Canvas repairs, where do I start?

[Fire_McFireSomeday]

A bit of background, I've been canoeing since I was a kid. Learned on a lake, graduated to multi-day portage trips, and then multi-day whitewater trips in Algonquin park. I've owned four canoes over the years: a royalex tandam-saddle whitewater, a fibre-glass beater, a plastic heavyweight family canoe -- all of which have come and gone.

Now I own a light fibre-glass from Canot Grand Mere, and just this weekend, I picked up my first wood-and-canvas 14' canoe. I didn't really expect to buy a w/c, but I saw it for sale for $150 CAD ($110 USD these days), and, well, now I have a w/c canoe.

The wood looks good, not great (to my untrained eye), but the canvas is all out of sorts. The maiden voyage went well-enough but showed me a slow leak in the stern (about 1cup of water 30mins of canoeing), and maybe a couple table-spoons in the bow. I suspect both of these are due to damage on the stem bang-plates, which are partially exposed.

I have uploaded a bunch of pics on imgur dot com at /a/kQbYTIx

My short-term goal is to do a quick repair to avoid further damage due to leaks. I'd like to use the canoe this summer season. Come fall, I hope to have learned enough to attempt a re-canvasing -- if you all feel that is the right next step.

Looking for pointers on pin-pointing leaks, repairing them if needed, or any other advice for a new w/c owner.

 

[Fire_McFireSomeday]

Images at: https://imgur.com/a/kQbYTIx

 

[MGC]

That looks like it's in pretty good shape. For that price you got a good buy.
A cup of water in the first hour is actually not too bad. With more paddling it might actually improve. I keep a sponge handy to deal with small leaks like that.
Obviously you'll need to fix the problem eventually but short term you could use a non-silicon caulk along the edges of the bang plate in hopes that you might improve it. The fix is a new canvas (Vyrolite?)...but that could wait until the end of the summer. That reddish color under the green looks like a Faber color to my eye...but I'm not good at identifying these Huron canoes.

 

[Greg Nolan]

Welcome to the WCHA. That’s a very nice looking canoe you have there.

In addition to asking questions here, there are three good sources of information about canoe maintenance/restoration that you would do well to get, or at least look at -- "The Wood and Canvas Canoe: A Complete Guide to its History, Construction, Restoration, and Maintenance" by Rollin Thurlow and Jerry Stelmok, "Building the Maine Guide Canoe" by Jerry Stelmok, and/or
This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe, by Mike Elliott.

The first is often called the "bible" of canoe repair, restoration, and maintenance; the second is an excellent study of the wooden/canvas canoe and its construction. The third is the most recently published and has been well received.

These books are available from the WCHA online store, or from Amazon, or are often on eBay.

Also, Wooden Canoe, our journal, has a wealth of information in its back issues. There is an index to the back issues -- http://www.wcha.org/journal/Index to Wooden Canoe.pdf -- and back issues are available for $4 through the online store, or the collection is available on a USB flash drive through the store -- http://store.wcha.org/Wooden-Canoe-Journal-Archive-on-CD-ROM.html

Don’t be bashful about asking questions here – we all do it, and those with knowledge are generous with their suggestions.

A new canvas certainly seems called for, but you should be able to get through a season or two with some paint and caulk.

As to the paint on your canoe and the small leaks -- as Mike has said above, the small leaks may basically take care of themselves as the canoe is used a bit, and if not, a bit of caulk or spot putty and some paint should resolve the matter for the short haul.

But don't just slap a coat of paint over the existing paint. Get rid of any chipping and flaking paint by scraping and sanding before applying new paint. New paint does not hold old paint in place -- it simply flakes off as the old paint continues to deteriorate.
A judicious use of 3M's Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty -- not the 2-part Bondo used for major auto body work -- might help with the small leaks. Though called "putty," the stuff has a consistency just a little thicker than heavy cream. It's usually available in 3 or 4 ounce tubes for about $4 -- but auto supply places often have a 16 ounce tube for about $8.

And don't waste your money on good marine paint for temporary job -- a good porch/deck paint will do fine, and a semi-gloss will
visually accentuate the underlying problems much less the high gloss. Save the gloss (if you like it) and the expensive paint for the new canvas you will be putting on at the end of a season (or two).

Lots of discussions about this sort of thing here:
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?t=5790 see pp. 2-3 of this thread
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7769-Painting-over-existing-paint&p=41339#post41339
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.p...t-Restoration-advice-please&p=32358#post32358
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7775-Temp-repair-to-bare-spot-on-canvas&p=41357#post41357\
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?7619-time-is-not-on-my-side!&p=40689#post40689
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?8564-Smoothing-Canvas/page2 starting at post 12, on bondo spot putty
http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?6607-sanding-or-not&p=35286#post35286

Good luck with your new old canoe.

 

[Howie]

If you can locate where the water is coming in - like a particularly bad crack in the canvas - smack some duct tape on it.

Also, I had two canoes that looked quite like yours. One was a Bastien, the other a Langford. Mine - and yours- are likely Canadian made. If you're interested a little Google research could tell you more info.

 

[MGC]

If you can locate where the water is coming in - like a particularly bad crack in the canvas - smack some duct tape on it.

Also, I had two canoes that looked quite like yours. One was a Bastien, the other a Langford. Mine - and yours- are likely Canadian made. If you're interested a little Google research could tell you more info.

Do you still hate me for the Langford?
I thought the Bastien's had shaped decks? And possibly seat hangers.
If you paddle w/c canoes, a roll of duct tape is your best friend...good advice.

 

[Howie]

Mike: Why would I hate you for the Langford? I had my fun with it & sold it.
Anyway, first pic is of my old Bastien - at least that's what the WCHA gurus thought, there was no identifying decal. Mine had the notch in the deck that this fella's canoe doesn't have. But has the same rail caps, untapered rails at the decks, chunky deck thickness, 1/2" wide stem bands, and gut seats (what's it called?...babish?)

And here's the Langford. Again, similar construction to the above Bastien, but the decks look like his. I know mine was a Langford by the decal on the canvas.

So guess all I'm saying is that I bet the canoe is Canadian made.

 

[Fire_McFireSomeday]

I bet the canoe is Canadian made.

I don't doubt it, I picked it up in Shawinigan, QC, this is only a couple of hours from Wendake where Bastien Brothers and other Huron canoes were built. These days, I only find Canot Legare doing repairs around Wendake.

You're right that the arrow-head deck plate is not there, but that seems like a pretty easy repair -- and from the looks of the canvas, this canoe has seen a few repair attempts! I'm happy to call it a Bastien Brothers until someone can provide some reasons that it's not.

 

[Gil Cramer]

Put the canoe right side up on saw horses so that is level from end to end and side to side. Dump a gallon or two of water into the canoe and see where it runs out. If you need to raise one end to find the leak, do so. Mark everywhere that water runs out. Dump out the water. Turn the canoe over and let it dry for a few days. After it is dry, Take varnish thinned approx. 25% and pour in the area of the leaks. Do one end at a time. Keep pouring varnish in until it pools. Do everywhere there is a leak. Allow to dry for a week or so. Use the canoe.