repairing F@#$% canoe

[capt jake]

oK, I got 'commissioned' to repair a fiends fiberglass canoe (will cost him more than new but he wants it done). The shell is all I have to start with, 16'. Couple of questions;

He is not really particular about the finish but wants 'bright' gunwals. I am contemplating WRC; ease of acquiring, easier to bend than most.??

Seats are shot, originally painted Pine. Replace with Pine? Affix with 5200? Breasthooks the same (as they are missing).

What to attach the gunwals with? Epoxy or a poly adhesive (like PLU or 5200)?

Finally, there are two stress fractures in the keel at one end. They appear on the outside through the gelcoat but don't appear to continue to the inside.??

Thanks in advance! smile.gif

BTW, I located several other canoes for a reasonable price; he is dead set on repairing this one. He was told it is 'rare' and one of only two ever made (yeah, right!).

[Gary E]

He was told it is 'rare' and one of only two ever made Find the other one...

Buy it....

Burn one of them...

Now he has the ONLY one ... :D :D

selit on eBay .... :D

[botebum]

From my experience burning f!@#$glass isn't very effective. The shape of the object you burned is left lying in the yard made up of fibers of glass that look like something you should be afraid to pick up. If anyone has any helpful ideas for two torched Cobia side consoles I'd be interested to hear. All ideas must pass the wife's aesthetic engineering approval process.

[plyboat]

Attach all wood pieces with 5200/Sikaflex, but put a coat or two of whatever bright finish you plan on using first. Pine would not be my first choice for the seat. Dish out the stress cracks a bit and epoxy on a couple of layers of 6 oz.
---Joel---

[Adamant]

I've always been told Ash was the best wood to use for rails. It is a stiff and resilent wood and has a wery clear grain. The gunwals Are usualy very thin requiring the best wood avalible.
As this is a perminant application I would use polyurithane. The seats can be made out of whatever wood will look the best and support the loads that will be put upon them.

[capt jake]

thanks all. I don't have access to any Ash, though I know you are right on with the recommendation. I may go to my 'secret' supplier and see if he has any clear WRC stashed for me and give it a try.

On the seats, since they are rather large I may make up some plywood panels or epoxy coat some other ply I have around the shop and try it.

Don't get me wrong, I want to do the repair 'right'; but at the same time I don't want to spend a huge amount of time for something that will undoubtedly end up store outside and allowed to wallow in the rain again.

edited to ask; the application of the bright finish coat it to prevent the 5200/sika from 'staining' the wood I am assuming? I will need to work the pieces together a bit after installation.

[ 10-03-2005, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: capt jake ]

[Al Kahawl]

Da gunnels gunna be insyde and outsyde. Ya make a sandwitch wit da hull in da middel, den ya fasen thru da hole mess wit screwz. Fer da brest (hubbahubba ;) )hookz ya can uze longa screwz dat go thru da hole mess an a littel bit moor.

Da seets,dey sownd but ass ungly, notin ya kin do fer dem.

[capt jake]

Mr 'Alcohol', nobody in the bilge to play with??

[Mrleft8]

Just did a job like this this past July. I used Mahogany. For the gunwales, I basically made a sandwich, with the hull material (cedar slathered with fiberglass in my case) being the ham.Clamp it all together and screw it together from the inside, except in the extreme ends where it's just easier to do it from the outside, and bung the screw holes. Bedding compound makes for a nice mess. The decks get screwed down on top of the wales with some construction adhesive as a gasket. Frame and cane thwarts look nice.

[ 10-03-2005, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Mrleft8 ]

[capt jake]

I do have lots of Mahogany but in a recent buld of a pram, I had extreme difficulty in getting it to take a bend. This will be a 'ham' sandwich, though the 'ham' is in the form of a horizontal lip on the top edge of the canoe (unlike the vertical 'ham' in a wooden design), thus the pieces will have to take a bend against the 'wide' axis.

Maybe I will mill up some pieces and give it a go. As floppy as this thing is, all of the four pieces will have to go on at the same time in order to maintain the shape (after I redo the seats to help in maintaining the form).

[Brian Palmer]

I've replaced gunwales on a couple of platic canoes. The bend should not be a problem unless there is a lot of sheer at the very ends of the canoe in way of the decks. They are usually fastened from the inside with screws that go through the inwale, the hull, and then the gunwale.

Check out some finished canoes at a local outfitter for ideas on the decks and seats.

-- Brian

[Ron Williamson]

It's much easier to bend over-length material,so get yourself some 18'-20'WRC.
Doug.Fir would be much tougher,and prolly cheaper,though harder to bend.It would make decent seats and thwarts too.
R

[Fitz]

Here's what you gotta do to the rare plastic canoe:

1. Turn canoe right side up. Place on front lawn in high visibility area.

2. Fill canoe with layer of coarse peastone, followed by manure and topsoil mix.

3. This time of year, plant an assortment of colorful mums in the mix.

4. Stand back and enjoy handiwork!

5. Convince owner you did the right thing and get him to buy a proper wood and canvas boat.

tongue.gif

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid189/pa1a1a8aa143b6d1dfa13f66f478eb443/f20c03c8.jpg

Okay, okay if you must, replace the seats, decks and thwarts with hardwood (birch, ash are nice and functional). Replace rails with spruce. Old Town used a lot of spruce. Ash is nice too, but heavier.

[capt jake]

Well, I ended up using SYP for the seats and breasthooks. WRC for the gunwales. I will hopefully be able to get the bulk of the sanding done today and put a roundover on the gunwales also.

Some varnish and then get it back to it's rightful owner. smile.gif In other words, get my shop back! smile.gif

http://www.messing-about.com/forum/download.php?id=2983

[Fitz]

Well, if ya really gotta have a plastic hog of a boat, it might just as well look like that!

Nice Job.

(no luck convincing the owner he/she needs a real canoe huh?) ;)

[capt jake]

(no luck convincing the owner he/she needs a real canoe huh?) [Wink] Uh, that would be a negative. ;) It is going to cost him about twice what it would cost to buy another plastic one off the web (used). And I am not charging him what I should be as he is a co-worker of my wifes.

I have a little 'inlay' work to do in an effort to repair some chip out I had on the gunwales. I should have been more prepared for that while using a router on WRC. ;)

BTW, the picture doesn't reflect that the breasthooks (is that the right term?) are done.

[crawdaddyjim50]

prettiest thing about that canoe is the gunnels and the clamps...good thing they only made two of em.

[ 11-20-2005, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: crawdaddyjim50 ]

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Capt.,
You do nice work. But as a canoer I know that gunnals take a beating. That's because canoes are usually transported upside down. They are stored upside down. And only the most artistic paddler can keep from banging the paddle shaft against the outwale a gazillion times every trip. The very long tradition of using fairly hard woods, like white ash, for gunnals is ignored with perile. I hope your customers treat your work with the utmost care but, WRC is not the ideal choice.
Charlie

[capt jake]

All done. The owner is going to pick it up tomorrow.
http://www.messing-about.com/forum/download.php?id=3026

[joejapan]

.
Uh, capt jake, the owner asked me to pick it up for him....uh...said he'd be busy.....uh..needs me to get it today ! :D

You sure did a professional looking job on it. :cool:

Yep, you sure do good work. smile.gif

[capt jake]

Thanks Joe. I neglected to take any 'before' pictures, but it was pretty ratty looking.

[Badley Built]

Nice job!

[crawdaddyjim50]

Man, diamond earrings on a plastic pig! I have near seen it all. Nice job though, sure you aren't some kind of miracle worker?