Rib replacement on Old Town canoe

[michael badalamenti]

My father is giving me his Old Town canoe that has been in a barn for 20 years, and I am new to restoration. I don't have it yet, but he says it is in good shape needing painting as it is worn in parts of the bottom, and varnishing. These seems like jobs I can handle.

More worrisome is that four ribs were gnawed on by rodents. I have been reading The Wood & Canvas Canoe by Stelmok & Thurlow, and it has me wondering if rib replacement is a job that someone inexperienced should attempt. I have been reading these forums and this has given me some confidence that I might be able to do this. Any suggestions on other good instructions/tutorials and advice on this would be much appreciated.

This first photo shows the rib damage and the others shows the general condition of the canoe.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Benson Gray]

An easier option is to 'sister' the broken ribs with new ones as described at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?5512 for a temporary fix until you need to replace the canvas. More experienced restorers here may follow up with better suggestions.

Benson

 

[MGC]

Michael,
Those gnawed remains are cant ribs. They are the easiest ribs to replace due to the lack of form.
They do not require much bending and are simply slipped in between the stem and the planking.
The trick for those is that you need to put some taper in the bottom of the rib to allow it to slide in beside the stem and at the top you need to taper them to allow your outside rail to pull in.
You cannot replace them unless you remove the canvas. Consequently a simple rib replacement will turn into a canvassing job. You may choose to cob up something temporary and use it until you need to canvas.
You have the right book...you can purchase materials from the authors.

 

[michael badalamenti]

Benson,

Thanks for the link and suggestion. I will take a look at the link. I will better be able to assess the damage when the canoe arrives from Michigan. I wanted to get a jump on gathering information and you once again came through.

Michael

 

[michael badalamenti]

MGC,

Thank you for the information. The canoe is coming to me in California from Michigan, so I will be able to see if canvas is needed or a temp fix is possible. I was hoping you were not going to say new canvas would be part of a permanent fix, but was thinking it was from reading the book. Confirmation from someone with experience is appreciated. Thanks again.

Michael

 

[Mark Adams]

HI Michael,

You are a cruise from me, but not horribly far. I live in Reno, and have been restoring for 20+ years. If you wanted to, you could drive up here on a Friday, and we could do the woodwork on a Sat, and canvas Sunday morning, with you back on the road by noon. Charge? Nothing but you buying dinner at the local pizza joint, plus materials. Contact me via PM with your phone number and we can talk it over.

 

[homerdog]

Mark, I have a question, sir. Being an experienced restorer, where do you purchase the northern spruce for the gunnales. I know the authors mentioned above sell materials but I want the gunnales and innwales to be one piece not scarfed. Seems to me that once located, a transport company could just add a pvc tube containing the long pieces and "hot shot" it along with their load to somewhere close to me. I have just thought of this and the logistics seem to be the only problem. Thanks. Mike

 

[Mark Adams]

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the delay in replying. I get my spruce from Edensaw in WA. I use Sitka for my gunnels. It is expensive, but is available in nice, long lengths. (I have a 26' piece in storage for a war canoe project).

The days of being able to "hot shot" a piece of material are long gone I am afraid. Every trucker out there is trying to get fuel paid for, and freebies just don't happen any more. 20 years ago, I was able to get boats moved that way, but now?