I was recently gifted a 1950 Old Town Guide 18. It is currently living a comfortable life on blankets across our dining room table when not in use. I have a carport where it would be protected from the sun/rain and have good ventilation. It would be up off the ground on a rack. I live in South Carolina and my question is, will it be okay to store it year round outside?
Outdoor Storage
- Thread starter Forty-two
- Start date
Greg Nolan
enthusiast
Sounds like a good place to store your canoe -- upside down on the rack, to discourage nesting critters, and so that any dew settles on the outside of the canoe.
In my opinion, Yes. Dry is key. I have an open garage full of canoes in MD, have had birds build nests under decks, chipmunks store acorns under decks, but no serious damage yet. I worry about some critter gnawing on the canoes as I have seen ribs destroyed by squirrels, or something, as in the canoe in the photo you see to the left, which has lived its whole life in MD. We have wood burrowing bees here, so I keep mothballs around the canoes. So far no holes, but can't vouch for this method either. I have heard that they only burrow into weathered wood, so keep your gunwales, etc. well varnished. Good protection in any case. You should be OK. Tom McCloud
MGC
Scrapmaker
Be sure that you do not allow water or dew to run down and sit on the gunwale backsides and tips. The rest of the hull will survive pretty well but if you allow water to soak the back side of the rails they will eventually rot away. The adjoining canvas and the top planking near the decks will also soak up water, distort/warp and the canvas may rot away. Even under cover outside it is best to cover the hull.
Rob Stevens
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
That won't happen here (Canada) as we traditionally paint the underside of the outwale.
Coincidentally, I am painting a canoe today.
Photo shows blue masking tape covering the outside edge of the outwale.
I store my canoes outdoors on horses covered by tarps -since I don't have indoor space to store them.
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MGC
Scrapmaker
I varnish mine but it is extremely common for folks to leave them bare. I've seen lot's of canoes that require a canvas and planking repairs because they were stored where moisture and snow could sit on the rails and wick up under the canvas. It's a true bummer to replace a 95% good canvas.
