Welcome Back!

Hello All!
I am sorry I have not been updating this blog on my activities as my college education is keeping me busy. I have seen some canoes come and some canoes go this past year and two months I haven't been updating you.

One of the most recent canoes I purchased came from my local town historical society and was determined by my friends on the WCHA Forum that it was a J.R. Robertson Courting Canoe. It had gorgeous decks and almost not rot on it what so ever. I bought it cheap and promptly sold it to a friend of mine down in Mystic, CT who bought my 1936 Old Town.

I then checked Craigslist and found my best find yet. I have not posted this on WCHA because I didn't have the time, but I bought a Pre-Fire Chestnut Chum! I found it in Manchester, NH for $180. It has been used and loved and needs work, but the gunwales, stems and decks are all original and in good shape.

This is just a quick little update, I'll see if I can start doing more Youtube Videos on canoes, since my restoration of the Grand Laker I put on years ago is getting lots of praise.

Sad News, Two More Gone

Happy Holidays Folks,
I have the displeasure of informing you that I have sold another canoe before I had time to restore it. In this case we sold the 1936 Old Town. As a college student money is tight and I needed to prepare for the holidays fast approaching. There is some talks however of starting a website where I can list project, restored or new canoes for sale. That's right I said new. I have a fully one-off custom 14' mold built for Fly Fishermen based off a 16' Chestnut Prospector. We shall see!

Now speaking of a Chestnut Prospector's, I had one. I owned if for only a week. My father has a friend who bought it but can no longer use it due to medical reasons. He had me sell it for him. I considered it a Holy Grail Canoe (Personal Opinion) because it is the canoe that Bill Riviere owned. Bill is the author of books like The L.L. Bean Guide to the Outdoors and Pole, Paddle & Portage. This Prospector was featured in PP&P and included the Pole and a signed copy of his book. A nice gentlemen bought it and will see many years of usefulness out of the gorgeous canoe. VERY JEALOUS!

Update Before I Leave For School

Hello Everyone,


  I haven't posted in a while. I have been very busy with work. I Just finished up for the summer at my father's shop known as Kennebec River Fly and Tackle, but more commonly known to the fly fisherman as HMH Precision Vises.

Anyway I went up to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association Festival as Paul Smith's College a few weeks ago. I had a great time. I brought a trailer full of canoes. Including the Kennebec Style Sailing Canoe. Two Kennebec Kineo's. Chestnut Chum. Chestnut Ogilvy and last but not least my fathers 21' Grand Laker.

We actually got up to the festival when it was half over. We couldn't take that much time off work, and most of the people at the festival are retired. When we got in it was 8:00pm and we had to load the Grand Laker and go over to a campsite across the lake. We got very lucky that we got a site with a view, blueberry bushes, a lein-to and a picnic table.


We went to the festival to have a good time, enjoy the canoes, paddle the Chestnut. And hopefully sell a canoe or two. We had it very lucky. We were able to eat and sleep in as long as we desired at our campsite and then motor our way across the lake to the College for our activities and lunch.

The best part of the festival for me was being able to see all the beautiful 100 year old canoes. This year everyone tried to bring their B.N. Morris Canoes. Next year I have heard rumors of being Kennebec Canoe's turn. I will be very excited for that since we have 3 Kennebec Canoes waiting to be restored.

Well after the long two days, I started to load all the canoes back onto the trailer. When doing so a couple stopped me and asked if I had interest in selling the Green Kennebec Style Canoe. I told them of course and that I was just informed that it was indeed a 1912 Kennebec Canoe that had sponsons at one time. It looks as if a boat builder tried to fix the canoe, but didn't really know how to do it. Anyway it went to a good home. It going to be restored. I hope to see it next year. Hopefully the twin Kineo's will be there too.

Happy Paddling Everyone!

3 More Canoes!

I got home from Maine Maritime via a quick weekend in NYC early Monday March 2, 2015. My father suggested I should go with him up to work at HMH Vises (Look for them in the fishing Departments of LL Bean, Cabela's, Bass Pro and Orvis).  I didn't think anything of it and said sure.

My mother explained to me that he had went on Craigslist and found a guy near the office that has 3 old canoes in his barn. And my father had arranged for me and him to go get them.

I was ecstatic because I was told I could not buy anymore canoes unless I start selling some (because I need to pay for college).

So I went to work happily and when it came time for a lunch break I drove the Ford Excursion with my father navigating we found the house and looked at the canoes.

Yes that is a GIANT hole

Rotted Stem

All 3 have these Heart Shaped Decks

In need of some Paint Stripper

This One is the second most complete. 

