fiberglas covering

[exctyengr]

Hi all, I am new to the forum and a new owner of a vintage Old Town (Octa) 17 footer. A previous owner had the canvas removed and fiberglas covered. The work was professionally done and looks quite good (in spite of losing the ambiance of filled canvas) I have inspected the canoe and found no delaminations, it looks fine except for some scrapes on the bottom. No evidence of dry rot on the wood but does need revarnishing. While I am new (actually an old returning member from the '80's) to WCHA, I have owned a wooden boat (40' ketch) for many years so wood boat maintenance including the frustrations of varnish are not new to me.
I'd like thoughts from other members on thoughts on this project. The purist in me says, "get rid of the glas" the pragmatist says, "if it works, keep it, the cure is worse than the disease"
Thoughts anyone?

 

[normsims]

In this case, the cure may be worse. Sloppy or amateurish fiberglass jobs can be removed with a heat source and a scraper, and sometimes the glass just peals off in strips. But a professionally done job was probably prepped correctly and is in good contact with the wood. Your only choice may be to sand it off, and one slip with a power disc sander can create more trouble.

Norm

 

[exctyengr]

Thanks, Norm you sort of confirmed my thoughts. I think what I will do is simply clean it up, fill the gouges, repaint the hull and then strip and revarnish the interior (re-fastening some of the loose hardware beforehand).

 

[normsims]

Do you have the build record for the canoe? If not, give us the serial number and we'll look it up for you.

Norm

 

[exctyengr]

I do , Norm, That was my first post on this blog. Kathy responded very promptly. She is a 17 foot Otca built in 1943. I bought it from the heirs of the original purchaser. Thanks so much for asking. Best, Mike (exctyengr)