OP
OP
Dan R.
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hi All,
I'm back on the thread with the plan to recanvas this spring. My son has decided he wants to use the "Red" canoe on our camping trip this July and so I need to get moving. I'll post my high-level plan and welcome any critiques. My intentions are to keep as much of the wood original as possible. This may prove more difficult as I get into it but we will find out!
Gunwales:
I will attempt to remove the gunwales without breaking them. If this is possible, I will strip them, clean them up with scothbrite and varnish them.
Decks, seats, thwarts:
I'm going to attempt to preserve the original decks so I will wash them with mild dish soap and varnish. I will do the same for the other parts.
Interior/exterior:
I'm going to attempt to preserve the color of the interior wood so my plan is to wash with mild dish soap, lightly clean with scotchbrite so the varnish will stick and varnish.
Cracked planks:
There are two spots where the planking took a hit from the outside. The planks are cracked but there are no holes. I'm hoping I can align the planks smoothly and sure up from the inside with a piece of rib stock.
Some questions:
From the posts I've read it seems like varnishing is more fussy with humidity than temperature. I'm likely going to be varnishing with lows overnight in the 40s. Should I be concerned?
I've read that humidity can also be a concern with canvassing. Does temperature play a roll in filling the canvas?
I'm back on the thread with the plan to recanvas this spring. My son has decided he wants to use the "Red" canoe on our camping trip this July and so I need to get moving. I'll post my high-level plan and welcome any critiques. My intentions are to keep as much of the wood original as possible. This may prove more difficult as I get into it but we will find out!
Gunwales:
I will attempt to remove the gunwales without breaking them. If this is possible, I will strip them, clean them up with scothbrite and varnish them.
Decks, seats, thwarts:
I'm going to attempt to preserve the original decks so I will wash them with mild dish soap and varnish. I will do the same for the other parts.
Interior/exterior:
I'm going to attempt to preserve the color of the interior wood so my plan is to wash with mild dish soap, lightly clean with scotchbrite so the varnish will stick and varnish.
Cracked planks:
There are two spots where the planking took a hit from the outside. The planks are cracked but there are no holes. I'm hoping I can align the planks smoothly and sure up from the inside with a piece of rib stock.
Some questions:
From the posts I've read it seems like varnishing is more fussy with humidity than temperature. I'm likely going to be varnishing with lows overnight in the 40s. Should I be concerned?
I've read that humidity can also be a concern with canvassing. Does temperature play a roll in filling the canvas?
OP
OP
Dan R.
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Hi All,
Didn't quite get to this short... longer time consuming... than I expected list of to-dos but did get the BN Morris out for a canoe trip. I've read a good number of posts that say to add more time for the repairs than you originally think, and that is true. I did fit a couple paddles in for a local boat race that took up some time as well. It's a fun, homemade boat race for anyone in southeast mass.
Anyway, my older son and I cleaned up the interior and I made a rope fix on the seats, a couple small canvas repairs, and a couple coats of paint. She did not leak a bit and was a pleasure to paddle. Not to mention the compliments you get with a wood and canvas boat! New to me but I'm sure some of you are used to them.
Quick trip report: We spent three days island camping on a Squam Lake. Two adults and two kids plus all gear fit in the boat like a glove! We could have stayed for a fourth day. The paddle was roughly 2 miles with 10ish mph winds coming from the port stern. The boat handle great and was plenty stable.
After doing some research on the construction of this canoe, I found there are some restoring techniques regarding hardware I will have to invest some time in, making it a little more complicated than I expected. For the time being, I'm going to start work on the first wood/canvas canoe I picked up and start removing some fiberglass. I'll keep this one paddling until I have another W/C canoe to use.
Didn't quite get to this short... longer time consuming... than I expected list of to-dos but did get the BN Morris out for a canoe trip. I've read a good number of posts that say to add more time for the repairs than you originally think, and that is true. I did fit a couple paddles in for a local boat race that took up some time as well. It's a fun, homemade boat race for anyone in southeast mass.
Anyway, my older son and I cleaned up the interior and I made a rope fix on the seats, a couple small canvas repairs, and a couple coats of paint. She did not leak a bit and was a pleasure to paddle. Not to mention the compliments you get with a wood and canvas boat! New to me but I'm sure some of you are used to them.
Quick trip report: We spent three days island camping on a Squam Lake. Two adults and two kids plus all gear fit in the boat like a glove! We could have stayed for a fourth day. The paddle was roughly 2 miles with 10ish mph winds coming from the port stern. The boat handle great and was plenty stable.
After doing some research on the construction of this canoe, I found there are some restoring techniques regarding hardware I will have to invest some time in, making it a little more complicated than I expected. For the time being, I'm going to start work on the first wood/canvas canoe I picked up and start removing some fiberglass. I'll keep this one paddling until I have another W/C canoe to use.
MGC
Scrapmaker
Kudos from where I sit. I know a lot of people who collect and accumulate and don't use these old canoes. It's kind of sad. Except for a handful of very fancy ones that ended up in prissy boat houses, most of these were used and used hard. They are (as you now realize) a proper joy to paddle. It's that hard use that damaged them, rotted out the stems and decks and often resulted in a punishing repair with a layer of glass. You have actually arrived at the perfect situation, one to use and one to work on. The glass will come off and you will be able to sort out whatever repairs you need to do on your other boat. Eventually you will also get that one in the water. Enjoy.
Worth Gretter
LOVES Wooden Canoes
If you look at the canoes for sale on Craigslist, their bad condition is much more the result of poor storage than hard usage!
OP
OP
Dan R.
Curious about Wooden Canoes
MGC, it was a blessing in disguise. I'm very happy I decided to just get the Morris in the water and not take the canvas off. It would have been unfortunate, and overwhelming, to have both boats in repair with no usable ones. I am hooked on paddling W/C canoes!
Worth, I can see that easily happening. I've been doing a little research on storing while not hogging a canoe and need to make some adjustments. I've read the 3rds rule for support points is a good way to go. Mine are about a fifth in from the ends at the moment. Luckily, I have indoor space to house them.
Worth, I can see that easily happening. I've been doing a little research on storing while not hogging a canoe and need to make some adjustments. I've read the 3rds rule for support points is a good way to go. Mine are about a fifth in from the ends at the moment. Luckily, I have indoor space to house them.
Worth Gretter
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Dan, I totally agree about hogging and proper support. But there is much worse on Craigslist, like ends completely rotted from the canoe being stored upside down on the ground, for years!
