What to watch for on a fiberglassed canoe?

[wanderlustjake]

Hi,

I am a newbie/lurker here. Been looking at canoes off and on for a while, trying to educate myself before taking the plunge. While online, I recently came across a couple wood/canvas that have been fiberglassed over. I haven't gone to look yet, but am curious what to look for on one that has been glassed? One supposedly just needs seat repair and interior refinishing. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Your post gave me a smile... in reply to "what to look for when a wood/canvas canoe has been Fiberglassed", my response would be "how easy will it be to remove the fiberglass?" And the answer to that has to do with the glassing-job: the better the glassing-job, the harder it will be to remove so that the canoe can be canvassed... because that's "the final answer": the canoe should be re-done with canvas... but if it's water-worthy, it can be carefully used until you get around to the task.

There's been lots of discussion in regard to fiberglass and ribbed canoes... until others here chime-in on your question, you may want to use the "search" function above and type in "fiberglass" and read a few of the past posts. There are a few great examples of what can happen to a wood/canvas that has been glassed. There are practical reasons for removing the fiberglass-- it isn't simply that "we" are all purists, who want all old canoes brought back to their original state.

After WWII, Fiberglass was thought to be "the answer" to restoration of canvassed canoes. The examples of why it isn't a solution to anything other than punishment appear to be many.... beginning with *weight* and ending with *rot*.

Maybe Howard will chime in with how much fun it's been working on the Penn Yan...

Kathy

 

[Howard Caplan]

Thanks Kathy - I will pick up on this and tag team Jason with you.
Yes, I picked up a fiberglassed Penn Yan Rainbow from Kathy and Denis. Denis, using a heat gun, removed most of the cloth from one half of the boat. He left a lot of resin on the wood as I did once I removed the cloth from the other half. We decided this was a very good glass job.
The Rainbow is from 1947 and the original owner glassed it in '59'. As Kathy said, at that time, fiberglass was consider THE ANSWER. Unfortunately, the question wasn't asked properly.
Since removing the cloth and leaving a lot of resin, I took the heat gun - the hotter the better - and am gently working the resin down. I will leave a lot of green but no lumps from the resin. Getting the gunk out from between the planks is the toughest. Luckily, there will be several planks replaced and I am hoping once a damaged plank is out, the seam gunk will come out easily.
One thing to do if you are considering a fibered canoe is to get the price lower knowing your labor to restore will increase. Don't buy it if you don't want to restore it.
I would also suggest doing a real hard inspection. There may be rot from the fiber smothering the wood. I am seeing some rot where there shouldn't be.
But, I don't regret this boat as I wanted a project that would give me plenty of opportunity for new and different tasks. Between the fiberglass, outer stem needing replaced a couple of ribs and some new planks and new outwales, this boat has it all and I look forward to paddling it by --- fall?
howard

 

[wanderlustjake]

On second thought...

Kathryn and Howard,

Thank You for your replies and insight. It had crossed my mind that the 'glass may promote more harm then prevent. I think due to my current limitations (time and ability), I'll pass on the 'glassed canoes and continue to look elsewhere. I don't think the price was going to reflect the work needed either. The owner had several canoes up for sale including one with sponsons, but all needed considerable work other than the 'glass ones.

Thank You for your time!

Jason

 

[MGC]

Hi,

curious what to look for on one that has been glassed? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

Jason,

Although most of us would strip the glass of of an interesting canoe there is no reason not to own a glassed boat. They make fine beaters. You never need to worry about tearing the canvas. With the ribs and planking as reinforcement they are unbelievably solid in rough water and very forgiving of mistakes. They are still much more interesting to look at than glass, kevlar or royalflex canoes. From the paddlers point of view, they look just as nice on the water as a canoe that has been canvased. If you are looking for a solid paddler that requires next to no care and if the price is right, go for it. I have paddled hundreds of miles in a tired old Otca that we glassed. It was not worth restoring so we hacked off the wings, put in new decks and covered it. That canoe was a tough old bird that even survived falling off of the roof of the car (at about 30mph),

Look for quality of workmanship in the finish. A good glass job should be smooth and blemish free (like a good canvas job). Look for tiny cracks or signs of being smashed or dropped. Also look for rot at the decks, inner rails etc. Cracked ribs and planks don't mean a great deal. Finally, on the chance that you will eventually strip it, do consider if it's a boat that would be worth that effort. Look for good stems etc. All of that said, it's not fun removing glass. It's an awful lot easier to start without it if the mission is to re-canvas.

 

[wanderlustjake]

I did not purchase one of them. Those were posted a couple weeks ago, did the ad time out? If you were interested in one I do have the seller's email address...

Jason

 

[wanderlustjake]

Opinionated, no, realistic, yes! I learned long ago not to trust "distant" pictures and "it doesn't need much" for a reply. I like details, they save gasoline and wasted time (been there, done that too many times). Plus being a rookie, I need all the help I can get.