Stripping without removing canvas
- Thread starter Meade
- Start date
Gil Cramer
The wooden canoe Shop, Inc.
Years ago, a prominent WCHA'er and I stripped a Penn Yan seagoer trailboat without removing the canvas. Using water wash stripper, we kept the section to be stripped as vertical as possible, applied the stripper, and scrubbed it out. As I recall, we had some liquid refreshment to ward off the fumes. There was minimal bleed through to the canvas. Seagoers had an airplane dope filler so any filler bleeding through would be obvious. It can be done. I believe this to be correct, but with all of the white lead and stripper to which I have been exposed, it could be a fantasy.
Gil Cramer
The wooden canoe Shop, Inc.
Actually, it is quite rare for a canoe to have bad varnish and not have worse canvas.
Andre Cloutier
Firestarter. Wicked Firestarter.
The other most popular fantasy is when people bring me a boat to canvas and have earlier described it as only needing canvas, the woodwork is all excellent. That always makes me laugh.
Thanks for the replies. you are most likely right about the canvas. I guess it was wishful thinking on my part. How long does canvas last? Does it dry out even if it is not used? This canoe is 1935 and there is no evidence of it being repainted or revarnished. The canvas has no wear areas at all. Not even any scratches. The edges of the varnished wood gunnels show no wear where a paddle might have rubbed. It looks to me like it just hung in someones barn for all of it's life.
MGC
Scrapmaker
A canvas can last forever if the boat does not get used much. Even if it's used a lot it can last 20 plus years if it's cared for. If you are a dipsy doodler who puts it in a pond for a quick paddle and then puts it away in a boat house it could go well beyond 20 years.....
You should post pictures of your boat....
If your canvas job is an old one the filler probably has lead in it...that's a good thing. The canvas could stay whole for a real long time. Lead is no longer used in filler but it was a really key ingredient in older recipes.
I have refnished the inside of a canoe without stripping the varnish. I sanded it it. It came out quite well and has lasted 20 plus years at this point....lot's of carefull and thorough sanding will do the trick.
