1st wood and canvas canoe

[Brian Rickman]

I picked up an Old Town 16' wood and canvas canoe a couple days ago. The wood looks beautiful. The previous owner said he used it once last summer and it did not leak.

I think the serial number is 9019...is that possible?

The canvas looks good from a distance, but up close I can see cracks in the paint. Is sanding and re-painting a viable option or do I need to re-canvas in the immediate future?

I have some pictures here, but my camera is not high enough resolution to really show the condition of the canvas.

 

[Fitz]

Old canvas

Brian:

Any idea how old the canvas is?

My dad had a 1940 canoe with original cracked canvas. We sanded it down and gave it a couple of coats of marine enamel. We probably got three more years out of it before it started to leak. Then I recanvassed it.

If the canvas is rotten or pulling away from the gunwales paint won't help and it is time for new skin.

Replacing the canvas is not hard, you can do it on a Sunday Morning, but there is a lot of filler, sanding, painting, sanding, painting, sanding, painting to follow up with....etc that takes some time.

The forum is the best place for help. There also may be a member that lives nearby that may be willing to assist.

Cheers,

Fitz.

 

[Brian Rickman]

Thanks. I have no idea how old the canvas is. The serial number indicates this canoe was made in 1908. The canvas is still tight. It's not pulling away anywhere. I'll try the sanding and painting routine. That sounds like less work then re-canvasing.

These forums are great.