Great Canadian restore

[rayar3]

This canoe was given to my father and I by one of my father's clients. If we didn't take the canoe it was going to become a flower bed!

I've tried to search Great Canadian canoes, but it seems they've gone out of business. My first new canoe was a GC when I was very young; it was so heavy that I could barely carry it! I had no idea they made cedar/fiberglass canoes. This one is very light, and just shy of 15'. It reminds me of my old Grumman SportBoat.

I'd like to know a little info if anyone knows how to decipher the serial number, or the make, etc. The wood isn't in terrible condition. Some dry areas inside where the varnish is thin. It will need a new keel, new gunwales, and some minor repairs here and there to the wood from previous epoxy "repairs." Many of the ribs have the small splits as shown in the last photo. They're not long, and they don't appear rotten. Wondering how to best go about fixing those when the time comes.

Ideally, I'd like to strip the fiberglass off and canvas the canoe, if that's even possible. I have no experience with any of this, so I'm ready to dive in. Maybe even attempt to build a sail kit for it, too.

Any help is much appreciated. And if this post is in the wrong area, please feel free to move it.

-Ray

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome and congratulations, the information at https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-construction-manufacturer-menu-1690.htm indicates that your canoe was probably made in 2002. The rib splits don't look serious so you can probably ignore them. It may not be easy to remove the fiberglass if epoxy resin was used, which seems likely. There are lots of messages here with tips about removing fiberglass so the search function can help. The book at http://www.wcha.org/store/canoe-rig-essence-and-art has everything you will need to know about making a sail rig for it (and more). Feel free to reply here if you have other questions. Good luck,

Benson

 

[rayar3]

2002 makes sense. The previous and second owner was given the boat by the original owner. And the R trademark on the side decal told me it was modern. I'm actually happy that it's a modern boat for a learning experience. I was contemplating a CLC kit this winter, but this will let me put the money into sourcing and making a sail kit.

Today I'll make some cradles for it amd make a spot in the garage. Baby steps...

 

[Jerry Van]

Here's an uninformed question from a real newbie, so forgive me, but, what would be the harm in just sanding down any high spots, treating any peeling glass, and canvassing the canoe, versus the tedious task of fiberglass stripping?

 

[Benson Gray]

what would be the harm in just sanding down any high spots, treating any peeling glass, and canvassing the canoe, versus the tedious task of fiberglass stripping?

Weight is an obvious reason. The Old Town Canoe Company catalogs from 1967 to 1974 listed a 15 foot canoe covered with a light canvas known as the Lightweight model that weighed 58 pounds. The identical canoe with "polypropylene fiber reinforced plastic" (a.k.a. fiberglass) covering was known as the Trapper model and weighed 55 pounds. The same one with a Dacron covering was known as the Featherweight model and weighed 46 pounds. Therefore, one of these canoes with both canvas and fiberglass coverings would probably weigh around 67 pounds and it would not be easy to staple or tack the canvas through the fiberglass.

Benson

 

[rayar3]

I have at least 3 ribs to replace, a handful of top ribs, and some planks as well. Not to mention the deck, inwales, outwales, and the transom all need some attention. If the epoxy doesn't come off, I may consider just patching and painting. But trying to get it off only costs me time. Still trying to get some info on the boat, but there is little online. It'd be nice to know who manufactured it in Canada, since I thought Great Canadian was a Mass company.

 

[Howie]

I haven't got the latest WCHA Wooden Canoe magazine in front of me - and I'm too lazy to walk downstairs to get it - but it seems to me that I read that someone stuck his fiberglassed canoe under water for some amount of time to help loosen the fiberglass from the cedar. Does this really work? Like, maybe water seeps between the wood and the cloth and when heat is applied - as with an iron - the resulting steam loosens the fiberglass cloth. If this works maybe it'd work with this canoe.

 

[rayar3]

Flipped the boat over today on the trailer. I noticed a nice crack in the bottom of some epoxy "repairs" that someone tried. About 30 seconds worth of pulling netted me this:

Wood looks good under the glass, other than the cracks and such. I'll have a fair amount of planks to replace. It looks like they used kevlar, which would explain why it comes off so easily. I've been told that kevlar doesn't laminate very well, and that's certainly the case here.

For the rest I'll use heat. I don't want to pull too much of the wood surface off. The wood does seem thin to me though. What's the normal plank and rib thickness for the average canoe? I wonder if they went thinner thinking the glass and epoxy added strength. Also, anyone care to guess what type of wood? I'm thinking eastern white cedar?

 

[Benson Gray]

What's the normal plank and rib thickness for the average canoe?

The page at http://www.wcha.org/catalogs/old-town/specific.gif details the thicknesses for an Old Town canoe. Yours does appear to have white cedar planking. Hopefully the rest of the fiberglass removal will go as easily,

Benson

 

[rayar3]

The ribs on the canoe are 1.5"x.25" and spaced approx 2" apart. There are false or half ribs as well of the same size as the full ribs. The planking is 3.5"x.125".

Looking at the Old Town specs, the ribs are slightly smaller in all dimensions, and spaced farther apart. The planking is about the same.

The canoe/sport boat is about 15' and 42" at the widest point. I thought about making it into a double ender, but I have decided to keep it original with a transom.

So a question about durability and strength. The epoxy and glass no doubt added strength to the hull. Will covering it with canvas provide the canoe with enough strength? Or will this canoe be too fragile? Also, thoughts on canvas? #12, 10, 6?

My end goal is to enjoy the boat and learn a little along the way. Canvas would be cool, but if the boat isn't useable, I'd just assume re-glass it. Since it is a 2002, my heart won't be broken if I use "modern" materials. It will be painted either a light blue or light green with the Old Town style Greek stripe and left natural on the inside.