Need help understanding repair on OT build record

[smallboatshop]

Attached are the front and back of a build record for a 1944 16' AA Square Stern. First question is the color - it is dark green with a "??" red bottom.

Next question is the repairs - if I'm reading it right it looks like new ribs and planking and repair to the canvas. Does this mean that they removed part of the canvas, made the repairs, and tacked it back on? Could it have had damage to the ribs near the transom where they might have rolled the canvas back? They did add bilge keels.

What are your thoughts?

Dan

 

[Greg Nolan]

Just some speculation --

In three hours of labor, Sammy installed 4 new ribs, replaced some planking. and installed a "Patch in canvas." I doubt that in that time frame, the patching job involved any untacking and rolling back of canvas. Sammy may have glued a small canvas patch inside a small tear in the canvas just before re-installing the new planking and ribs. The canvas may have been torn a bit when the ribs and planking were damaged -- or perhaps more likely, there may have just been a deep gouge in the filling of the canvas that needed to be patched. There is no indication where on the hull the damage occurred -- unless the bilge keels were installed in response to damage to the bottom of the hull -- to prevent a repeat incident. And there was not likely much damage to the canvas in any event -- most of that three hours would have been spent repairing the wood.

After the canoe was resanded and revarnished, and the exterior repainted with the same dark green hull and red bottom (on the back of the card it may say "trop. red" -- perhaps tropical red), a good patch on a small tear would have been virtually invisible.

Greg

 

[mccloud]

Dan, Do you have this canoe at your shop? I also have trouble understanding how damaged planking can be replaced without removing canvas, though I guess small sections could be slid underneath adjacent ribs without tacking. I saw a canoe which had been returned to Old Town for repair, and rather than removing and replacing cracked ribs, new full length ribs had been installed across the damaged area, almost as if they were half-ribs, but with the tips tacked to the inwales. With pre-bent ribs in the shop, installation of them in-between existing ribs would have been a quick repair. I'd be interested in learning what you see in your canoe. Tom McCloud

 

[smallboatshop]

Hi Tom,

I don't have it. I will be looking at it for a customer. It is a square stern so I would think that full rib replacement would have to deal with the risers and keelson. Maybe they replace 1/2 rib by sliding it down the side under the riser and hiding the end under the keelson, but they still would have had to remove the broken rib and tacks and somehow secured the new rib piece in place. And I don't know how they could have added new planking with the canvas on. The time frame isn't long enough to put new canvas on, fill it, etc. It's a puzzlement to me.

Dan

 

[Greg Nolan]

I must admit that in my speculation above, I did not take into account the risers and keelson of a square back. So if the damage was at the rear of the boat, maybe they did loosen the canvas and roll it back (which would have meant partially unfixing at least some of the gunwales) to make the repairs, including gluing in a canvas patch. But three hours seems awfully fast for that amount of work, even if Sammy had two or three assistants. With four ribs removed, fitting a short piece of planking could be done with the canvas on, but even putting aside the issue of risers and keelson, there would be the question of how the new ribs were fastened if the canvas remained in place. If the ribs in question were the last four ribs at the stern, I suppose they maybe could have slipped pre-formed ribs between the planking and the risers/keelson/gunwales -- depending on how the transom is fitted.

It will be interesting to see what can be discovered when you look at it for your customer.

Greg

 

[smallboatshop]

Below is a photo of the repair. The top of 4 ribs were replaced from the gunwale to the riser so the repair is practically invisible from the interior.

This boat is for sale on Craigs list: http://maine.craigslist.org/boa/3906662759.html

smallboat shop has no connection to the owner or sale.

Dan