What do you make of this? It is not Mars!

[geolang]

Hello forum!

I have a wood-canvas canoe purchased this past summer. It started out by puddling water in the centre and about three feet either way from the amidships. I did notice the paint was crackled when I bought it, but with a beautiful interior and reasonable price, decide to go ahead. Eventually, upon the 3rd or 4th paddle and afterwards, it was always dry.

Today, Oct. 1, I started sanding the crackle (I was curious), hoping that I wouldn't discover that the entire canvas needs to be replaced. I do plan on actively using this canoe, including in rapids, so although the aesthetic appeal is important to me, it is secondary to being a working canoe.

What do you make of this image?

 

[Greg Nolan]

I have some experience with this sort of thing.

If the paint was cracked, water got through the cracks (and perhaps even through very small related cracks in the filler) and spread a bit, even if not enough to flow into the interior. The damp canvas separated a bit from the paint along the cracks. You don't see this from the inside of the canoe because it happens between the wood interior and the canvas and the canvas and paint. In the photo above, You can see that the cracks are in the filler, not just the paint. Repainting, after sanding things fair, can get you a year or three of additional casual use, but those cracks are there, and they will migrate back into the paint and spread in the filler, and the cracks will re-appear sooner or later. Indeed, given that the interior of most canoes get at least a bit wet (splashing, wet feet, etc.) even with a paddler who is careful, water from the interior will undoubtedly go through the cracks and loosen/crack the new paint sooner or later. Further, the canvas, dampened from interior splashing and exterior bleeding through cracks, will dampen the exterior of the planking, often leading to black mold stains on the exterior of the planking.

If your interior is "beautiful." I would recanvas sooner rathr than later -- but recanvassing is in the cards for your boat. Discoloration that may be present on the exterior of the planking is not likely to become visible in the interior, but the moisture may well lead to an early failure of a good varnish job.

The stains shown on the exterior of the canoe in the photo below were not evident from the interior, which needed new varnish but was otherwise good looking.

Greg

 

[geolang]

Thank you sir.

 

[geolang]

I have some experience with this sort of thing.

If the paint was cracked, water got through the cracks (and perhaps even through very small related cracks in the filler) and spread a bit, even if not enough to flow into the interior. The damp canvas separated a bit from the paint along the cracks. You don't see this from the inside of the canoe because it happens between the wood interior and the canvas and the canvas and paint. In the photo above, You can see that the cracks are in the filler, not just the paint. Repainting, after sanding things fair, can get you a year or three of additional casual use, but those cracks are there, and they will migrate back into the paint and spread in the filler, and the cracks will re-appear sooner or later. Indeed, given that the interior of most canoes get at least a bit wet (splashing, wet feet, etc.) even with a paddler who is careful, water from the interior will undoubtedly go through the cracks and loosen/crack the new paint sooner or later. Further, the canvas, dampened from interior splashing and exterior bleeding through cracks, will dampen the exterior of the planking, often leading to black mold stains on the exterior of the planking.

If your interior is "beautiful." I would recanvas sooner rathr than later -- but recanvassing is in the cards for your boat. Discoloration that may be present on the exterior of the planking is not likely to become visible in the interior, but the moisture may well lead to an early failure of a good varnish job.

The stains shown on the exterior of the canoe in the photo below were not evident from the interior, which needed new varnish but was otherwise good looking.

Greg

View attachment 57257

Is it possible to sand and re-fill the canvas, versus changing the entire canvas?

 

[Greg Nolan]

The filler is not just a surface coating. It goes into the fabric – it “fills” the spaces between the warp and weft of the canvas. You cannot sand away all of the filler without effectively destroying the canvas. You can smooth the surface, but the underlying cracks will remain. Paint will tend to fill in those remaining cracks, but will not eliminate them. Further, the remaining paint is old and lacks the flexibility of new paint. A couple of coats of new paint over a newly sanded surface of exposed primer and remaining old paint may look good for a while, but will fail.

I twice repainted the canvas with cracked paint and filler, and used it for five years before removing the old canvas. The sanding and basic painting took 1-2 two hours each time, and the canoe was ready to use 2 days later. In each of those years, that canoe was used for day excursions of 3 to six hours each, perhaps a half-dozen times each year. One time a new crack in the paint/filler/canvas cracked enough for a semi-serious leak to develop, discovered when the canoe was put in, and immediately fixed with duct tape, and later fixed and faired with Bondo Spot Putty (not the 2 part auto body filler) and more paint.

During those years I played around with the decorative painting each time – triangles running along under the gunwales, not necessary, just for fun, which took quite a bit more time.

Our time in Maine was quite limited in those years, and I was more interested in spending my time in the canoe rather than undertaking a recanvasing.

Recanvasing is considered ordinary maintenance on a wood/canvas canoe – like putting new tires on a car. It is not particularly difficult – these forums have many discussions on techniques and tips for doing the job.

If you are planning on using your canoe more extensively than I described above, I would recommend recanvasing now.