Restore Canoe, Make Unknown

God advice from Fitz. But my stripping efforts take many days and about 3-4 applications and 3-4 gal of the nasty stuff from Home Depot. Good splices, but next time consider making the splices longer for more glue surface.

 

God advice? I like the guy, but not that much.

 

If it's not too late, the scarf angles could be longer, as Dave Wermuth mentioned.
I hold the flat part of my belt sander against the rib from the outside and make angles that are about 2 inches long. That gives you lotsa glue surface and strength.
Some guys make jigs to cut their angles and use other tools, but the belt sander works best for me. Quick, easy, flat,.....done.
Good luck.

 

Mike Elliot, Kettle River canoes, has a blog on this subject, well done. I may have made a typo, or I may have made a Freud.

 

Little update




Inwales were not as bad to replace as I though. I had invisioned it all unfolding when I opened it up.

 

Finished both seats. I made new frames out of mahogany and hand caned them. It took almost 6 hours to cane the first one, about 3 to do the larger second one.


I also carved out the center thwart. It will have to be replaced if someone decides to steal the canoe.


I sanded down the hand hold and quater thwarts. Turns out they are maple and one of them is birds eye. Nice little discovery under multiple coats of paint.
Then decks are drying. I made them out of walnut.

 

So, I take it the elephant is tasting pretty good now? (How do you eat an elephant? One....) I am glad to see you have taken the plunge, and are challenging yourself on a new project. The big question is; Have you started thinking about the NEXT canoe restoration?

 

So after 30+ hours of trying to get the f'in green paint off...I've finally stretched the canvas. I used the upside down method with a come-along. Worked well. I used 1/2" SS staples. For some of the ribs it didn't hold as well so I also put a brass tack in with the two staples. I also found that if I tilted the staples so that they drove in on a slight angle towards the bottom of the boat they were less likely to move after the tension was released from the pliers.

Here she is after first coat of filler. I'm trying out the Zinnser Watertite. So far, so good. Did use almost 3/4 of a gallon on the first coat though. #8 canvas probably had something to do with that.

 

Shane,
Mark's comments on stripping all well taken and I appreciate the lead on a product we never used (Jasco). We have tried so many brands and found a product called 1776 to work best yet not as nice as the former strippers before regulations. Will give Jasco a try. Everyone correct that paint removal is a YUK! We have found varnish the least difficult, paint next and fiberglass the worst. Plastic scrapers worked well for us in the process as they created fewer gouges than metal. Perhaps our hands not as agile as others!

The old beauty you have is certainly worth restoration and will be most appreciated during your work and upon completion. Agreed that you can do the caining yourself. Taken care of it will last for decades.

Enjoy the restoration; create a log of steps and dates. Those records kept are so appreciated in the years that you have this canoe.

Meanwhile, Paddle the summer away! Bill

 

Fourth coat of paint finished.

I ended up with three coats of filler, one coat of primer, and four coats of red. I sanded in between each coat and used a razor to scrape off any nibs.

All I have left is to attach the outwales and one more coat of varish on the inside....almost there.

 

So Shane,
Let me ask, you used Zinnser Watertite as your filler? I read up on this stuff and it sure sounds easier than the many different formulas I have tried in the past. Does this mean there is no hand rubbing with a mitt?

So with 3 coats of Z.W. filler you applied yor primer right over with no rubbing???? Your color has a nice deep red to it, what grit # paper between sandings? What brand paint provided such a nice lustre?

Bill

 

Hey Bill,

I didn't use a mitt. For the first coat I literally poured the Zinsser right on top of the canoe and used a plastic squeegee to move it around. I let that set for a day. Because I never singed off the canvas fuzz it was fairly rough when it was dry. I sanded the hull to smooth it out (but don't sand into the canvas). Blew the dust off with compressed air and then went over with a tack rag. Then I rolled on another coat with a foam roller. While it was still wet I went over with the squeegee. I guess I used a squeegee instead of a mitt so it would be up to you. Then I left that for a day and then repeated for a third filler, primer and paint. I lightly sanded in between each and let set for a day. However I did let the filler set for 5 days before the primer was applied.
I'm very happy with it. You will use about 3/4 of the can on the first coat so don't be alarmed.

220 sand paper
Paint I would have to double check the name. "Marine and Dory" if I recall? Home Hardware carries it. Not sure if it is a product only available here in Newfoundland. They might have a different name on it elsewhere.

-Shane