Where to start? Restoring a 9' Penn Yan canvas-covered dinghy in the UK

[TedHJ]

First time on this forum, so I hope I'm in the right place. I'm based in the UK.

I realise that my dinghy is not a canoe, but it seems to be constructed in a similar fashion and therefore I hope you can advise..

I'd love as much advice as I can get, particularly from anyone who has restored a similar dinghy with a canvas cover and even better, if they are based in the UK and can advise on where to get the necessary tools and supplies.

History: I purchased this boat from a neighbour in Henley-on-Thames UK about 30 years ago. Had a lot of fun rowing it up and down the river, but one rather drunken evening managed to put a couple of holes in it. It went in the garage, and then I got married, had kids, a busy job and it has lain there ever since. I took the (I think) green canvas covering off it, to uncover how bad the holes were and assess the damage, but now realise that to restore it, I have a bit of a project.

Circumstances: Now, I'm semi-retired, have a nice big workshop, and a basic understanding of woodwork (and lots of time on various boats of different sizes), but I have never worked on a vessel like this. On my farm I also have a couple of experienced cabinet makers / joiners, so they can lend some expertise (I hope)..

Penn Yan: A few years ago I was in touch with TJ from Penn Yan, he suggested sending me some canvas, paint, tools and instructions, but I didn't get the feeling he was happy to ship to the UK (understandable!) and I was wondering if the canvas and paint could be bought locally. I'm more than happy to pay for stuff being shipped over if needed, or instructions etc. but hope that heavy / trick stuff might be sourced in UK.

Some people looking at the dinghy have suggest that I simply varnish it, rather than recover with canvas, others that I apply GRP, but to me that doesn't sound right and more of a 'quick fix'. If recanvassing for a novice is possible, I'd like to give it a go.

 

[Gil Cramer]

Tedhj,
Since your dinghy has a plywood transom, and the first two digits of the HIN don't have the year of manufacture, it was likely made after 1957. Overall, it looks to be in very good condition. The issues are interior finish, planking holes, salt water damage to tacks, and new covering.
If it were mine, I would do the following;
strip the interior, wash out thoroughly to remove all salt or residue
re-varnish with Epiphanes,
replace any cracked ribs (none visible now, but might show up later),
patch the small holes with 1/8" Western red cedar,
retack planking where needed.
Cover with cotton duck or Dacron fabric. Glue the fabric tape on with waterproof glue
Paint with latex paint seal and fill the weave

Penn Yan coverings were originally Grade A cotton and airplane dope since the company was originally in the aircraft industry. The fabric joints were covered with pinked fabric tape at the transom and stem glued on with the dope.
Applying the fabric can be done by hand by starting in the center and alternating from side to side pulling perpendicular to the rail. Some adjusting will need to be done periodically.

I hope this helps. The covering is quite forgiving so if it doesn't look quite right, pull the fasteners, and adjust. I use 3/8" stainless steel staples .
If I had more time in London the first week of OCT, I might be able help.

 

[samb]

There are quite a few with the knowledge to do this in the UK, me included. Your dinghy is made the same way as a cedar canvas canoe. You would do well to get copies of Mike Elliott's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Old-Canoe-Restore-Wood-Canvas/dp/0994863306
and or the Stelmock Thurlow book https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/...NKEJrximywDbhip1D8m6ORF0pLkX4ltcaAimOEALw_wcB

These will give info about all tools and materials you will need and Wcha members will give you info on where to buy. If there is anything specific you need you could ask here and get excellent advice. You can message me if you want.

Sam

 

[cwf]

Hello,

I've just finished a cedar strip canoe (so no canvas), which has also rested for 35 years in the garage, while family intervened. I can't remember why now, but I chose to scrape off the old varnish, which removed some of the shallow blemishes but left the surface of the wood quite rough. Scraping tends to remove the soft, summer ring growth, leaving the harder ring proud. The little I used stripper on has a better finish. So, I'd recommend paint stripper, even though it's messy.

Henley, obviously, is a centre for wooden boats, Henwood & Dean, near Frieth, might be able to help. Mark Edwards at Richmond Bridge, London, is someone else with plenty of experience and there are people on this site who live near Henley. I row with a friend from Henley in a 1930's tub pair, which he restored and I'm sure he would help.

