canvassing with mastic

[Gil Cramer]

I've never seen a canoe canvassed with mastic- thank goodness, but I've been approached to re-canvas a plywood deck on a sailboat. Paul , from your photos, it looks like that adhesive just might be the ticket for gluing the canvas. On Penn Yan swifts and fliers I usually use outdoor carpet glue on the planing section, and I am wondering what others have used with success for gluing canvas to decks.

 

[Paul Miller]

Hi Gil,

It had been on there since the 60's and was not coming loose anywhere.

So yes, I think it could work for gluing canvas to a boat deck.

Paul

 

[Dave Osborn]

I had a job of restoring a Thompson that had the canvas rot away from the gunwales and was "repaired" with Liquid Nails to hold the canvas tight to the hull. I think the mentality was, the more the better! Not fun.....

 

[zutefisk]

Maybe you are looking for something like Humbolts Deck Adhesive -- I found it at Fisheries Supply in Seattle a few years back. For canvas covered decks. Not sure how it would be used to lay down a canvas deck.

Used it as filler on a few canoes but you've got to get it on real smooth because it doesn't sand for sh*t.

 

[Dick Persson]

I have re-canvassed many canoes that were covered with a canvas/mastic/filler system called "Celastic". Celastic canvas was used by a number of canoe and boat builders here in Ontario during the 1950's and 1960's. It is a thin canvas soaked in a kind of mastic that is stretched on a canoe or object. The mastic or glue is then activated by applying a wash of MEK (Methyl ethyl ketone) to the canvas covering.

Dick Persson
Buckhorn Canoe Company
www.buckhorncanoes.com

 

[Scot T]

I picked up an interesting "no name" canoe a few years back. The canvas had already been removed but there is a soft black rubber like resin still covering much of the outside. Would that be consistant with mastic?

I haven't done anything with the canoe as I've been a little unsure how to clean up the mess left from the "Black stuff".

 

[ralphdisley]

Canvas will "buckle" if you glue it.Trust me. Wood moves and things glued to it will move to. When someone Canvases over wood the wood moves under the canvas.

Its like the sun and the moon. each must move free.