Juliamay;62367 Is it something to hang onto? Keepsake? Or just put on wall or use on lake? No idea
It has been refinished I think[/QUOTE said:
There is no reason not to use this canoe, on a lake, river, or whatever water you have available. It is not a rarity, and has little or no value as a collectible or antique. If you like how it looks enough to hang on your wall, why not? But most here would think its better use is for on-water recreation. Of course, you could hang it on the wall when not paddling it.
It looks like the interior may have been varnished -- a good thing if marine or "spar" varnish was used -- to protect the wood inside the hull from ultra-violet damage. The "green" of the hull is fiberglass, I believe -- an occasional waxing of the outside will help to keep it looking good. Revarnishing with marine varnish from time to time will keep the interior in good shape -- ordinary varnish will rapidly deteriorate and peel off.
The rotted/damaged wood deck should be replaced, as should any other wood with rot -- rot never goes away, but only spreads. It's hard to determine the exact condition of the gunwales from the pictures -- the discoloration may only be surface UV damage, in which case you could remove them from the canoe, strip all old varnish off, sand away the discoloration, revarnish (with marine varnish), and reinstall -- all quite simple tasks, if a bit messy.
The dry rot on the canoe tip(s) comes from storing the canoe upside down on the ground -- something that is ok for a few days when camping, but is not a good idea for regular storage -- store it inside if possible, and if not, upside down raised from the ground (sawhorses are commonly used).