Winter Whining (Blues and Beauty… or maybe… Johnny’s Rant!)
Sorry Folks… this post is as volatile as wind… and long as a northern winter… so if you dare…
I have been working on some projects around the house… and found myself… conflicted… a bit by things. As usual for me… nothing major… but I went through some rather different experiences that had me wondering. Winter weather often adds to challenges.
One… I am working on making a cargo area cover for my canoe. We are seriously considering some extended paddling trips next year and beyond. So, I decided having a way to keep rain/splash/sun off all the gear we would need stowed in the canoe during each day’s jaunt… would be nice to have. There are some nice options for this available on the market… but they are expensive. So, I decided to see if I could make one tailored more to my desire… at a cost better tailored to my budget.
The whining started when my outdoor project… was interrupted by the weather. The cover was not too tough to move inside to work and stay warm. Getting my 17’ canoe inside was a bit more challenging… but doable!
As I am working on my old canoe… I again get curious regarding who made this thing and when. I bought it used in I think 1986 in the Detroit metro area. I had an apartment on a little lake… in an area full of lakes and rivers… and I always enjoyed paddling. So, when I saw a canoe that seemed to align to my desire and budget… I bought it. I remember looking the thing over and finding it to be well built. But there were no brand markings on it. I asked the seller if he knew the history. He said it was second hand to him… so he was not sure… but he thought it was originally purchased from Sears… but he was not sure when. I figured I could find out more if I ever really wanted to from the serial number and model listed on a plate that provided the only label of any kind on the thing.
So here I am almost 40 years later… still a little curious about who manufactured this thing and when. I went online and was surprised at the number of threads I found in various places with the same question I had.
I have this canoe with the only identifying label being…
Can anyone help me figure out who made this thing?
Followed by a flurry of responses… full of speculation… but no concrete resolution.
Many of the threads mentioned Sears… and how they had most things they sold manufactured by different companies over the years. One referenced a website (https://christmas.musetechnical.com/) where you can view old Sears catalogs. I found catalog entries that convinced me my canoe was indeed marketed by Sears… and even helped me narrow the time frame of purchase to somewhere in the late 60’s… probably early 70’s… based on entries like…
And from 1970… https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1970-Sears-Spring-Summer-Catalog/0522
But I still was not sure who made it or when.
Most of the threads referenced using the hull number (like a vin for boats) to determine the manufacturer and further details on when/where it was made. Problem is… if my boat ever had a hull id number on it… it was long gone before I bought it. So I speculate it may have been made before the current hull id requirements came to be. But I also know the way the hull id is affixed to the kayaks I have purchased… they can come off and be lost all to easily. So the model and serial number are still all I have to go on.
A few of the threads also referenced websites where you could look up product serial numbers from various manufacturers to get a definitive answer on where/when it was made. Problem is… you need to know who made it to check their listings. I started checking some and was able to rule out a number of possible manufacturers based on the physical characteristics from images they had on these sites… that differed significantly from the boat I have. The webbed seats being a significant differentiator.
I even found one website with a form you could fill out… and they will help you try to pin down the details I was curious about (https://www.mydealeredge.com/de/boat-identification-request). Turns out this site is provided by Starcraft… a very popular boat manufacturer. Turns out most of their canoes were made/marketed as Smoker Craft brand. They were extremely helpful… going above and beyond to try and help me. But in the end… all they could do was confirm they did not make my boat… and suggest it was most likely made by AeroCraft. AeroCraft was one of the few manufacturers using webbed seats like the ones in my boat.
Problem is the AeroCraft site I found (https://www.aerocraft-boats.org/specs_by_model.html) … shows serial numbers following a different pattern than the one on my boat. So I suspect the site only covers those made to be marketed as AeroCraft… and not necessarily those made to be marketed by others (like Sears). I am pretty confident this company made my boat… but without being able to decipher/find the serial number… I cannot be sure if or when.
So, while I gained some additional insights from my inquiries… in the end the trail grew as cold as the weather outside.
It was nice to see some companies (like Starcraft/Smoker Craft) still provide these types of customer service to look into the history… and take time to answer customer (even potential customer) questions! Very few companies are willing to provide that kind of service/support these days. I would sure like more companies to recognize there is real value in providing that type of service.
At least I was able to complete the work I needed to without freezing. Of course… once I was done… it started warming back up a bit outside. Not that it got warm… but at least warm enough to hang some Christmas lights. How many people love doing that? I have to admit… I do love the result! The task it’s self… not so much.
