Craiglist find.. $100.. any suggestions??

Brentley Gage

New Member
Hey y'all, new to the whole canoe game. Been riding stand up paddle boards for awhile. Needed something for my son and I to go fishing in. Picked this wood canoe off Craigslist. Think I possibly might need to some repair and updates to it. Can y'all tell me a bit about it and what my next steps should be.

Looks like it has a decent crack/hole that was attempted to be repaired. Appreciate y'all.
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It looks a bit small for two people on a fishing trip but test it out. If it doesn't leak too much and you both like it then have fun fishing. You may need to use it alone as a solo boat otherwise. Good luck,

Benson
 
Thanks brother! Yea, my son is only 2 so he shouldn't be too much extra weight.

Good thing I didn't try to fit the whole family in it!! Appreciate your words of advice.
 
Appears to be set up as a solo canoe. Paddle it by yourself with a life jacket to see how stable it is and to check for leaks.
 
This is a "stripper", a glass canoe with a wood strip core. It's worth about what you paid for it.
Sand off the patch/damaged area down to original glass to see what you have.
Add a few more layers of glass over the damaged area/s and wet with epoxy resin.
Add more coats of resin until the weave is filled.
Sand smooth.
Varnish or paint.
Go paddle.

Remember PFD's.

Dan
 
So a little bit about your canoe as requested. Apologies if you already know some or all of this. It is commonly called a "stripper canoe", being built from thin strips of cedar, each strip edge-glued to the next one. They are generally covered in fiberglass and epoxy; it is this multi-layer construction that gives it its strength and waterproof nature. This construction style is also sometimes called "monocoque" because the strength and resilience of the canoe actually relies upon its outer skin (meaning the fiberglass and epoxy that covers the interior and exterior of the otherwise flimsy and easily damaged cedar hull). Strippers run from utilitarian to spectacular. Most are probably built by amateurs in garages (and even living rooms!), and quality of the final product depends upon experience, skill and attention to detail.

As for use and care: The advice from Benson and Gil is spot on (and Dan, who weighed in as I wrote). You'd be wise to get a feel for how it handles before taking the little one out for a ride. The damage it has and its blemishes may be sites for water intrusion and with this kind of construction, water intrusion can be disastrous for the canoe's integrity - not immediately but over time.

This construction style is a great way for someone to get into woodworking and canoe construction at moderate cost. If this canoe gets you excited about the possibilities of what you can do with your own hands someday, check out the strippers section of these forums, and also these books:

https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/canoecraft

https://www.woodencanoe.org/product-page/featherweight-boatbuilding

These are both about stripper canoe construction. There are others as well, plus our store has books on other forms of canoe construction as well.

Enjoy your "new" canoe!
Michael
 
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