Sponson question 1938 17' Old Town H.W.

[sander63*]

Hi , I just removed the sponson and luckily it was suggested here to get Michael Grace's 2016 article
about recovering a sponson canoe. This article was very informative and prepared me to expect the hidden fasteners on the ends but I was still surprised how many there were! Because I was afraid of damaging the wood, I slipped a saw blade in and sawed through the nails and screws. My question is when reinstalling should I grind the nail ends smooth and try and use few screws from the outside into the ribs?

 

[Dave Osborn]

Sander,
I’ve done exactly whet you describe. Grind down the nails points. Should be enough screw holes, but sometimes it may make sense to add a screw or two.
I don’t think they were meant to hold anything. They are nails that hold the sponson planks on. The planks were nailed when the stations were already attached to the canoe and popped through a little.

 

[sander63*]

Thanks Dave! ! Just finished getting a coat or two of varnish on the inside, still torn between putting the sponsons back on though.
Regards
Tom

 

[pklonowski]

Keep the sponsons somewhere, but paddle the canoe without them. Then decide if you want to put the sponsons back on. When the boat passes to a new owner, include the sponsons, if they're not already on the boat. Then the next owner can decide.

Procrastination is not the enemy!

 

[sander63*]

Thanks Paul for your advice, sounds like a good plan.
Regards
Tom