I know this has been covered before but I can't seem to find the old threads on this topic. For various reasons I'm considering using my 16 ft OTCA that was fiberglassed in the early 70s as a form for an all new canoe. I would not necessarily be trying to preserve the old canoe for later restoration. I'm sure this has been done before. I'm wondering if anyone can give advice on the pitfalls or pleasures I'm sure to encounter. Thanks and I really appreciate this forum.
I thought I would add the various reasons I'm considering such a course of action, especially the sacrilege of not restoring this OT. One is that I have two project canoes, the other needs much less work to restore and I am doing that first. A second reason is that I would have to replace at least 75% of the OT to restore it, about half the ribs are busted, I'd have to take off all that fiberglass and goo and so forth, about half the planking needed replacing when I got it.
The third reason is worse and more than a little embarassing. I was trying to get all the layers of paint and varnish and goo off the inside. After using stripper 3 or 4 times and not being satisfied somehow I got the dumb idea of using a grinder with one of those mesh paint remover disks. Needless to say I ruined or degraded a lot of the wood that was there. Dumb, stupid, insane etc but I have to live with the fact I messed up this canoe real bad. If I start all over with 100% new materials I think I'll end up with a great canoe. Maybe someday I'll get around to restoring the one I messed up.
I thought I would add the various reasons I'm considering such a course of action, especially the sacrilege of not restoring this OT. One is that I have two project canoes, the other needs much less work to restore and I am doing that first. A second reason is that I would have to replace at least 75% of the OT to restore it, about half the ribs are busted, I'd have to take off all that fiberglass and goo and so forth, about half the planking needed replacing when I got it.
The third reason is worse and more than a little embarassing. I was trying to get all the layers of paint and varnish and goo off the inside. After using stripper 3 or 4 times and not being satisfied somehow I got the dumb idea of using a grinder with one of those mesh paint remover disks. Needless to say I ruined or degraded a lot of the wood that was there. Dumb, stupid, insane etc but I have to live with the fact I messed up this canoe real bad. If I start all over with 100% new materials I think I'll end up with a great canoe. Maybe someday I'll get around to restoring the one I messed up.
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