters of a nice moose . I'll dig up a photo of the canoe at a trib off the Moose River . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 9 hours ago, smerchly said: For sure Bruce , always better to have 2 people to get that 90 lb.barge in and out of the van ! Those days are gone . I'm the last guy standing from the 6 of us who spent many years hunting moose . I lost the picture I had showing the canoe loaded with 4 quarters of a nice moose . I'll dig up a photo of the canoe at a trib off the Moose River . Well you did did a fine job there, should be able to sneak up on some nice fish anyway! Old canoes, guns, fishing rods, etc. all bring back priceless memories. Would like to see some pics for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 On 7/5/2021 at 8:24 AM, Surf and Turf said: Well you did did a fine job there, should be able to sneak up on some nice fish anyway! Old canoes, guns, fishing rods, etc. all bring back priceless memories. Would like to see some pics for sure. It was a hasty job , could have made a template with cardboard to make "splotches" of various sizes . I should have grabbed some fern , very nice pattern . Here 's a short video (can the music) of the method I used . This guy has more paint colours and did a nice job on his tank (no,not an army tank) ha! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwnTxfGT5YQ&ab_channel=PryorityFarm Bubba14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 6, 2021 Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 52 minutes ago, smerchly said: It was a hasty job , could have made a template with cardboard to make "splotches" of various sizes . I should have grabbed some fern , very nice pattern . Here 's a short video (can the music) of the method I used . This guy has more paint colours and did a nice job on his tank (no,not an army tank) ha! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwnTxfGT5YQ&ab_channel=PryorityFarm I think using the fern came out better than a cardboard cut out. No camouflaging the propane tank is a brilliant idea, that will really get the wife going! Maybe do the same treatment on her vacuum just for giggles! smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 On 7/5/2021 at 8:24 AM, Surf and Turf said: Old canoes, guns, fishing rods, etc. all bring back priceless memories. Would like to see some pics for sure. I found this old photo of my canoe , way up the Matagami R. where we camped at the small trib. We could here moose at 1 am near our tent and found fresh tracks beside the canoe in the morning , tent was up in those pines ....and we didn't get our moose that year ! The moose ( bull & cow ) disappeared by morning .pffffft ...can't remember what camera it was, probably a 110 or my old Brownie ! We took the 3 hp motor off to go up the trib about 1 km . to a beaver dam . Then we broke some of the dam open which enabled us to ride back to camp on the tidal wave . The canoe sustained a lot of bruises on that ride !! By morning, the busy beavers had the water flow back to normal ! Tyler0420, Bubba14, Surf and Turf and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted July 8, 2021 Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 That is a cool picture Smerch, Looking at old pictures brings your mind back to that time. Unfortunately I have very few pictures from my youth. I didn't really start taking pictures until I had kids. This reminds me that on my first moose hunt we camped on the Mattagami River too, can't recall exactly where but was fairly close to a big dam. I was 18 along with my buddy, his brother and his uncle. It was a real circus. We had made a "tent" out of orange tarps that must have been 8 x 20. I remember when it was all sewn up I mentioned that maybe we should cover the grommet holes and buddy's uncle said "one rain drop hitting a grommet hole isn't going to hurt anything," those turned out to be famous last words. So we leave Niagara Falls in the afternoon, ran out of pavement just past Smooth Rock falls and all the way to the Mattagami on logging roads in the dark, getting there around midnight or so. Next step, set up the "Tent". Well to set up the tent you basically had to build a log cabin to put the "tent" over it, so out come the chain saws, lashing together of poles and, finally draping the "tent" over the makeshift frame. By this time it started to sleet and snow with a bit of rain mixed in. Once set up we dragged our stuff in and crashed. The next thing I knew it was raining with the rain collecting on the sagging roof and each grommet hole was a mini waterfall inside the tent. Being so tired we just stoked the fire and pulled a plastic sheet over us. My buddy and his brother both had army surplus sleeping bags that were warm and evidently waterproof. I had an old cheap Canadian Tire special that soaked up water like a sponge. The next morning I woke up and my head was in a puddle and I had ice frozen to my head and I had the worst head ache I have ever experienced! We had a ton of other mishaps on that trip some while sober, some while not. Wild devil pig encounter, devil pig barricade, skunk shot outside tent, Five Star induced bird feeder, lost in the bush etc. Good times, and way better than spending the week in school! We did allot of exploring in our 12 foot aluminum, bouncing off dead heads out in the river. We are lucky we didn't all drown. One day it was raining so hard and with our firewood stash soaked, my buddy and I decided to backtrack up the logging road to cut up some dead fall birch that we could split for dry wood. On the way back we see something in the middle of the road, had to give it a double take, it was a Bull, he looked at us then walked off the road into a small clearing maybe 75 yards short of the bush, stops and looks back at us. Well we weren't really hunting at that time, so we weren't prepared at all. I pull over, flip the seat of the truck pull out my rifle, fish around under the seat for the box of shells, get loaded up. By then the moose must have gotten bored wondering what we were and decided to move on. The rifle I was using was a borrowed Lee Enfield 303 with open sights, that I had fired once to make sure it still worked. I took aim and fired, it looked like it slumped forward but it stepped into a gully and went down, I thought that I had it it, well it walked up the other side of the gully, so bang, shot again, one more step and it disappears into the bush. We get back into the truck and race up to where it was, off we go looking for our moose. No sign of a hit, no hair, no blood, nothing, clean miss. That moose was so big I figured it was about 200 yards away when I shot but was more like twice that so I would have been hitting the ground in front of him. Well we get back to camp and tell our story and my buddies Uncle was so mad that I had missed that moose that he wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the week. He was also mad at my buddy for not bringing his rifle with us because he had a new 30-06 with a scope. Back then, we didn't know what we didn't know, but boy was it a learning experience of what not to do. Hunting trips no go by in a blurr, more successful by far but gone in a flash. It felt like we were on that trip for a month in comparison. verado and fredfisher 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted July 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Surf and Turf said: This reminds me that on my first moose hunt we camped on the Mattagami River too, We took the train (Polar Bear Express) from Cochrane with the canoe in a cargo car. We got off at Moose River Crossing , down a steep bank to the Moose River and spent a day & a half getting to the trib on the Mattagami . We had to pull the canoe past some rapids as the old 3 hp Evinrude didn't have enough steam . We had to kill and tilt the motor and use paddles to let the current take us back to calmer waters ,then use 2 ropes to get the canoe above the rapids. The Cree had mammoth canoes with 20 hp motors and flew passed us as they know every inch of those waters ! On the way back we stayed in a box car overnight on a side rail and spent an evening with a married couple who were teaching the Cree kids at a very nice school at the crossing (some fishing lures went missing & we gave 2 kids our sling shots . ...so much to tell about this place ! The train went south every other day from Moosonee to Cochrane . That was some story you posted Surf !! Every trip into the wilderness brings forth another great tale to tell , and remember for life ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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