Hi all! I am an owner of a 16ft old town wooden canoe. We are currently restoring it original condition and my question is since I have never own one before what are your storage tips, how do you store your canoes? Can you store outside with a covering over it similar to a lean to structure? Would a storage bag and hanging it along the fence work? I have a garage but there is no way it will fit. If anyone has pictures or ideas they would be greatly appreciated!
Storage of canoe
- Thread starter Wheat5565
- Start date
There are two things that are most likely to damage your canoe during outside storage, wet / dry cycling and sunlight. Therefore, a lean to which can keep the rain off it and a cover to limit the sun exposure would be much better than just hanging it on a fence. Hanging inside a garage over a car has worked well for me. See http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/12581/ for some other ideas. Good luck,
Benson
Benson
Gregory Messier
Loves Wooden Canoes
In the summer my canoe is stored in the back of an open covered porch but the morning sun does hit that side of the house. Should I get a cover for the canoe or am I being too paranoid? I’m thinking a cover is cheap insurance but a tarp seems undignified for my baby. Any thoughts?
samb
LOVES Wooden Canoes
You could line your tarp with silk and velvet.
Todd Bradshaw
Sailmaker
One year I got caught without a garage to store my 16' Old Town Guide in, so for winter I made a bag from a blue tarp and set it upside down on sawhorses out in the yard. Major mistake. It ultimately ended up sealing the canoe inside of a really damp environment and probably did more weathering than just leaving it bare on the sawhorses would have done. There are some excellent highly water resistant but breathable boat cover fabrics out there, but they tend to be pretty expensive investments. On the other hand, most of them will last many seasons. If you do use a plastic tarp, I'd suspend in above the boat as much as possible and make sure that there is decent ventilation. This cover is made from Odyssey polyester boat canvas. It is a somewhat lighter weight for less bulk and tends to be good for at least five years.
patrick corry
solo canoeist
I will echo Sdrew22's comment about plastic tarps, they are death to a wooden boat. The irony is that wooden boats, built for a watery environment, are vulnerable to moisture in storage. I'm fortunate to have indoor barn storage for my three wooden canoes as well as a 1956 Barbour mahogany runabout. If I had to store outside, the minimum would be upside down on horses with a suspended tarp allowing free ventilation and providing shade from direct sunlight. Ideal would be a dedicated open roof permanent structure with ample coverage for protection from windblown rain and direct sunlight. A porous fabric 'sleeve' might be advisable as well- at least it may keep spiders out!
Gregory Messier
Loves Wooden Canoes
The Cyprus Rowe cover looks like just the ticket. Thank you for the recommendation!
Howie
Wooden Canoe Maniac
Ventilation is the key with using tarps.
I have a 7ft high deck. So I've attached a long (18ft?) tarp to the bottom of the deck rafters using two long thin furring strips, spaced 2ft apart, and short nails into the rafters. This allows me (using a crude pulley system) hoist one canoe to the top of the deck to just below the tarp and place another canoe on sawhorses below it. It can be a tight fit... you want the longer of the two canoes to be on top. But it does get plenty of ventilation.
A similar scheme would work for shorter decks but you'd have capacity for just one canoe. Or if space permits you could space the furring strips further apart (and add more furring strips as well) and have a space wide enough to span two canoes.
O... you want to use a good quality tarp too.
I have a 7ft high deck. So I've attached a long (18ft?) tarp to the bottom of the deck rafters using two long thin furring strips, spaced 2ft apart, and short nails into the rafters. This allows me (using a crude pulley system) hoist one canoe to the top of the deck to just below the tarp and place another canoe on sawhorses below it. It can be a tight fit... you want the longer of the two canoes to be on top. But it does get plenty of ventilation.
A similar scheme would work for shorter decks but you'd have capacity for just one canoe. Or if space permits you could space the furring strips further apart (and add more furring strips as well) and have a space wide enough to span two canoes.
O... you want to use a good quality tarp too.
Gregory Messier
Loves Wooden Canoes
Sdrew22
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Great! I just ordered another one myself.
Mud Bug
Hand made things are better
Don't forget about protecting from red squirrels. My dad and I each had our Yankees chawed on--his in the 60's, mine in the 90's. That was awhile ago, so maybe the trend's let up and they've moved on to plastic kayaks like everybody else. But just to be safe, my dad still insists on hanging his by wires to keep them off.
