Hi everyone I have a 1974 16’ otca that has a natural color fiberglass finish and I’m in the process of having this canoe restored. I’m located in Maine and I’ve figured out the wood work end of the project however I’m in need of someone to glass it once the wood work is complete I was wondering if anyone knew of anyone that can do this I’d like to keep it as original as possible as the idea of canvassing it has come up but isn’t quite what I’m looking for considering I like the natural wood look and finish.thank you !
Fiberglass
- Thread starter Jeffery95
- Start date
The short answer is that many of the restorers listed at https://www.woodencanoe.org/builders-suppliers can work with fiberglass. A more complete answer will depend on how much restoration is required. Significant repairs may involve removing most of the original fiberglass. Restorations tend to be very personal so I would encourage you to contact a few of them to see who you like best. Good luck,
Benson
Benson
Dave Osborn
LIFE MEMBER
As mentioned, it depends on the amount of damage you currently have. I had a factory glassed Old Town of a similar vintage in my shop a few years ago. The glass was seriously delaminated and I removed it totally. I used a heat gun, gloves, a stiff putty knife, and pliers to remove it then the heat gun and scraper to remove any residual resin. There were repairs required, as the decks and stems were rotted and there was some bad planking. These repairs could not have been done unless the glass was removed. I’m not a fan of glassed canoes, but the customer insisted and thankfully I have a buddy that builds stripper canoes and does excellent glass work. It turned out great.
There is also a good chance that when the glass is removed, you will incur splintering and damage to the planks. Being transparent, those issues may be seen.
Just know that once you glass a canoe, any repairs needed are superficial only. For example, you can’t replace a broken rib but you can screw or glue new wood over the break. Effective, but looks like something the cat forgot to bury.
There is also a good chance that when the glass is removed, you will incur splintering and damage to the planks. Being transparent, those issues may be seen.
Just know that once you glass a canoe, any repairs needed are superficial only. For example, you can’t replace a broken rib but you can screw or glue new wood over the break. Effective, but looks like something the cat forgot to bury.
Todd Bradshaw
Sailmaker
I don't know whether or not Old Town is still offering those, or having them built for them that way, but judging by the age you can be certain that it was fiberglassed using polyester resin. These days, nobody in their right mind uses polyester resin for sheathing on wood because it is prone to delaminating and there isn't a single brand or formula designed to stick well to, or seal wood. All that sort of stuff is now done using epoxy resin and has been for around three decades because it has drastically better adhesion and sealing characteristics for use in wooden boatbuilding. The difference in color between new epoxy fiberglass patches and old polyester fiberglass is quite likely to make any spot repairs stand out like a sore thumb. Peeling off all the old glass and re-glassing with modern resin is possible, but the chances of the wood coming clean enough to look good under the new clear finish aren't very good.
Realistically, your best bets for ending up with a nice looking canoe may be either to strip it and have it canvased, filled and painted, or strip it and have it re-glassed, this time using epoxy resin, and then painted to cover up the less than nice looking areas of wood. Like I did on my 19772 Old Town Guide.
Realistically, your best bets for ending up with a nice looking canoe may be either to strip it and have it canvased, filled and painted, or strip it and have it re-glassed, this time using epoxy resin, and then painted to cover up the less than nice looking areas of wood. Like I did on my 19772 Old Town Guide.
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Dave Osborn
LIFE MEMBER
Jeffery
Without photos or even a response with further description, we can’t help you more than what we’ve laid out. Best of luck!
Without photos or even a response with further description, we can’t help you more than what we’ve laid out. Best of luck!
I was able to scroll through the thread early this morning but had a extremely busy day at work I’ll have some time to respond this weekend liked everyone’s response and advice you all are extremely helpful and appreciated
