fragile rib tips

[Michael Leone]

I just finished removing the canvas, outwales and keel on my 39 Otca.
the good news is there are no broken or cracked ribs and only one very small
dent in the planking, but I am a little worried about the tops of the last two
cant ribs where they get very thin between the two rails and the ends of the
inwales that feather down to almost nothing at the tip of the deck.
There is some splitting and the wood seems fragile but it's all there and not
rotted.
I have read some posts that mentioned a thin penetrating Epoxy product
that is used to repair/reenforce small sections of wood that you don't want to
replace.
Has anyone use this stuff, what is it called and who makes it

Thanks Mike

 

[Ric Altfather]

Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES)

Michael,

I have no first hand knowledge of CPES but purchased some and will be trying soon. The yah's Vs nay's on this stuff seem to be split down the middle. You might want to jump over to the WoodenBoat forum where this has been discussed to death. I wouldn't soak a boat in this stuff but if you will be painting and you can eliminate some replacement, then why not? I'm sure I have just opened Pandora's box on this one but that's my opinion. Maybe some of the builders will share some experiences. The product is basically a thinned epoxy which is supposed to penetrate into the wood to make it more stable. Some have said that you can heat epoxy and accomplish the same thing...not sure about that. The stuff is pricy but if you can cut labor and get on the water sooner, well? Anyway, this product is made by Smith and Company at this site:

http://www.smithandcompany.org

Good luck and a word of caution, whatever you do make sure you don't glue the ribs to the planks, inwales, etc...if you want to make future repairs, could get ugly.

Ric Altfather

 

[Dan Miller]

A little epoxy on the rib tips won't hurt anything. In the past I've just used the regular West System epoxy that is always on hand, it seems to penetrate well enough for the task at hand. The Smiths that Ric mentions is also widely used, especially by the runabout crowd, and System Three also makes a low-viscosity version that has worked well for me during some of my home restoration projects.

 

[Dan Miller]

the canoe in the photo looks like Old Town design #45. Does anybody know when design #45 changed from a Yale blue bottom to a light blue bottom?

Except it is missing the stripe with leaf end... Old Town never changed Design 45 from Yale Blue - it was described that way right through 1974, the last year color designs were shown in the catalog. They do show a Design 45-like pattern with a light blue bottom for the Molitor when it was introduced in 1966... Unless you were a Rolling Stone, you could pretty much get what you wanted...

 

[Chuck Hoffhine]

I have used stuff called "Git-Rot" that is basically a very thin two part epoxy that will penetrate. I did have some punky wood that turned black with the product. Please excuse Gil for getting off the subject, he often gets exposed to fumes. -Chuck

 

[zutefisk]

I have some git rot i've been using to save some deck tips and inwale ends on my next project. Will be able to report back in 20 years how well it worked.

It works pretty good at firming up a screw holes that have gotten a bit punky. Soaks in real good instead of just filling them like a putty or glue.

Used some pc rot terminator(?) on my first canoe. Treated the rib ends, a couple soft spots in the outwales, screw holes, stem tips, and the tack holes in the stems. Worked good.

If you are as messy and accident prone as I am it is easy to have it dripping around where you don't want it. Have a rag handy with the appropriate solvent, and maybe mask off the places you don't want the stuff.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Note that CPES is a sealer (the S in the name) and not an adhesive.

If you use it, you will still have to get some "regular" epoxy and mix up some "peanut butter" to apply to the tips. (assuming material is missing)

Dan

 

[dboles]

Just glue it up with some water resistant glue,with maybe a strip of duct tape to hold all together.Its a cant rib that needs fixing , its in an area that wont be seen when the canoe is all back together except from the top.
You have a very nice canoe good luck with the restoration
Dan'l