Plenty of photos and articles here on restoring canvas-covered canoes.

Best of luck, Charlie.

 

[Benson Gray]

The NX prefix to the serial number indicates that you have a 9 foot long, Penn Yan Aerodinghy as described at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/builder-history/penn-yan-boat-company and page 35 of the 1953 Penn Yan catalog at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/manufacturer-catalog/penn-yan-boat-company-1953 has more details. Good luck with the restoration,

Benson

 

[Worth Gretter]

Ted, the name plate in your photo says the covering is Plaston.
A search of this site turns up this link (from Benson):
https://forums.wcha.org/threads/penn-yan.11345/post-58448
Apparently the time period was 1958 to 1960.

 

[Todd F]

Good catch Worth.

 

[TedHJ]

Ted, the name plate in your photo says the covering is Plaston.
A search of this site turns up this link (from Benson):
https://forums.wcha.org/threads/penn-yan.11345/post-58448
Apparently the time period was 1958 to 1960.

Thank you Worth - I have read the thread and I'm still not quite sure what Plaston is, whether it's still available (UK) and if it's better than alternatives. My feeling is that it is a derivative of Pann Yan's canvas and dope method. As I still want to cover with Canvas, I think I'll take the more tried & trusted route that seems to be adopted by the majority of those on this forum as it seems that I'll be able to get hold of the materials and the advice. It might not be 100% true to the boat, but hey ho.. I'm open to suggestions though!

 

[TedHJ]

There are quite a few with the knowledge to do this in the UK, me included. Your dinghy is made the same way as a cedar canvas canoe. You would do well to get copies of Mike Elliott's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Old-Canoe-Restore-Wood-Canvas/dp/0994863306
and or the Stelmock Thurlow book https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/...NKEJrximywDbhip1D8m6ORF0pLkX4ltcaAimOEALw_wcB

These will give info about all tools and materials you will need and Wcha members will give you info on where to buy. If there is anything specific you need you could ask here and get excellent advice. You can message me if you want.

Sam

Really helpful Sam, thanks - This Old Canoe is now on my Amazon order. The Wood & Canvas Canoe may be great, but shipping costs from USA to UK kick it into the 'nice to have' league, so I'll start with the one off Amazon. Kind of you to offer advice. I'm sure I'll need some in the coming year or so

 

[TedHJ]

The NX prefix to the serial number indicates that you have a 9 foot long, Penn Yan Aerodinghy as described at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/builder-history/penn-yan-boat-company and page 35 of the 1953 Penn Yan catalog at https://woodencanoemuseum.org/manufacturer-catalog/penn-yan-boat-company-1953 has more details. Good luck with the restoration,

Benson

Benson - thanks for that - handy to know that NX prefix points to the Aerodinghy and that it's constructed from Mahogany as many of their other boats were oak or spruce. Rather different from the Aero Dinghy I sailed a few months ago.. https://www.rssailing.com/project/rs-aero/

 

[TedHJ]

Hello,

I've just finished a cedar strip canoe (so no canvas), which has also rested for 35 years in the garage, while family intervened. I can't remember why now, but I chose to scrape off the old varnish, which removed some of the shallow blemishes but left the surface of the wood quite rough. Scraping tends to remove the soft, summer ring growth, leaving the harder ring proud. The little I used stripper on has a better finish. So, I'd recommend paint stripper, even though it's messy.

Henley, obviously, is a centre for wooden boats, Henwood & Dean, near Frieth, might be able to help. Mark Edwards at Richmond Bridge, London, is someone else with plenty of experience and there are people on this site who live near Henley. I row with a friend from Henley in a 1930's tub pair, which he restored and I'm sure he would help.

Plenty of photos and articles here on restoring canvas-covered canoes.

Best of luck, Charlie.

Hi Charlie - thanks for the recommendation to strip (rather than scrape) the inside. It's so intricate anyway that I think stripping would be the only way to do it. Yes, I have met the Henwood & Dean folk at local shows. They do extraordinarily beautiful rebuilds and restorations. If I won the lottery I'd send the boat there for them to do it, but I'm lucky to have them a couple of miles away, and of course The Thames to take it back onto once it's afloat again.. I learned to row (with a girl who is now my wife) in a Tub on the river at Henley, so there's a nice connection. Maybe we'll get back on the water together when this boat is repaired!

