my canoes
Date back to the 1980s and my rails have not been reduced to splinters.
More to this than meets the eye?
– Last Updated: Sep-02-09 1:17 PM EST –
First off, I don't doubt that varnish provides better protection, especially if you want something that lasts a few years with no need to re-apply the material. However, I seriously doubt that there's much significance to the fact that you have worked on boats that are 100 years old and they are in good shape. Here's why.
Any wooden boat that is very old and still in good shape has either been meticulously maintained, or it has been stored indoors. When stored indoors, I doubt it matters too much what sort of protection has been applied to the wood.
Here's an example. When I was a kid, we acquired my grandfather's boat. It was made by Old Town inthe same fashion as their wood/canvas canoes, but it was a rowboat. My grandfather only used it twice, and always stored it indoors. When we got the boat, it was almost 30 years old but in showroom-new condition. For the next six years that boat was stored outside in the summer, but was stored inside from October to the first week of May. Halfway through that time period, ALL of the varnish had spidercracked terribly, and by the end of that time period, the transom began to rot and we had patched a spot where the canvas had rotted-through. Six years of being outside only during the warm seasons made the boat LOOK like it was 100 years old. That's what makes me think that the 100-year-old boats you've worked on, which are in such good shape, haven't spent much time outside.
On the other hand, there are plenty of well-used, 20-year-old canoes with oiled gunwales which are in fine shape, due to re-applications of oil a couple times a year, and inside storage. Again, I'm not saying varnish isn't better, only that your examples might be misleading.
By the way, that old rowboat of ours is still in the same shape as the last time we used it 33 years ago, because it has been stored inside the whole time. Re-finishing the woodwork would be a gigantic task, because sanding the varnish completely off of all those interior ribs would take forever. I imagine that people who do this regularly have special tools for that, but it still must be a slow process.
Varnish longevity and laziness
I had a professional wooden canoe restorer sand the gunwales of one of my flatwater canoes and apply six coats of high quality marine spar varnish.
After four years of being used and stored outside – one of those years being in the Ultraviolet State – the varnish was cracked and abraded and water had gotten in.
I’m sure I could have maintained the varnish finish with a once-a-year sanding and re-varnishing. But I am such an incompetent varnisher that I have to tape the boat, and I am such a lazybones that I don’t want to bother doing all that.
Therefore, I am the true Wooden Gunwale Renaissance Man: I can rot them out no matter whether they are oiled or varnished.
Occasional oiling is easier for me than occasional varnishing. IF I do it.
Aluminum gunwales are relatively maintenance free … except when they are wrapped around a bridge abutment in New Hampshire.
Chemical stripper
Methylene chloride, chemical gloves, safety glasses, plastic brillo pad and 4 to 6 hours on a Sunday.
I"m with you, sissy103.
Agree
My next canoe will not have wood trim. Although it is beautiful, the maintenance required to keep it from rotting and mildew is a PITA! I too live in FL and the summers kill me to have to store the boat outside.
I had aluminum trim on my older Merlin II but hated them too. Really like what Placid Boats uses for their trim.
Wood Gunwales only!
I think wood gunwales make a canoe! I paddle weekly in Florida with my 25 to 30 year old Curtis Nomad, Mad River Minstral, along with Mike Gult Dandy and BJX canoes. Their wood trim looks as good as the day the canoes were built. I use Watco exterior oil only on the gunwales which I apply about every 3 months. The rest of the wood is varnished. My canoes are all stored in my garage and I take a lot of pride keeping them in pristine condition. I actually is a labor of love! My only problem is which one do I paddle!
Life is too short…
to paddle anything with aluminum, unless it is a recyclable beer can.
Maintaining the Gunwales
I don’t think it matters whether you use WATCO Oil or Marine Varnish to maintain your gunwales on your canoes. Either will get the job done regardless of the uses you put the canoe to. The real keys are adjust your coatings to the use and conditions your canoe is subjected to, and where it is stored when not in use. Two coats a year of oil for most canoeists is enough under normal paddling conditions and storage indoors or under an outdoor tarp and frame system. If you are a serious paddler in rough Canadian Rivers or Northern Ice Areas more coats will be needed. Canoes should never be stored outdoors without cover if it can be avoided. Tarps should never be placed over canoes stored outdoors unless they are held in place by a frame whick keeps them from coming in contact with the canoe. If you are storing a canoe outside it will require more maintenance.
