Aluminum Michicraft Project

Uh - is that how big choppers are fixed too? :wink:

We didn’t get to reinstalling the rivets yet. :wink:

What were they thinking with that color scheme? That poor canoe! Kudos to you, Schuylkill, for trying to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Am betting you’ll succeed.

Ha! I don’t know … funny thing is, no one has ever said anything about the paint. It’ll still show plenty of battle scars, but at least it’ll shine.

I think it used to be a rental canoe, having the four seats and this number 3 I found beneath the paint.

You can get $ for aluminum scrap.

I just caught this thread, was away for the wknd in the land of almost no web services. Granted my expertise in older canoes is thin to none. But this one doesn’t come down to knowing a lot about canoes.

IMO this is about recognizing the work that someone is willing to do to restore a craft and be able to get on the water rather than whether others would choose the boat for themselves.

As to getting rid of it… I don’t how many people here have tried the recycling route the last year. But the price for mixed metals and the outlets to get rid of oddball stuff has dropped thru the floor since China stopped paying good prices for our junk the beginning of this year. The last time I dropped off a load of mixed metals I got almost the price of the gas to drive it there. Happily I live in a city and we have guys cruising the alleys that will pick up mixed metals and aggregate them for a useful load. The suburbs tend to frown on piles of crap left out.

If a boat can be gotten ready paddle I applaud it.

If this was someone trying to turn an ancient home-made fiberglass WW boat into a sea kayak to go on an long cruise, I would first out of the door saying it was not worth effort. But that is not what this is. It is someone who obviously has a lot of skills for this purpose and is sensible. This keeps a boat out of the junk heap - it is a good thing.

@Schuylkill said:
Well, gee whiz, if all that’s true, maybe I shouldn’t have performed any work on these …

Don’t worry, I’ll check the rivets, and by the time she launches again, she won’t be hogged anymore :wink:

And how will you do that? Inquiring mind wants to know… I wrapped an old alu Grummy and no amount of jumping on it would make it come back to level… Something needed to lift the stems and push down in the middle…

Also re the end fold… as its going to be weak at that fold how can you reinforce it?

Our folded Grumman still floats but with the assistance of much bondo. Its now gone from heavy to dead heavy

@kayamedic said:

@Schuylkill said:
Don’t worry, I’ll check the rivets, and by the time she launches again, she won’t be hogged anymore :wink:

And how will you do that? Inquiring mind wants to know… I wrapped an old alu Grummy and no amount of jumping on it would make it come back to level… Something needed to lift the stems and push down in the middle…

Good grief, don’t jump on your boat! You’re supposed to be kind to it!

No, not the stems. That would risk crinkling and destroying the entire canoe. The straight parts of the aluminum keel have to be supported as well as the sides of the braces inside, otherwise they could be forced through the skin destroying the hull. Forces a slight percentage higher than the forces that hogged the hull will be gently but firmly applied in the opposite direction.

Also re the end fold… as its going to be weak at that fold how can you reinforce it?

It won’t be very weak at all. That heat treated aluminum is very tough stuff. No reinforcements will be needed.

Our folded Grumman still floats but with the assistance of much bondo. Its now gone from heavy to dead heavy

Yes, Bondo is very heavy.

Anything man can make … man can repair…

I would restore the flotation and seal any leaks, but otherwise leave it as is. It would surely be a top contender in nearly any “ugly boat” competition.

It would also be good for one of those downriver trips with a god-awful carry at the take-out that you really didn’t want to haul a canoe over.

Looks like some of y’all think I’m fix’n to box the compass. Happily, there are no flotation problems. No lack of port quarter navigators here.

Anyone have any suggestions to make those flat aluminum seats more comfortable? Aside from remove & replace?

That’s what those “throw pillow” style flotation cushions (of the same era, I’m sure) were for.

Since they might be hard to find, get yourself some Minicel foam and figure out a creative way to attach it (duct tape?).

@Sparky961 said:
That’s what those “throw pillow” style flotation cushions (of the same era, I’m sure) were for.

Since they might be hard to find, get yourself some Minicel foam and figure out a creative way to attach it (duct tape?).

I’ll look into that stuff. Thank you!

Sleeping pad for camping might do in a pinch, but probably not as UV resistant.

Found this:

https://clcboats.com/modules/catalog/product.php?category_qn=boat-building-supplies-epoxy-fiberglass-plywood&subcat_qn=kayak-seats-foam&code=minicell-closed-cell-foam

@grayhawk said:
Anything man can make … man can repair…

I think there is a corollary… Anything man can make man can break. Sometimes as in the workshop now here at the same time

Using minicel foam to pad aluminum seats is certainly an option, but I would not use 3" thick plank and you can probably find cheaper sources than Chesapeake Light Craft. Plank that thick is good for building up pedestals, or carving out a contoured seat to put in the bottom of a kayak. Thick plank is much more expensive and won’t conform to any degree of curvature as well. Plank that is 1-1 1/2" thick would work better. And I wouldn’t use 3M 5200 sealant to bond it in either. I would use DAP Weldwood contact cement (flammable variety) which is much cheaper. Use steel wool on the aluminum seats to get them clean and shiny. Rough up the bonding surface of the foam with sandpaper. Apply the contact cement using a cheap “acid brush” available in nearly any hardware store and apply 2 or 3 coats to the foam.

There are also a wide variety of strap-on padded canoe seat pads, some of which have backrests attached. You can look at some varieties here:

http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/canoeseats.php

@pblanc said:
Using minicel foam to pad aluminum seats is certainly an option, but I would not use 3" thick plank and you can probably find cheaper sources than Chesapeake Light Craft. Plank that thick is good for building up pedestals, are carving out a contoured seat to put in the bottom of a kayak. Thick plank is much more expensive and won’t conform to any degree of curvature as well. Plank that is 1-1 1/2" thick would work better. And I wouldn’t use 3M 5200 sealant to bond it in either. I would use DAP Weldwood contact cement (flammable variety) which is much cheaper. Use steel wool on the aluminum seats to get them clean and shiny. Rough up the bonding surface of the foam with sandpaper. Apply the contact cement using a cheap “acid brush” available in nearly any hardware store and apply 2 or 3 coats to the foam.

There are also a wide variety of strap-on padded canoe seat pads, some of which have backrests attached. You can look at some varieties here:

http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/canoeseats.php

Great reply, much appreciated!

@Schuylkill said:
Well, gee whiz, if all that’s true, maybe I shouldn’t have performed any work on these …

My in law the retired Master Chief , fixed wing mech, takes on these kind of projects too just to prove he still can. And they usually come out well enough.