Hey Folks, I am brand new to this site. Last summer I took a 3 day, 27 mile canoe trip with my boys on the Potomac River. It inspired me to restore this old canoe that was laying in the yard. I have no idea where it came from, but it seems pretty sturdy. I need to replace the gunwales and the wood on the bottom of the hull. I would also like to paint the interior with a non slip paint that will last. Lastly, I have an old 1.2HP Game Fisher motor that I need to mount in case there is an emergency. I have restored a lot of cars and my uncle is a master woodworker. Can anyone offer some advice on how to purchase, fashion parts? Should I use wood or composite?
Any advice in general is appreciated. I apologize for being so new and clueless!
Seems is deceiving…
Your first task is to fill the holes… Your second task is to put the boat in water capsize it and find out if it indeed has any functioning flotation… That would be in the ends… Looks like its all rotted flotation.( looks pebbly). The use of wood on alu canoes seems odd to me and no need to replace. Never seen wood on the bottom… Seems someone wanted to drag it and added wood strips.
Hey Kayak Medic! Thanks for the quick reply! So I think the canoe might have been from a rental place - hence the wooden strips. I can live without them. I know that it doesn’t leak water because I filled it BUT that could change when I take out the screws that held the wood on the bottom. That repair seems pretty straightforward. Thanks for the tip on checking the flotation in the ends. Never would have occurred to me. My guess is you are right. The floor also has some glue strips that are rotted that clearly held some type of carpet/liner in place. I was going to sand that down before I painted the floor.
Appreciate the tips. Keep them coming if you think of anything else!
Old abused aluminum canoes can be deceiving. Suggest you test for water-tight by sitting in it in shallow water and observe for seepage. Occassionally the slight flex of the hull under load can open up slight gaps in the center seam or rivets. The last time I painted a floor in an aluminum canoe I used epoxy floor paint for garage floors that have the tiny flakes that are sprinkled on top of the wet paint for traction. Worked great.
I appreciate it OoL. This one was more ignored than abused, but that’s sound advice. I will clean it up and head to some water before I do anything else. One of the canoes we rented last summer ended up taking on lots of water.