They are old. They are beat. And one looks nearly ready for a bon-fire.

After looking them over, we bought the two good ones, and offered to take the bad one.

We only brought home the shorter, red cedar canoe because it looked like it was well taken cared for and looked very old.

My father picked up the other two canoes yesterday. He talked to the owner more and found out the two worse off canoes were purchased from the same camp, and are identical.

The red cedar canoe is supposed to be a older Kennebec Canoe. I am very pleased to own these three. I just need to put some elbow grease and some wood to make these canoes float again.... and pay for my education.

If anyone is interested in any canoes on my blog please get in touch with me. I currently have plans on bringing some up to the WCHA Assembly at Paul Smiths College this July 2015.

Red Cedar Canoe

Very Shallow

Still in very good condition

F150, No longer Finished...

Well like most projects, its never done. In my case I need to either fix or replace my transmission... so guess what I do?!

I bought a bigger engine.

That's right, I (My brother) bought a 1995 5.8 351w (Windsor) out of a Ford Bronco. We wanted to get the transmission but the guy tried to scam us so we only got the engine.

So three weeks before my spring break I went home with one of my buddies from Maine Maritime and we drove my F150 over to a friends barn. As we drove over I used my buddies TDI Stage 2 Clutch and Turbo Jetta and he tried to keep up in my F150. Needless to say when he came to a stop it was smoking and seized up for a minute. We got it running and drove it into the barn.

We spend the day removing the engine, which is surprisingly hard because the i6 was really tucked in there. After that we didn't do anything for 3.5 weeks until me and my brother went over and did a bunch of work.

Draining a Boiling Hot Radiator 

Pulling the 300 i6 Out

Not Blood, ATF from the Torque Converter

We went and got the new engine mounts in and then got the 351w in the engine bay. Sadly that was the last I got to do to it. I had to go finish the last 8 weeks of Freshman year. But my brother is going over after school hooking everything up to get it running.

SO CLOSE! I CAN SENSE IT

-JL

Putting in the 351w

The picture I got when it was bolted to the frame

It sits higher than with the 300 i6

Tinkering with the starter motor

1992 F150 Project "Finished"

Well I finally got it done!

I bought the truck 11/11/13 and 11/20/2014 she was finished. Rebuilt, Registered and Inspected to the State of Maine standards.

It has been a long year. Many times I wanted to throw in the towel and quit. I kept going along and working away at it.

As a update from my last one regarding this project, I was given to opportunity to trade out my worn out body panels to some better ones on a truck that could not be registered because there was no title of ownership.

1995 F150 302 Auto

From NH, had no title

 My friend got the 1995 with intentions of making it into a demolition derby/race truck. He offered the better parts off it and he would take my worse and more rusty parts.

The Original Bed with Custom Bumper Roll Pan

After I mounted it all back on, I was offered the parts.

 I started ripping apart the two trucks and swapping parts.

LEFT: 1995 F150. RIGHT: 1992 F150

1995 Disassembled

The two trucks with no doors. A lot of fun to drive this way.

After I got the doors, the fender and bed, I started putting them back together.

1992 with the white bed

The 1992 with all the white parts.

1992 from the other side

1995 with a door I found in the woods

And then we send the 1995 off.

We ended up doing the entire body switch in 4 afternoons after school and after work. We did this all while my father was working in Connecticut from Monday Morning-Thursday Night. His reaction was priceless with "Is that the same POS truck?"

After this I had to spend a lot of time working and making money for the next step.

I hired my friend and his father to weld in patch panels and the rollpan bumper and paint the truck.

It took all summer for me to make up the money and for them to get the truck, which upset me a little bit because I was heading off to College and had to spend 10 days out of contact and a month and a half of not being able to go home. 

When I got home they proved they spent their time wisely and did good and careful work.

Kennebunk Beach 11/22/2014

It really turned out clean. All of my brothers, my best friends Dylan and Mike made this thing turn out great. Not many kids can say they built their first truck.

Beautiful Sunset

Roll Pan makes it look sporty and clean

Chrome and clear headlights make it look sharp

Red Interior, White Body, and Chrome Trim

Fully Register, Inspected and Ready to Go

2' Drop Shackles 

I honestly love this truck. I was planning on inheriting a 1989 F150 and doing the same thing a few years back, but I had plans change and I got this instead.

Now as my need for a vehicle get more important, I must decide if I want to continue working on this, or buy something a little newer, and something 4x4 to get to the good canoeing spots... Jeep GMC Z71 F250?

My next options would be to fix a few odd and end thing on this, and maybe upgrade the Engine and Transmission. Big Block? 351 4 Speed? who knows. Only time will tell.