And speaking of products… and customer service… (pull out the soap box)… when did we transition from a society that takes pride in what we produce (like my canoe… quality, durability, useability, service)… to considering everything as disposable??? Christmas lights are a prime example of the shift!
Some might blame Sam Walton (Wal-Mart guy)… or others like him. But in the end… in our society… it is the consumer that drives the market. And I have to admit I do let the price affect my choices. I used to look for the “Made in USA” label… and was willing to pay a little more for it. But when that became almost impossible to find… deciding if the higher price translated into a better product became difficult. Even the brand name has come to be a rather undependable quality indicator in many industries.
Last year I had some of my old light strings finally showing their age. While they are not all that old… it seemed each year I would plug them in… one section would light… another would not. Or the whole thing would be dead. But it seemed I could usually assume… if the whole thing is dead… the fuse was blown. Replace the fuse. Then if only part of thing string was working… shake the hell out of it… and half the time the rest would come on. The other half… other sections would go out. And sometimes I spent way too much time replacing bulbs until I found the one that was blown… or just not seated right… and Walla… lights! But last year I bought a couple new strands to patch/fill where I could not get some of the old strings to work.
This year I pull them out… plug them in. Most of the old strands are still “partially” working. None of the new strands were working. So check fuses. Each plug now has two tiny little fuses. They are harder than hell to get out… and nearly impossible to look at and see if they work. So pull out the conductivity tester. Fuses appear fine. Now try getting those tiny little fuses shoved back into the plug… praying you are getting them to seat right… plug it back in… and NOTHIN!!! This is the down side to “price” shopping… Who can make it the cheapest… the fastest? Nobody cares how long they last. Nobody cares if they are serviceable. No body services anything anyway! Throw them away and go buy MORE… of the cheapest… fastest made crap!
I finally realize it is time to give up on the old… lights. Even though I really liked their warm incandescent light effect. Of course… now all you can find are these harsh… glaring… LEDs. As if my Christmas lights are really contributing to global warming! Thanks all you “Climate Action Now” people! Actually… as an Eagle Scout… I do care greatly about the earth and climate. But I do think so many have jumped on this renewable/sustainable… cow fart filtering … pendulum… that it has swung way too far… and the technology is just not quite there to back some of it up. While this movement is pushing some of those technologies ahead… I fear we are not giving adequate time to shake them all out. And I worry about the ultimate cost of trying to push them ahead… before even really knowing the long-term cost of doing so?!?
OK… OK… take a breath… innn…. outttt…. innnn…. outtttt (put the soap box away).
Pay no attention to the old man wondering around… talking to himself… grumbling and fretting under his breath. He is of no real danger to anyone. He is just lost in this new “disposable” culture. Having spent his entire life working in a “service” based industry… He feels rather like the prairie cowboy near the beginning of the 19th century. Old… out of place… wondering how these new fangled automobiles can ever take the place of a good horse!?!?
So… I go buy all new lights for the gutters… and the tree… ignore the price… and resign myself to adjusting to the LED glare… instead of the incandescent glow. And I appreciate the day with a little sunshine… and no biting wind to get some decorations out. Ahhhh…..
Even the poor old angel just could not bring herself to light up after bout 30 some years of service (sigh). So even she is new this year. I don’t even want to think about how much of all this will work next year?!? For now… it’s all shiny and bright!
Of course the day after I got the lights hung… it started turning cold again. I love winter… but single digit Fahrenheit… is a little chilly even for my blood. But there is something beautiful about the crisp cold nights. The almost eerie silence… (until you get near a lake with migrating water fowl). Watching your breath and every other drop of moisture freeze and fall from the air. The way snow seems to muffle and absorb sound making things so still and silent… other than the crisp crunch of the snow beneath your feet. The way the ice in the air seems to filter and scatter the light… much like the sound. Winter has a rather stark beauty all it’s own…. kind of like a barren dessert landscape. It may not be for everyone… but the discerning eye and other senses… see it just the same.
If you did bother to read this… and were never worried about me before… I bet you are now! But don’t be. I have been blessed with a sense of peace that… while it can get tossed in the air like leaves… it quickly settles too. It is founded in a trust and faith that cannot be blown away by even the strongest winter breeze. I pray all of you… my friends and family… can say the same!!!