cedar strip sailing dinghy restortation

[gordo]

Hello out there: I have just acquired an old peterburough type ribbed cedar strip sailing dinghy. It has been stored for a long time indoors, and is quite dried out and some wood, as on the transome has cracked. Short of replacing the whole transome, is there a suitable filler that might solve the problem. The crack is approximately 1/6 inch. As well, there are small gaps between some hull strips. I assume that a few good coats of marine varnish might do the trick there? There are some fairly large gouges on the bottom from a poorly fit trailer, and I am again wondering if there is a proper cedar filler that would be compatable and stay put. Is there a preferred finish for this type of boat? And finally, most of the clinched copper nails have become quite set in on the out side of the hull. Should I try to fill these as well, or just varnish over them when I complete the repairs.
There no doublt will be more questions as I get into this project, but these should get me started.
Thanks for your time and suggestions.
Gord forster
gforster@telusplanet.net

[JimD]

Hi Gord, Is your transom finished bright or will it be painted? Also, small gaps between the planks might tighten up when the boat goes back in the water and the wood swells.

I'm just getting started on a repair job on an old and badly neglected cedar strip over steam bent frame canoe. It was originally canvas covered but its too far gone to restore so I'll be stuffing all the cracks and splits with epoxy thickened with wood flour and sheathing with fiberglass on the outside and painting but with the inside still retaining much of the original look.