Indian canoe? Newbie advice please

Hi,

Ive just joined this board! Ive recently bought a 14 foot, wooden canoe, its closed on the top, though it does have two cockpits. The top is in reasonable shape, you can see the wood/veneer still, so I know that'll sand up lovely.

The bottom is cracked here and there, and I can see patches of old fibreglass in places, so rather than take chances with more patching, I thought to just fibreglass over the entire bottom. The hull looks as though its been painted in red gloss, either way it looks like it was painted quickly, so the paint will be a nuisance to remove, but its gotta be done.

SEE HERE for photos, they are ALL there, if u dont see one, refresh the browser! http://www.potentialtechnology.com/project/canoe.htm


So this is my project! If I had carpentry skills and more knowledge, Id have prefered to repair the hull with new wood, but thats beyond my scope just now, so fibreglass it will have to be, (unless anyone here has a better idea).

I know very little about boat repairs, or boats in general, especially boat-terms, so hopefully over the coming weeks you guys can educate me a bit more. Now this canoe is not necessarily one that I'd have chosen, I prefer the shorter kayaks, but it needed some love, so thats why I got it. maybe I will just fix it up, give myself something to do for the next few weeks, then sell it. Maybe not though...

So any tips, advice most welcome! I wont make a start on this for the next 4 days just to see what advice any of you guys might offer me, and if anyone knows anything about this style of canoe, maker/model name or number etc, Id be pleased to hear about that.

Finally, this canoe came with a short aluminium rudder, and another wooden rudder with a long handle....do canoes need rudders?

Looking forward to chatting..

Regards

marikatech

Welcome - this is a great forum, especially for a new restorer. I can't tell you what it is, but it's a pretty boat. Others here will probably have some opinions on tis origin. Is it plywood or soild wood?

On solid wood. and wood & canvas boats, most folks here will tell you to steer clear of Fiberglass for a number of reasons, mostly having to do with uneven moisture retention, unit flexibility and historical value.

Where are you located - if you are anywhere near the Upstate NY area - the WCHA annual Assembly is coming up. Throw the boat on the car and come on over - within minutes you will have a ton of educated guesses, words of wisdom and brain overload from seeing all the other (usually 2-300) beautiful wooden and wood/canvas canoes there.

Again, welcome - you just made 2,000 new friends!

Well, I just poked around you main web page and realized you are in the UK - probably a bit of a way to "throw the canoe on the car"

The good news is we do have a chapter in England...

David Houghton
Wayside House
Moorlands Dr
Pinkneys Green
Maidenhead
Berks SL6 6QG England
United Kingdom
01628 674666 or International +44 1628 674666
Email: dhoughton@wayside-house.co.uk

The welcome and instant friend offer is still valid!

Hi Mike!

Hi Mike

Many thanks for the welcome. I love boats, all boats, but dont know a lot about them, and its real nice to be amongst other like minded souls!

Last year I bought a 'plastic' kayak off ebay, it was a beauty....and no-one told me... and I didnt guess, that the size of the cockpit may not always be the right size for me! Im a largish guy at 105 kilos! So I learnt that not all canoes are equal, and that I needed a bigger boat....so we live and learn eh! Still I resold that kayak for more or less what I paid, so nothing lost but time!

So this one is a bigger boat! The cockpits are quite large, And best of all I can have a passenger!

Ok to answer a question, the wood on top looks like a ply, as can be seen in the piccy where I showed the only decal.

I imagine, though am not 100% sure till I remove the paint, that the rest of it is a ply of some kind. Again you can almost see the wood and jointing on the piccy of the 'damage'.

The wood/ply doesnt feel too thick, and the boat is not so heavy, I can pick it up by myself, but manouvering it is a problem as its so damn long!

If when Ive stripped the paint off, I see that the hull is constructed of panels, then I may think to replace the entire panel, but that'll also depend on the labour/difficulty of doing that task..

I'll take new pics often and keep them posted online, I will try to get snaps of the 'inside' to show you guys the construction too.

Any tips on the best way to remove old paint? Is a paint stripper fluid best? Or a heavy duty sanding paper?

Ok once again thanks for the welcome, and hopefully this project will get better with the advice you guys can offer me!

Cheers!
Nathan

Indian canoe /help/ more pics up now

SEE HERE for new set of photos, (they are ALL there, so if u dont see one, refresh the browser!)

http://www.potentialtechnology.com/project/canoe.htm

And please let me know about the mystery object and the rudders!!

BTW: here is a similar though longer one on ebay, not sure if its the same maker as I dont know who makes em!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/17-ft-Tandem-...ryZ23800QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks
Nathan

Double kayak with rudder

Your project looks like a double kayak ("canoe" in British speak) with a rudder, which almost all doubles have. I would not be surprised if this is a home made boat, done from plans. It likely pre-dates the currently popular "stitch and glue" building technique. The symbol on the nose looks a lot like the Boy Scouts of America symbol...

Your mystery item is the foot control for the rudder, I think. Cables or lines go from the foot control to the rudder, allowing control without using the hands, which should stay on the paddle, of course. I'd say the triangle-shaped brace goes forward - the assembly would mount on the floor, so the paddler's feet would brace on it - could be either front or rear person. Is there a spot where the cables come through the hull and go to the rudder?

For repairs, you could go the epoxy and fiberglass route, glassing the whole hull. That would not be a restoration, but it would make it durable. Looks like a fun project.

Alan

Mystery Object!

aamapes...thanks for the reply!

yes the object does seem to be something like you explained, at least it makes sense!

However, Ive seen now about a dozen tandem canoes/kayaks on ebay, and only one had a ruddder, so could I do without it?

Thanks
Nathan

Could do without, but

nearly all doubles on this side of the pond have rudders. I don't have much experience paddling them, and the two I've been out in had rudders. I'd say try it without, but don't burn any bridges as far as being able to install the rudder if you find it's needed. Have fun!

Alan

Fixing seats in a canoe/kayak

Hi Guys, ok maybe this question is a bit premature in light of the fact I have to do a lot of work on my canoe before it'll see water, but how do I fix or add seats to my boat?

See the 'cockpit' shots here, then see the last image on foot of that page, of the current 'seat' that came with the canoe: http://www.potentialtechnology.com/project/canoe.htm

Now maybe thats not the original seat, but either way, the bottom of my canoe seems too flimsy to be able to put anything on it, such as a seat! If you notice the 'cockpit' images on the above link, you'll see what I see, no anchor points for the seats!

So can some kind soul explain what I should so, and how to strengthen the cockpit floor if I need too? And how to add the seats so they dont go thru the bottom of the hull as soon as they are sat in!

Cheers!!
Nathan