Do your canoe seats look like this?
Or this?
How about this (these seats are actually made from hockey sticks! Check out the link for more info)?
If you were nodding your head yes while looking at any of those photos you might need new canoe seats!
A few years ago we started running a canoe seat caning workshop here at the Museum. Participants get everything they need (including two white ash seats, and a bunch of cane) to weave both a bow and a stern seat that can replace your busted cane seats. We spend a day in the Museum learning the steps and completing a seat – then you go home with the knowledge to finish the second, and all the hardware and know-how to install them into your canoe.
Here are some shots from the last couple workshops:
If you would like to replace your ‘seat-belt webbing’ seats, your ‘snowshoe-style rawhide’ seats, or better yet your ‘work-boot-shoelace’ seats then give us a call – there’s still space in the August 10th workshop.
The process of caning is really relaxing and the history of caned furniture goes back a long way. For some interesting history on seat caning and caned furniture check out this blog, this blog, and this one.
We’re running our annual Canoe Seat Caning Workshop on August 10th, 2013 – click here for more info.