I just purchased a 16' Old Town Charles River canoe. According to OT it was made in 1922.
There is a small piece of wood missing at the end of one of the gunwales which I should be able to fix without problem.
It has two problems however that I do not know how to fix. First is that the keel looks rotten. Is a keel really necessary? Part of me wants to replace it because it was originally placed on the canoe. Since I will mostly be using it on rivers I am not sure it is really necessary.
The biggest problem is that there are 3-4 long cracks in the cover. The cracks are 3-4 foot long and appear to go completely through the wood. They run along the length of the canoe. I will try to attch pictures. I can't tell if it is canvas or fiberglass covered. Is there any easy way to tell? I am sitting he trying to figure out if I bit off far more than I can chew.
I appreciate any help or suggestions.
There is a small piece of wood missing at the end of one of the gunwales which I should be able to fix without problem.
It has two problems however that I do not know how to fix. First is that the keel looks rotten. Is a keel really necessary? Part of me wants to replace it because it was originally placed on the canoe. Since I will mostly be using it on rivers I am not sure it is really necessary.
The biggest problem is that there are 3-4 long cracks in the cover. The cracks are 3-4 foot long and appear to go completely through the wood. They run along the length of the canoe. I will try to attch pictures. I can't tell if it is canvas or fiberglass covered. Is there any easy way to tell? I am sitting he trying to figure out if I bit off far more than I can chew.
I appreciate any help or suggestions.