I'm wondering what others do when rib replacements don't mate snugly with planking in curved areas of the canoe during a restoration? Here's what I came up with today. I found that simply applying more downward pressure to the rib at the rail would push the rib too deep, causing bulges in the hull (though admittedly such pressure would push the rib to snug fit with the planking.)
I rigged a bar clamp that I used as a spreader type tool. See pictures below. The spreading action of the bar clamp rig, set against the opposite inwale worked to push the rib in the direction it needed to go, snugging it into the curved side of the canoe. At the same time I applied boiling water through a soaked lightweight rag to the problem area of the rib.
I removed the soaked rag after twenty to thirty minutes of refreshing with boiling water. I then tacked the rib around where spreader set up pushed against the rib. Once the rib was lightly tacked, I removed the spreader bar and finished the job. The last photo shows the first stages of staining and varnishing the newly placed replacement rib. By the way, the boat being worked on is a twenty foot EM White, built by Jerry Stelmok, early 1980's, I think. I purchased the boat from the original owner this past summer.
I'm wondering what other folks do when their replacement ribs don't exactly fit. Any thoughts, suggestions? Thanks for any feedback.
I rigged a bar clamp that I used as a spreader type tool. See pictures below. The spreading action of the bar clamp rig, set against the opposite inwale worked to push the rib in the direction it needed to go, snugging it into the curved side of the canoe. At the same time I applied boiling water through a soaked lightweight rag to the problem area of the rib.
I removed the soaked rag after twenty to thirty minutes of refreshing with boiling water. I then tacked the rib around where spreader set up pushed against the rib. Once the rib was lightly tacked, I removed the spreader bar and finished the job. The last photo shows the first stages of staining and varnishing the newly placed replacement rib. By the way, the boat being worked on is a twenty foot EM White, built by Jerry Stelmok, early 1980's, I think. I purchased the boat from the original owner this past summer.
I'm wondering what other folks do when their replacement ribs don't exactly fit. Any thoughts, suggestions? Thanks for any feedback.