 

[TedHJ]

Tedhj,
Since your dinghy has a plywood transom, and the first two digits of the HIN don't have the year of manufacture, it was likely made after 1957. Overall, it looks to be in very good condition. The issues are interior finish, planking holes, salt water damage to tacks, and new covering.
If it were mine, I would do the following;
strip the interior, wash out thoroughly to remove all salt or residue
re-varnish with Epiphanes,
replace any cracked ribs (none visible now, but might show up later),
patch the small holes with 1/8" Western red cedar,
retack planking where needed.
Cover with cotton duck or Dacron fabric. Glue the fabric tape on with waterproof glue
Paint with latex paint seal and fill the weave

Penn Yan coverings were originally Grade A cotton and airplane dope since the company was originally in the aircraft industry. The fabric joints were covered with pinked fabric tape at the transom and stem glued on with the dope.
Applying the fabric can be done by hand by starting in the center and alternating from side to side pulling perpendicular to the rail. Some adjusting will need to be done periodically.

I hope this helps. The covering is quite forgiving so if it doesn't look quite right, pull the fasteners, and adjust. I use 3/8" stainless steel staples .
If I had more time in London the first week of OCT, I might be able help.

Gil - many thanks for your excellent advice on how best to tackle this project. This week I'll build some trestles so that I can start working on her and then get some varnish stripper (any do's don'ts??) and then apply Epifanes (seems I can get that in the UK). Their website says to prime new wood with CPES before varnishing.. https://www.makewoodgood.co.uk/product/epifanes-high-gloss-varnish/ I'll then move onto the next phases I'll also read the book now on order from Amazon (see below) and research where to get hold of duck canvas or dacron.. In terms of the Latex Paint, I'm not sure whether this would be the right stuff or not.. https://www.epodex.com/en/ If you are over in the UK in October we are 30 minutes from LHR Thanks again for your very practical advice Ted

 

[Worth Gretter]

Ted, heat shrink Dacron is a good alternative. It is easier to use than canvas but shows imperfections more so your hull needs to be well faired and sanded. It is also a little lighter in total weight when filled. More info on the best current fabric is at:
https://forums.wcha.org/threads/anybody-ever-use-non-standard-canvas-thicknesses.19113/post-100094
More info at the Geodesic Airolite site, although a lot of it is specific to skin-on-frame boats:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_RdzjWwXg06-1Q3eXETj4g/videos?view_as=subscriber
And it is good to be aware that there are many sets of instructions out there, but some are for lighter Dacron. For the 8.4 oz fabric recommended, there are a few things to be aware of. I summarized them here:
https://forums.wcha.org/threads/anybody-ever-use-non-standard-canvas-thicknesses.19113/post-102428
Finally, it is not clear that the fabric width is sufficient for your boat. You may need a seam or a different Dacron.

 

[TedHJ]

Thanks Worth - I have a lot of research and thinking to do, but your suggestions and others and all the useful links are tremendously helpful! I'm sure I'll be back in touch once I have absorbed this..

 

[Gil Cramer]

Personally, I will not use cpes.(clear penetrating epoxy sealant (because it makes the planking brittle.) Always remember that free advice is worth what you pay for it -- including mine. Cedar canoes and boats flex under stress. CPES makes wood brittle.
I am so out of touch with reality that I don't know what LHR is. It is likely that I will remain that way!!

 

[MGC]

Personally, I will not use cpes.(clear penetrating epoxy sealant (because it makes the planking brittle.)

I'm 100% with Gil on this. I would never consider using cpes on a canoe or hull. I use thinned Epifanes spar varnish on the first costs and work up to final coats un-thinned.

 

[samb]

Yh

I am so out of touch with reality that I don't know what LHR is. It is likely that I will remain that way!!

= London Heathrow.....now you know!

 

[Gil Cramer]

That was my guess. Check your PM. There is a remote chance that this will actually work out. Gil
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