Best finish for new Ash gunnels on a "dark side" Canoe?

[Nicholas Scheuer]

The dinghy repair thread below has got me thinking I've made a bit of a mistake. I've just bought some Ash from Owl Lumber in Des Plains, IL that was custom ripped full-length for gunnels on an old (nearly junk but very cheap) fiberglass canoe. I've always thought Ash to be a good choice for gunnels but the rot discussion in the dinghy repair thread has got me to thinking. The only way out is to apply the most durable finish I reasonably can. If I use quality spar varnish, would it help to apply Flood's Penetrol first? The canoe will have new Ash thwarts replacing severely weathered hardwood ones and the wooden gunnels are intended to further dress up a rather plain old canoe.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

I once used Ash for gunnels on a Cedar stripper with satisfactory resullts that seemed ready to last awhile, though I sold that canoe after a few years. I also once used Doug Fir for gunnels on an almost derelict fixer-upper with satisfactory results that lasted quite a few years. (don't know what happened to canoe after a daughter inherited it from my father)

[Todd Bradshaw]

Ash is quite common on canoes because it is tough and bends well, especially if nicely straight-grained. The thing which will make it last, or not, is maintenance. Keep it freshly oiled or varnished (especially on end grain) and you will be OK for decades. Let it weather and you will pay the price.

Ash motor mount. Somebody left it under the porch for a few years and it weathered badly. It cleaned up pretty well with a lot of sanding. Before and after clean-up.

motor-mount.jpg

Ash outwales and gunwale caps. Inwales are sitka spruce. I built the boat around 1976 or so and the photo is current.

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[JimConlin]

What Todd said. My cedar strip canoe has varnished ash gunwales and has been outdoors for most of its thirty year life.
Any scrape on the gunwale has been promptly repaired and they have held up well.

[wizbang 13]

Charles Neuman blames his rot problem on his ash gunnel.
I blame it on being stored upside down under plastic , built with occoume ply . The ash held rainwater , being squarish on the bottom now top. The ash is more rot resistant than that flavor of wood .occoume is for boats stored indoors, kayaks/canoes/wizbangs

[Ron Williamson]

Pre finish the gunwales before installation.
All sides,many coats,including the screwholes.
R

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I guess it was the severity of having written a check for commercially sourced, full-length, custom cross-section Ash strips, followed by viewing the photos presented in that "dinghy repair" thread that had me questioning knowledge gained over a a lifetime of interest and practice in small boats.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

The thing that kills ash in the UK is damp storage.

[Brian Palmer]

I have used ash on canoe gunwales and I keep them varnished and properly stored. I put two or three coats of varnish in the gunwales before I install them so the back side is protected. I buy rough ash boards and rip them with a circular saw and fence, scarf them to length, and then finish them with a router and hand plane. I just did two short WW canoes (four rails per canoe), including thwarts, with $60 worth of lumber and have quite a bit left over.

Ash gunwales stored on the ground will rot quickly.

[sp_clark]

The thing that kills ash in the UK is damp storage.

Same this side of The Pond. Other susceptible woods are similarly affected. Damp kills wood.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I guess it was the severity of having written a check for commercially sourced, full-length, custom cross-section Ash strips, followed by viewing the photos presented in that "dinghy repair" thread that had me questioning knowledge gained over a a lifetime of interest and practice in small boats.

Did same as you Nicholas, back maybe 45 years ago. But though I (think I) bought my ash at Owl too, I ripped my own strips, wasn't really aware ash was quite as rot-prone as I've learned since. Too, it was a salvage job, not something I had much invested in other than a favor to a friend who took the canoe off my hands & used it for a few years. I chose ash for its flexibility and durability as Todd's noted, wasn't disappointed.

On the Waterlust canoe I launched a year ago I used local-sourced black locust for durability and appearance. Wasn't disappointed in that either, but it's epoxified too which oughta help some.

I still have a white ash plank I bought from (I think) Owl. Full 8/4, maybe 18-19" wide, close to 10' long. Bought in the '80's, still haven't quite decided what I want to use it for. Dang thing's heavy too, I re-learn that every time I have to move it.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

^^^ As for Black Locust, I want to use that for a new swim platform on our Albin. Several yearts ago I made a swim platform using a White Starboard panel mounted on a Cedar frame supported by stainless steel brackets. The Cedar was intended to be only temporary, to be replaced by Ipe if the design worked out for cruising. Since then, I've decided to use native N American wood instead of Ipe and I see that Black Locust is exceedingly durable, affordable, and a bit easier to work on machine tools.

[Dave Hadfield]

The bottom of the ash outwale should also be bevelled so that when the canoe is upside down, any water that falls on it is shed, not trapped.

These varnished ash gunwales are 30+ years old. (Older than the girl!)

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[Nicholas Scheuer]

^^^ great idea!