Plank and Finish Questions.

[AldenWitham22]

I've been picking away at a Penn Yan Auto Canoe for month or so. So far I have removed the fiberglass and the finish on the inside.

That's the first couple questions. To make a long story short I ended up not stripping it evenly so half is darker than the other. Not a huge difference but noticeable. With sanding I could get it really close but I don't want to over sand. I work on antique windows and when I run into this on a sash, like new hardwood against old with a clear finish I use a Zar wood stain to even it out. Is there a reason not to do this on the inside of the canoe? It may not even be residual finish but waterstains instead since it was fiberglassed.

My next two questions are about planking. I need to patch and replace a few planks but nothing too major as far as holes go.
This might be a silly question but what is the acceptable clearance between planks? If I'm underneath it I can see a decent amount of light between them. Not a measurable distance but I can fit a putty knife between some of them.

Last question, what about the clearance between plank and rib. Maybe it came this way or maybe I was too rough peeling the latex off the inside, either way there are some gaps. It looks like the planks got pushed away from the ribs. At worst this is a sixteenth inch. Should I assume this is something to correct?


I have a few pictures if need be.
-Alden

 

[Paul Miller]

Hi Alden

Welcome to the forum.

It is quit acceptable to stain the inside of the canoe to make it all match up. I'd do that before I'd sand out the what I don't like. You might want to try some Oxylic acid in very hot water (just about boiling) just to see if that doesn't even it out a bit.

No problem leaving the same gap in the plank that is present now. Sometimes it looks more noticeable if you make it tight. One suggestion is to replace blank over at least 3 ribs even if you just have a small hole.

The gap between the rib and the plank is a bit less desirable. It is most likely caused by a build up of grit between the plank and the rib. You can slip a dental pic or something under there and see what comes out. If there is no grit you will pull the rib and plank together when you re-cinch the hull (I'm sure you knew you needed to do that) I have restored some canoes where the grit was 1/8" thick and I had to remove and re-attach some of the planking to correct it. I guess it depends on how picky you are.

Attached are a few pictures of the worst I've ever worked on.

Good luck,

Paul

 

[VallierOutdoors]

Hi Alden - In my opinion, staining the whole inside of the canoe usually makes it look muddy. I've seen quite a few that were stained and just didn't like the look of it (no offense to anyone out there - just my opinion). The look of the natural wood is so much nicer. Why not lay on another coat of stripper, scrub a little with a brush to loosen everything up, and then was it out with TSP? That should get any residue out, and then you can use Te-Ka or similar to get any last remnants out and really clean the hull. An hour or two and you should have a nice looking hull with no need to stain.

- James

 

[dtdcanoes]

Alden...You should consider a product called Snappy Teak....it is a 2 part application and not difficult at all perhaps a bit tedious, and you do not have to do the whole the boat at once. The directions are well put and I think it may well even out the differences you see. Perhaps do a trial where there is a difference and then go for it if you like the result. I pretty much use the product on every boat and I have never been disappointed. Have fun ! Dave

 

[AldenWitham22]

Thanks, I think another try with stripper do it. I talked someone into splitting a tub of Ultra Strip with me. That worked really well the first time around but then I ran out and didn't want to buy a whole gallon.