This is not the canoe that I take for my yearly trips.  But I'd bet this canoe has seen more time on the lakes of the BWCAW/QPP than most of yours has.
The canoe is a 1955 17' Joe Seliga originally built by Joe for the Charles L Sommers BSA Canoe Base on Moose Lake.  It was used by the guides at the base to take out groups of scouts from 1955 until 1979.  The Sommers Base had difficulty storing and maintaining their fleet of wood and canvas canoes so they sold them off to guides starting in 1971 until around `78 or `79.  The canoe made its way to me last year in poor condition and I took it to master canoe builder/craftsman/restorer Alex Comb of Stewart River Boatworks for a complete restoration.  I just got it back about three weeks ago and he did such a fantastic job returning the canoe to "better than new" condition.
It is "better than new" because it was one of the Seliga canoes originally covered in fiberglass.  It now has a beautiful new skin of canvas filled, primed, and painted in shiny Epifanes epoxy yacht enamel.  Alex also replaced all the ash thwarts and seats in black cherry which is not only lighter but much prettier.  He probably shaved close to ten pounds off this boat.  With all the sanding of the ribs and planking in order to refinish the hull, it is very thin: 1:4" ribs and close to 3/16" planks.
It really paddles nicely, is very stable, hauls a ton, but with a full length keel it tracks well but does not turn quickly.
The thought of hauling this canoe over the Meadows portages or Heartstop Hill makes me cringe though.  I guess I'm spoiled by the light weight of kevlar.  But this canoe was made for canoe tripping and the stories she could tell...

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