Straight and Narrow - Keel

[Fitz]

It's time to put the keel on Pa's Guide. One end of the keel has a terrible dip in it. I'm not sure of the cause. The hull of the canoe is pretty fair and true. The trouble is, screwing the keel back down onto the hull will not be enough to deal with this crooked keel. The dip will remain.

Any tips on straightening a keel out there? I'm toying with the idea of soaking it and throwing the crooked end in the steam box....

If I get a chance I'll post a photo of the problematic keel.

Thanks in advance.

 

[smallboatshop]

Steam boxes are for making straight wood crooked, so if you want to make crooked wood straight you have to have your steam box facing the other way...

Hope this helps.

 

[Fitz]

Ohhhhh!

I see. I'm putting the wrong end in the box.

Maybe I should rig the box to fit each end of the canoe and give the straight canoe a little rocker to match the keel .

Actually, I think there are some words of wisdom in this thread somewhere.

 

[dboles]

Crooked keels are becoming one of my trademarks."HEY look everybody Boles restored another you can always tell by the keel"
.Last one I did a 16 pal had a shoe keel .I built a jig and steamed then clamped it in place worked OK This was a shoe keel very thin.Anything is doable I guess
Once straightened a paddle with a huge bow in it with the steam box and some nails drove into a plank with the paddle wedged straight. Much to the dismay of the naysayers that worked I woulsd give it a try John steam it then bend it over your knee to straighten or past straight a little then into some solid jig with clamps. Steaming doesnt always have to be rush a person does have some time to play with Leave it in there until you are ready to put it on the canoe
Hows your summer paddling been shaping up Low water out there this year?
Dan

 

[Fitz]

Low Water???

No shortage of water here. Want some? We will have to rig a way of gettin' it to you. Given our record here on tunnels, maybe we should play it safe and truck it.

We are gearing up for a few days in the North Maine Woods in the near future to throw flies at fish, paddle, sleep on the ground, feed the August crop of deer flies etc.

Yah, I think I'll give it a little bending a shot. With the exception of the bend the keel is in good shape, although Old Town didn't get this one on very straight to begin with.

Okay, Dan, I will bite. What is the story behind that critter swimming next to the canoe as shown in your trip photos???

 

[dboles]

That critter is a very wet black bear and a big one also.We saw him swinning the river ahead of us so we caught up to him .When I got right next to him he let out a roar So I tapped him a couple times on the noggin with my paddle to remember him why he should run off when encountering humans,he had such a good lesson when he reached shore he hightailed it into the timber without looking back.Foolhearty some may say,I figured all 4 feet where busy, so he wouldnt come aboard and wouldnt get much leverage for swatting.And it was way too much fun. Better pictures when the others are developed I hope.
We've lots of water so none needed.Thanks anyways
Good luck on the keel ,your Pa's canoe and your next trip
Dan