Just1moredave
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
My dad bought this canoe used in 1967, with three paddles and an outboard motor for $125. He fiberglassed it in 1969. This shot is from around then.
64827075_10157229898531171_7847395627683020800_o by Dave, on Flickr
We used it a lot and it might have been varnished once or twice. A second layer of fiberglass was added in the 80s to slow down leaks. It was retired around 1993 with the idea that it should be restored. Someone bought the book and that was about it.
I started working on it a couple of years ago. The fiberglass came off easy. The sides didn't look that bad. About 8 ribs had obvious rot. The bottom planking was pretty bad.
IMGB7705 by Dave, on Flickr
That's when I learned about steel tacks. They don't just rust. The rust expands, making a bigger hole. The rusty water solution dissolves the lignin which is holding the wood fibers together. Only a few tacks rusted through and broke, but none of them could be pulled without massive damage to the surrounding wood.
My fix was to replace a lot of wood. All the ribs between the stem ends are new. Most of the planks between stems are new. I replaced the cant ribs and most of the plank ends at the stem. Also new stem ends, gunwales, seats, keel and two thwarts. I patched tack holes in old planks with inlays. It's very strong now. It looks strange without canvas, though:
IMGC3109 by Dave, on Flickr
Then the usual interior varnish (Epifanes), canvas, filler and paint. I recreated a version of rope seats that my dad made with a weave pattern from This Old Canoe. And in only two years, it was done.
IMG00103 by Dave, on Flickr
It even floats.
IMGC6988 by Dave, on Flickr
PS Sometimes people post about their canoes without photos, and a reply asks for pictures because "we like pictures". So if those pictures aren't enough, I have an album of almost 300 pictures and six bad videos. I'm in Colorado and my family is on the east coast so I explained what I'm doing in great detail.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5zo27a
64827075_10157229898531171_7847395627683020800_o by Dave, on FlickrWe used it a lot and it might have been varnished once or twice. A second layer of fiberglass was added in the 80s to slow down leaks. It was retired around 1993 with the idea that it should be restored. Someone bought the book and that was about it.
I started working on it a couple of years ago. The fiberglass came off easy. The sides didn't look that bad. About 8 ribs had obvious rot. The bottom planking was pretty bad.
IMGB7705 by Dave, on FlickrThat's when I learned about steel tacks. They don't just rust. The rust expands, making a bigger hole. The rusty water solution dissolves the lignin which is holding the wood fibers together. Only a few tacks rusted through and broke, but none of them could be pulled without massive damage to the surrounding wood.
My fix was to replace a lot of wood. All the ribs between the stem ends are new. Most of the planks between stems are new. I replaced the cant ribs and most of the plank ends at the stem. Also new stem ends, gunwales, seats, keel and two thwarts. I patched tack holes in old planks with inlays. It's very strong now. It looks strange without canvas, though:
IMGC3109 by Dave, on FlickrThen the usual interior varnish (Epifanes), canvas, filler and paint. I recreated a version of rope seats that my dad made with a weave pattern from This Old Canoe. And in only two years, it was done.
IMG00103 by Dave, on FlickrIt even floats.
IMGC6988 by Dave, on FlickrPS Sometimes people post about their canoes without photos, and a reply asks for pictures because "we like pictures". So if those pictures aren't enough, I have an album of almost 300 pictures and six bad videos. I'm in Colorado and my family is on the east coast so I explained what I'm doing in great detail.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5zo27a
