Annual maintenance

[Plainsman]

Folks,

I purchased my first wood-canvas canoe last year (a Cedarwood Prospector) and had the opportunity to enjoy it this summer. I became proficient enough at poling to really enjoy some solo time on some local streams (pole up and float or pole back down). The poling also allowed me to be pretty careful about serious scratches. Well, the last outing out I actually went tandem with a friend on a stream I hadn't been on before. Unfortunately, it was shallower and rockier than expected. The bottom of the boat took a beating under the stern seat (right where I was). So my question to all of you folks is, suggestions for some basic maintenance? I've got some ambroid glue that I put on a few spots, but I'm wondering if I'd be better off doing some touch-up painting. You can see (hopefully...in the attached photos) that in some spots the weave of the canvas is visible. Do I need to put in some filler? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...Jeff

 

[yelnif]

git-er-done

first,welcome to the best canoe site anywhere-plainsman. I would suggest that use a brass wire brush to rough up the area around the exposed canvas (gently- you do not want to cut the threads in the canvas if at all possible),for @ 6-7" around canvas exposure then apply a thin coat of filler to level or slightly above the weave,feather sand the filler and either touch-up paint or repaint the complete hull. The scuff marks are just cosmetic and could be wet sanded out.I always do my maint.in the fall/winter- that way I know they are ready for the next season.good luck-you can do it just-'git-er-done'.

 

[Plainsman]

Filler, eh?

Yelnif,

Thanks for the input. Yes, I'm planning on a little winter maintenance. So now I'm wondering if my paddling conditions will warrant annual use of filler (or if I just need to get really, really good with the pole). Is anybody else using filler regularly?

Just as an aside, I am of the "wet-foot" school of paddling and generally try to be very careful with my boats, but once under way I also succumb to the "well, it's meant to be used" line of thought.

 

[mark wismer]

Filler may not adhere to filled canvas.

 

[Plainsman]

Just paint?

OK, so I've been doing some more reading on this site and it looks like there are varying opinions about applyling filler to an already filled canoe. Should I just paint? Also, should I notice a color associated with the filler under the paint, or will it just go from the paint to the white canvas? I'm learning as I'm going here...

Can anyone offer an opinion on the degree of wear evident in the photos? Do folks that do regular tripping in their wood-canvas canoes experience this kind of wear on a regular basis? (I realize, that there are a ton of variables involved in the degree of wear a boat receives, not the least of which is paddling environment and paddler skill). Are there others that use their wood-canvas boats in rocky streams with the occasional gravel bar? I guess I presumed this was the norm in the northeast before the days of royalex. My prospector paddles too nicely on the streams to change my habits, I'm just trying to work out the best maintenance schedule and approach. Thanks...

 

[sandpiper]

Good morning Plainsman. I do a lot of canoe poling in rocky streams and let me tell you that my wood and canvas canoe is my work horse. It can take it no problem. My canoe isn't a piano and it can take the beating. I wouldn't worry about it. I would just sand and apply paint. Keep having fun with poling . By the way, in the years 90, I had a CedarWood canoe. Go for it, keep going beyond the paddle. Sandpiper

P.S. A guy named Garrett Conover wrote an excellent book on the art of using a canoe in the wilderness. He really goes "Beyond the paddle".