Jeffrey Ward
Curious about Wooden Canoes
I have an 18 foot Old Town Guide in need of restoration. This is my first restoration. I have stripped the interior of the hull, and now I need to gather materials and supplies for the wood that needs replacement. As far as I can tell, the boat needs the following repairs.
There is rot at the forward end where the deck and the tips of the rails meet. The forward deck needs to be either replaced or have a new tip added. Likewise, both the inner and outer rails need to be replaced or have new tips added. The rot does not appear to extend down into the forward stem.
The outer rails are somewhat worn from general wear and tear, but other than the rot at the tips, they appear to be serviceable. In light of the wear and tear, and the rotten tips, however, I am considering replacing them in their entirety.
The inner rails (both port and starboard) have sections about a foot long near the bow seat where it appears that a squirel or other little critter has chewed on them. I am not sure whether the damage is so extensive as to render the rails structurally inadequate. It might be sufficient to sand the areas smooth and leave it as is. On the other hand, I plan to use this boat for sailing when I restore it, and the chewed areas are near the mast, so the rails probably should be strong to handle the force of the mast and the mast-seat. As such, I am leaning toward replacing them.
In addition to the rails, the critter also chewed several of the ribs. Also, there are seven cracked ribs.
Finally, there are two holes in the planking, each about the size of a quarter.
So, it seems to me that a complete restoration of this hull requires a new forward deck (or a new tip spliced onto the deck), new rails (both inner and outer for both port and starboard sides) (or at least new tips spliced on and new section scarfed on where there has been chewing), a new aft stem, nine new ribs, and enough planking to repair the two holes and replace anything removed and destroyed while making the other necessary repairs.
I took a bunch of pictures of the damaged areas, but I don't know how to post them. They are jpeg files, but they are each over 2 MB so they exceed the maximum size permited by the forum.
I would appreciate any advice that more experienced restorers wish to provide. I need to find sources for materials and supplies. I suppose I could order them from Old Town, but I wonder how long that will take and how much it would cost, especially considering the cost of shipping from Maine to my home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I also am aware of other Maine-based suppliers such as Rollin Thurlow. Is anyone aware of any shops in Maryland or Northern Virginia that can serve as a source of materials?
There is rot at the forward end where the deck and the tips of the rails meet. The forward deck needs to be either replaced or have a new tip added. Likewise, both the inner and outer rails need to be replaced or have new tips added. The rot does not appear to extend down into the forward stem.
The outer rails are somewhat worn from general wear and tear, but other than the rot at the tips, they appear to be serviceable. In light of the wear and tear, and the rotten tips, however, I am considering replacing them in their entirety.
The inner rails (both port and starboard) have sections about a foot long near the bow seat where it appears that a squirel or other little critter has chewed on them. I am not sure whether the damage is so extensive as to render the rails structurally inadequate. It might be sufficient to sand the areas smooth and leave it as is. On the other hand, I plan to use this boat for sailing when I restore it, and the chewed areas are near the mast, so the rails probably should be strong to handle the force of the mast and the mast-seat. As such, I am leaning toward replacing them.
In addition to the rails, the critter also chewed several of the ribs. Also, there are seven cracked ribs.
Finally, there are two holes in the planking, each about the size of a quarter.
So, it seems to me that a complete restoration of this hull requires a new forward deck (or a new tip spliced onto the deck), new rails (both inner and outer for both port and starboard sides) (or at least new tips spliced on and new section scarfed on where there has been chewing), a new aft stem, nine new ribs, and enough planking to repair the two holes and replace anything removed and destroyed while making the other necessary repairs.
I took a bunch of pictures of the damaged areas, but I don't know how to post them. They are jpeg files, but they are each over 2 MB so they exceed the maximum size permited by the forum.
I would appreciate any advice that more experienced restorers wish to provide. I need to find sources for materials and supplies. I suppose I could order them from Old Town, but I wonder how long that will take and how much it would cost, especially considering the cost of shipping from Maine to my home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I also am aware of other Maine-based suppliers such as Rollin Thurlow. Is anyone aware of any shops in Maryland or Northern Virginia that can serve as a source of materials?
Looks like inwale replacement might have to happen as a result.
