Ihave an "Ultra-lite" cedar strip canoe made in South River, Ontario by a one man company over 40 years ago. The canoe was made in 2 pieces and put together with one join in the middle. It was damaged in the recent wind storm, with a hole punched in the bow and the center joint cracked. I have been told that it is unreparable. I have 2 questions. One, is it truly unreparable? Two, does anyone have an idea of the value of this canoe? I think it may be a classic.
stripper
- Thread starter McQ
- Start date
pklonowski
Unrepentant Canoeist
Unrepairable?
I don't believe anything is unrepairable -- it depends on whether you're willing to spend the time & $$ to do it. People restore wood & canvas canoes from kindling piles.
I've patched my stripper at a number of spots, due to big dents, and some ruptures in the inner 'glass sheathing, one of which was about a foot long. Your boat's injuries don't sound like anything worse than what I've repaired, and I'm certainly no expert.
Can't help you with the value of the boat -- I have no clue.
Paul K
WCHA #8326
I don't believe anything is unrepairable -- it depends on whether you're willing to spend the time & $$ to do it. People restore wood & canvas canoes from kindling piles.
I've patched my stripper at a number of spots, due to big dents, and some ruptures in the inner 'glass sheathing, one of which was about a foot long. Your boat's injuries don't sound like anything worse than what I've repaired, and I'm certainly no expert.
Can't help you with the value of the boat -- I have no clue.
Paul K
WCHA #8326
A good estimating rule of thumb is 50:50 by weight. i.e. estimate how much cloth you will need for the project 0 i.e. x yds of 6 oz cloth = y lbs total. That is the WEIGHT of epoxy you will need to wet out the glass. most manufacturers will post/give you the weight/gal of their products. Good method to use during mixign too as you ALWAYS tend to mix up too much epoxy and then have to toss it. :-(
Having said that, generaley speaking, 1.5 -2 gal is required to do a 16' canoe with 6 oz cloth ( doubled up on the bottom). Best to overestimate and have a little left over to start your next project ;-)
Having said that, generaley speaking, 1.5 -2 gal is required to do a 16' canoe with 6 oz cloth ( doubled up on the bottom). Best to overestimate and have a little left over to start your next project ;-)
jackbat
Jackbat
Anything is repairable
McQ,
I'm with Paul. Almost everything is repariable. When it comes right down to it a stripper is just a fiberglass boat with a wood strip core. The only real question is what kind of repair are you looking for. If you are looking for a repair job that will not look like it has been repaired then that will take some serious work. If you are looking to cut out a section and replace the strips and patch the glass then it is definately a doable job.
Depending on how big the hole is, it is pretty easy to repair. You have to use the boat as a mold so that the strips bend the right way.
The only non repariable canoe I ever saw was on the Kenai river in Alaska. A paddler got sidways to the moving river. A very large boulder in the water caught the canoe and it started to tip. As the rushing water started to fill the canoe it wrapped the canoe around the rock like it was made of paper.
Trust me when I tell you that the boat was not repairable.
Jack
McQ,
I'm with Paul. Almost everything is repariable. When it comes right down to it a stripper is just a fiberglass boat with a wood strip core. The only real question is what kind of repair are you looking for. If you are looking for a repair job that will not look like it has been repaired then that will take some serious work. If you are looking to cut out a section and replace the strips and patch the glass then it is definately a doable job.
Depending on how big the hole is, it is pretty easy to repair. You have to use the boat as a mold so that the strips bend the right way.
The only non repariable canoe I ever saw was on the Kenai river in Alaska. A paddler got sidways to the moving river. A very large boulder in the water caught the canoe and it started to tip. As the rushing water started to fill the canoe it wrapped the canoe around the rock like it was made of paper.
Trust me when I tell you that the boat was not repairable.
Jack
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