I recently purchased a Seda Scout. It’s a fiberglass boat with wood gunwales. I’m guessing it’s close to ten years old. The boat looks well kept and in great shape. I’m also guessing that the hull is intended to have zero rocker.
The hull does not look or feel compromised in any way but it has a swayback(reverse rocker)when sitting up side down on sawhorses. The reverse rocker measures about 1/2". I paddled it solo and when bouncing up an down in the seat the floor flexes up and down about a 1/2".
I’m prepared to install a fiber glass rib inside along the centerline to restore the rocker and add rigidity. Someone suggested using transverse ribs or don’t mess with it.
Any suggestions? Do I leave it or attempt a repair? How would you repair it?
Thanks.
Another option
Wenonah has made a lot of rugged boats with a FG cover foam keelson. Transverse ribs have the disadvantage that, when you run over something going forward, the stress riser is at 90 dg to the object.
The larger issue with keelson or ribs is that you’ll need micro spheres to mix with resin to bed the foam and a vacuum pump to keep air pockets from forming.
An easier choice might be to install a couple carbon diamonds, squares turned to align two points with the keel line. You’ll need a resin that is compatible with Seda’s, peel ply to smooth the edges, a squeegee and a paint brush. Try Sweets for the supplies.
I wouldn’t
bounce up and down on the seat…
Seriously, glass canoes aren’t built like tanks, they’re intended to be light and “tough enough.” My Millbrook Flashback(archaic kevlar slalom OC)flexes I’d guess 2-3" when I’m surfing it, not it’s intended purpose in life but a life it has become accustomed to(although some reinforcement is coming up after my last session :-0). Simple downriver runs have it flexing at least an inch under my knees. 1/2", I wouldn’t worry about it unless you see “white stripes” where cracking in the resin is occurring.
Our old Moore Voyageur flexed
upward significantly, and so Moore sent us some of the spring-loaded struts used in marathon racing canoes at the time, to keep keels straight. These struts ran from each of the 3 thwarts down to the longitudinal keel strip (by itself insufficient to control upward flexing).
What I did later was to put a foam pedestal seat between the center thwart and the bottom of the boat. This was enough to stop flex, but allowed flex when passing over ledges.
With just 1/2" of flex, I think you could control it well enough with a similar solo pedestal. It braces the boat, adds flotation, and if you want, you can put “wings” running forward for portaging.
Canoe Purchase Advice??
Hello CE, This is dougd from Pnet. I am looking at a canoe that is listed on Craigslist but can’t add it to this email. I have talked to Mike McCrea about this and we both think it might be an early Curtis design. Not that this helps but the buyer says it is “about” 15’ long, weighs in at “about” 35 pounds but it is at his parents right now.
If you were to go to Craigslist, VT, and in the search type in canoe it will be listed as a solo canoe to see pictures.
I apologize for any inconvenience for asking advice but between Mr. McCrea and myself and google searches I am thinking that this might be a Curtis Nomad/Compainion/Vagabond??
Any help you can send me would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.
dougd
Doug Doremus
Penacook, NH
making it a center rib layup
Adding a center longitudinal rib and either a spring loaded shock absorber or foam pedestal from the center thwart/yoke is the best long term repair. As Eric stated the Seda Scout is a pretty flat bottomed layup, my memory is a slight vee bottom and no reinforcement of ribs or core. The layup is strong, but not stiff, a carryover from Seda’s days as a whitewater kayaker. Adding just a stiffening brace from the center thwart/yoke to the hull bottom will cure the hogging and keep the shape. But if the brace has no flex, the center of the hull will be stiff and unyielding under compression and the hull forward and aft of the brace will still be able to flex and oilcan; not ideal. The center rib will spread the forces along the whole keel, and a shock absorber from the thwart/yoke to the rib will allow upward movement under an impact or going over an object.
The shock struts should still be available from Wenonah, and the center rib can be a foam cored layup or a wood keelson glassed into the hull along the centerline.
Bill