Hi,
So I was very blessed to just picked up an Old Town 18' locally in need of restoration--probably a CS grade. The hull has retained a very good shape, ribs and planking are in fairly good condition, hull is fiberglassed and the interior has been painted. In the meantime, we have a trip coming up soon where I think we'll be able to use the canoe since it appears to be nearly seaworthy. There are two small wear spots (size of a quarter) through the fiberglass which we can easily patch as a temporary fix, but she's also missing her keel and in need of a temporary paint job. The previous owner had screwed on a keel from inside right through the ribs and I want to do the same thing. There's no time for any true restoration for this trip, I'd just like to get her usable for now. The kids are 'stoked' about it and I don't want to let them down. We'll do a test run locally before we know for sure.
As for the temporary keel, I thought I'd use a piece of white oak and screw it on through the ribs as was done previously. Eventually I should do this with bedding compound, but I think for now I'll use 3M 5200 or maybe even silicon which are available locally. So what size should I make the keel: 3/4" wide by 1" - 1 1/8" deep and tapered down toward the bow and stern? This trip will be entirely on a string of lakes--no whitewater, but probably some dragging along the bottom. Also, what other wood has historically been used other than white oak?
She's not real pretty right now, so I'd also like to put a coat of dark green over the fiberglass to match what little color is there. Most of the hull has no paint but is down to bare fiberglass and epoxy. What do I rough up the surface with--maybe some 80 grit? and what paint should I use. It's only temporary, but I want something that will look decent and hold up a little bit anyway.
Thanks for your help and thanks for this great forum,
Jonathan
So I was very blessed to just picked up an Old Town 18' locally in need of restoration--probably a CS grade. The hull has retained a very good shape, ribs and planking are in fairly good condition, hull is fiberglassed and the interior has been painted. In the meantime, we have a trip coming up soon where I think we'll be able to use the canoe since it appears to be nearly seaworthy. There are two small wear spots (size of a quarter) through the fiberglass which we can easily patch as a temporary fix, but she's also missing her keel and in need of a temporary paint job. The previous owner had screwed on a keel from inside right through the ribs and I want to do the same thing. There's no time for any true restoration for this trip, I'd just like to get her usable for now. The kids are 'stoked' about it and I don't want to let them down. We'll do a test run locally before we know for sure.
As for the temporary keel, I thought I'd use a piece of white oak and screw it on through the ribs as was done previously. Eventually I should do this with bedding compound, but I think for now I'll use 3M 5200 or maybe even silicon which are available locally. So what size should I make the keel: 3/4" wide by 1" - 1 1/8" deep and tapered down toward the bow and stern? This trip will be entirely on a string of lakes--no whitewater, but probably some dragging along the bottom. Also, what other wood has historically been used other than white oak?
She's not real pretty right now, so I'd also like to put a coat of dark green over the fiberglass to match what little color is there. Most of the hull has no paint but is down to bare fiberglass and epoxy. What do I rough up the surface with--maybe some 80 grit? and what paint should I use. It's only temporary, but I want something that will look decent and hold up a little bit anyway.
Thanks for your help and thanks for this great forum,
Jonathan