First timer advice

[Seederstrip]

Hi all. I've never owned a wooden boat, just tinnies, but have always appreciated the beauty of wood boats. I am interested in one I have found locally here in Ontario. It's a Peterborough boat, just a basic bench seat tiller style. It looks like a restoration has been started, it's inside and stripped. I'm going to go look at it later this week. I'm hoping some of you who have been down this road before can give me some advice on what to look for. I'm a welder not a woodworker so I don't want to get into disassembly down to the bones, but I'm not afraid of sanding and finishing etc. Thanks for all and any advice.

[UCanoe_2]

Re: First timer advice

Welcome to the forum, and remember to post pictures.

[Rich Jones]

Re: First timer advice

Welcome!
Yes, post pictures so we can get a look at it.
A couple of shots of the whole boat, then shots of the transom inside and out. Also some close up shots of the ribs and any areas that you feel might be suspect.

[David G]

Re: First timer advice

When taking fotos for group review... pay particular attention to areas that look compromised... and areas where water might logically puddle. Take an awl or knife with you, and poke gently all over. You'll soon see the difference between sound wood (barely penetrates) and punky wood. If there's punky wood in the structural members... this boat might not be for you. If you do proceed, those are generally well-built boats, and will come out beautifully with the proper attention.

[Seederstrip]

These are.oics.the guy sent me

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[Seederstrip]

Pics

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[Seederstrip]

More pics

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[Seederstrip]

Guy says the keel and all the boards are good as well as the transom. 5-6 ribs towards the stern require replacement and some repair or patching on the interior keelson. A bit of a wow at the bow, lol, on the keel up front.

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[swoody126]

Re: First timer advice

unless you are skilled in woodworking it appears you might be getting in over your head

some of the wood needing attention will require a rather steep learning curve if you're not

butt nothing is impossible

if you do decide to become her new steward and manage to wade thru the issues she could be quite pretty and a lot of fun in her future life

sw

[David G]

Re: First timer advice

unless you are skilled in woodworking it appears you might be getting in over your head

some of the wood needing attention will require a rather steep learning curve if you're not

butt nothing is impossible

if you do decide to become her new steward and manage to wade thru the issues she could be quite pretty and a lot of fun in her future life

sw

I'd agree. Appears there is much that is sound, but enough that is not to cause concern for a neophyte woodworker. New keelson is the most obvious. Some new ribs (not a basic fix). No impression of the stem, nor the ever worrisome transom/bottom intersection.

[Peerie Maa]

Re: First timer advice

Is it an optical illusion or is that

keel bent?

[Rich Jones]

Re: First timer advice

It's going to take some good woodworking skills to get the boat back in the water. But, it's going to take a lot more then the sanding and finishing that you were hoping for.
I'm wondering if a lot more ribs need replacing. Ribs can look fine on the surface, but be rotted underneath. For the boat to be that weathered, it was sitting outside a lot, no doubt with water sitting in it.
What's the owner asking for it?

[swoody126]

Re: First timer advice

Nick, sight up the right hand(port) side of the keel

it looks pretty straight

i'm thing the shadows are creating an optorectical delusion up toward the bow

sw

[Seederstrip]

Owner is asking 450 Canuck bucks no trailer.

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[Greg Nolan]

Re: First timer advice

I'm guessing that every rib that passes under the keelson where the keelson is rotted is also rotted, and that looks like it could be quite a few ribs. Are you up for removing those ribs, shaping and steam-bending new replacements, and then clenching them in place? When a boat is stored outside so that water can get inside the hull, the surface of the wood may dry rapidly, but drying under ribs and keelsons can take a long time, and rot readily take hod in such conditions. And this boat clearly was stored outside, without proper covering -- the varnish was damaged and the wood discolored by exposure to the sun, and there are clear water stains on some of the wood.

Similarly, the ribs inside that "bit of a wow at the bow, lol, on the keel up front" may well be damaged. Keep in mind that the "Guy says the keel and all the boards are good as well as the transom." That keel is not good. The keel, or part of it, can be replaced. But it also looks like the hull at that point may be hogged a bit -- probably can be fixed, but eliminating hogging is often (not always) quite a chore. Definitely get good pictures of the hull where the keelson joins the interior stem -- both interior and exterior -- without the seat hiding things. I would not be surprised to see trouble there.

That keel is not good, so keep his evaluation of the keel in mind when he says that anything else is "good."

Those screws through a few of the ribs do not appear original, and they appear poorly driven -- one is off-center and not countersunk; the other, in the rib with so many staples, appears to have cracked the rib. Are they for the bilge keels? It also looks like staples may have been driven through the top of at least one rib. Why? The planking is, and should be, fastened to the ribs from the outside. Stapling from the inside would be a poor, and probably ineffective way to repair a loose plank. Is there other evidence of sloppy work on the boat? Generally, how are the fasteners of the planks to the ribs? Tight or loose? What material?

Is that seat support under the aft seat original? I'm guessing not. I think it is actually a hull support added to keep the hull more-or-less true when broken ribs could no longer do the job. I would take a good hard look and the planking in that area.

It's a nice looking boat, or at least it once was. And it could be once again. But there is a lot of work to do, none of it impossible -- people who restore old wooden canoes and old wooden boats do these repairs all the time -- but I see a lot more than sanding and painting is called for, and I'm betting that there are more problems than I am seeing. It is a good "project" boat for someone who enjoys the work of restoring old boats.

I don't mean to sound too pessimistic -- but pessimism and skepticism is the order of the day when buying an old wooden boat. Forget about how nice the boat will look if and when fixed, and how nice it will be to be out on a lake on a sunny day. Rather, think about how many hours it will take to fix what you see, and how many more hours it will take to fix what you discover as you go along. Think about whether you will actually enjoy those hours. And make sure that you have an inside place to keep that boat while you work on that boat.

If the varnish has actually been thoroughly and properly stripped, the price might be ok.

Good luck.