W&C Cedarwood or Chestnut Pal

I’ve wanted a W & C canoe for decades, but the $$$$ has always been too prohibitive. I have a chance at purchasing a W&C Pal made by Cedarwood Canoes, a company no longer in business. It is made from the old Chestnut Pal mold. Trying to get an idea of the specs, and though I’ve tried, all I can find out about this particular canoe is that it’s about 16’. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance

Here is some info
http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/id/chestnut.html



The Pal is a lovely 16 foot boat. I know nothing about the builder you mention.

16" Chestnut Pal
I have a Chestnut Pal, 16’, about 34" wide plank to plank, weighs about 65lbs.

I have used mine for 20 plus years solo tripping in Canada and I am presently restoring it after all those trips. Here is a link to the thread on the work I’m doing.

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/forum/general-paddling-discussions/wood-and-bark-canoes/20248-chestnut-pal-and-chum-day

Here is a link to a TR of a solo trip I took with the Pal in Woodland Caribou Prov Park 4 years ago

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/forum/trip-reports/canadian-trip-reports/411-woodland-caribou-provincial-park-12-days-solo.



I think the Pal is one of the best wood canvas canoes for tripping, solo or tandem. Chestnuts had a reputation for poor craftsmanship towards the end of the company’s era, but they had a great reputation for hull design, ie Prospector, Pal, Chum and Bobs. Getting a Cedarwood Pal is a win win situation, great hull design, excellent craftsmanship.

Thanks So Much
Will peruse the info tomorrow. In the meantime “Thank you!”

Catalog Specs

– Last Updated: Mar-17-15 8:44 AM EST –

According to the catalog specs, the Pal is 16 feet long, 36 inch beam, 12 inch depth, weight was 70 lbs.

"Bow & stern cane seats, 2 thwarts, flat shoe keel.
# 10 canvas. Catalog states the Pal & Chum given more beam for greater carrying capacity & stability.
Ribs 3/8" x 1-1/2" spaced 1-1/2" apart."

Pal as tripping boat -
Excellent, I agree, for tripping in protected waters and mild white water - better than the deeper Prospector in some ways in that environment. I wish I owned one and expect someday I will.



If you are tripping with big loads in really big water or long class 2+ and class 3+ white water the deeper Prospector model would be my personal choice.



There is no such thing as a single canoe that is best for all environments. Your just going to have to acquire a fleet of wood canvas canoes!

Thanks Again
Sitting on the fence trying to decide. If my right arm and shoulder were 100%, the deal would be a “No brainer.” If only a deal like this had come up 20 years ago!

65 Lbs.
You would have a tough time finding a better w/c canoe in that weight range. Is it in good shape?

It’s 8hrs Away
Wish I could see it in person. Ive been told it has a few scrapes on it that I’ve not seen pics of. If it were closer, and I could SEE it before buying it would be an easy decision. But, there ya go…

In this day and age
you should be able to get very good pics showing every small or big defect so you can have a good fix on it. One question to ask is whether there is any rot in the area at the top of the stem, and the tip of the decks and inner gunwales. This is a very common problem in all wood canvas canoes that have not been stored under cover. Also ask if there are any cracked ribs and cracked planking or sheeting as it is sometimes called. But remember virtually all problems that a WC canoe has can be repaired. You just want to know what you are getting into. A boat with a few cracked ribs can be paddled just fine for years and years without problems.