Picked up an OT Yankee

[ChetPunisher]

Got the seats cleaned off. Cleaned out forty years of dirt and grime. Still need to remove the old varnish.

 

[MGC]

I use a tack puller. See http://www.woodencanoes.com/material.htm#tools if you don't have one.

Benson

I also use one of those but I found that it needed a bit of modification to improve the way that it grabs the heads of tacks. The tool seems to be too blunt to pull up tacks that are set deeply below the planking.
I "tuned" mine up by sharpening the head on a grinder (my skate sharpener). I narrowed the head width and thickness. It works like a charm... Another trick I picked up from a thread on this site is to use a dremel or other tool to grind off the clinched tack inside the canoe. That really helps to reduce the effort to pull the tack and also helps to reduce damage to the planking....

A comment about replacing small sections of planking..... I try to save old pieces of planking from other jobs or even other areas in the canoe that I reuse where a smaller piece is needed. It's always easier to color match with an old piece of wood.

 

[ChetPunisher]

Best way to remove varnish? Has anyone used Dad's?