After every major trip I run my hands over the gunwales and eyeball their condition. I check all the wood screws attaching the seats and the thwarts to the frame. Since my Navarro Canoe is Cedar and fiberglass with a strap down spray cover I have to also check the rivets, and straps.
Keeping the hull and gunwales clean will also extend the life of a canoe.
If you don’t like taking time to check your canoe regularly then don’t buy a canoe with hardwood gunwales and wood seats. Stick to the Kevlar and Plastic types.
Happy Paddling!
Murph
You take pride in keeping 4 canoes
in pristine condition; I’ll be proud if my one canoe hasn’t deteriorated beyond hope in 5 years. You paddle weekly, so each canoe goes out on an average of once a month, or 12 times a year, and spends the rest of the time in your garage. My canoe was on the water 13 times in August, spent 6 days in my living room, and the rest of the time on my car.
Of course I would like for my Tupper to remain in mint condition forever, but my circumstances make that an impossibility.
My passion is paddling and the places it takes me, and I’ll do the best I can to take care of my canoe. But while I admire the beauty of the wood gunwales, and appreciate the workmanship that went into it, next time it will be aluminum trim for me (Vermont Canoe does a great job with that, too) or whatever that stuff is that Beachcamper likes from Placid.
Florida is used by many paint companies
To test the durability & colour fastness of paint films. The high level of UV radiation will breakdown a paint or varnish film over a period of time. The same goes for oils.
I would use a polyurethane varnish but be prepared to repeat the excercise one a year.
Murph and Cockney are both right,
– Last Updated: Sep-03-09 8:38 AM EST –
Sissy. If you're really concerned about keeping your gunnels from rotting prematurely, you've got to get the Tupper under cover. UV exposure will keep the mildew in check but will quickly degrade coatings and, eventually, the cellulose structure of the wood itself. Rot will occur under cover in a warm, humid and stagnant evironment as well due to fungal growth feeding on organic compounds that build up on your boat like excessive oil applications, pond scum, road grime, etc. and, again, the wood itself. Mildewcides added to your oil may help with this if the metallic driers contained in Watco don't already. You could add a dark pigment stain to your Watco to help disguise the blue-black mildew stains too, if you don't mind that look. Talk to the folks at the local paint store where contractors go. There's a wealth of knowledge there. Better yet, a local boat yard is a great place for advice on marine coatings and wood preservation. Just hang on to your wallet, should you venture into one!
For now, I'd recommend a thorough drying, inverted in the sun, for an hour, or so, as soon after your paddles as you can, or a couple of times a week, and then getting your baby under cover to protect her from the sun as much as possible.
Bristol Finish?
– Last Updated: Sep-03-09 10:47 AM EST –
http://www.bristolfinish.com/marine_use_EXT.htm
Anyone tried this? It's a 2-part urethane -- nasty stuff to apply, but supposedly stands up to UV much better than spar varnish.
wood/Florida
The Watco oil that you use is good stuff. Varnish might hold up a bit better but to my taste oil looks so much nicer.
I wouldn’t give up on wood rails yet. Although there’s nothing wrong with aluminum (except perhaps that it’s noisy when you bump it)…it’s strong and low maintenance) but it sounds like you just need to try to keep your boat in the shade sometimes and slap some oil on it regularly (monthly?). Although your sun is sure hotter than it is here in Michigan there are also plenty of folks up here that have taken out boats with wood rails many many hundreds of times.
My main follow-up comment is - you might also try lightly sanding the rails on occasion (100 then 150 grit) because when they are smoother they have less surface area for soaking up water…and the oil finish might be more durable.
And - like others have said - if you ever honestly wear them out which seems unlikely, you can have them replaced!
Don’t give up on wood rails yet, what are you - a sissy?
I have 2 canoes with aluminum
gunnels.I think black on the red hulls looks good.The RF ,with wood gunnels,hangs in the garage and I still refinish it regularly.
Blackwater Creek is up…
You ready to paddle so fast-moving water, log-jams, and maybe catch a glimpse of Godzilla? Let me know when your canoe’s ready.
I just had a letter
from someone who has years of experience with wooden sailboats. He was once hired to clean up the teak on an old boat that had teak trim. It was a mess, “blackish gray except where it was covered in inches of bird poop and seagull feathers…” The owners told him “Don’t worry, boy, it will clean right up. I oil it every month.” The old guy elaborated, “I oil it with old crankcase oil, cooking oil, chicken grease, whatever I got.”
My friend went on, “To make a long story short, the teak cleaned up with nothing but some detergent, a scrub brush, and a light sanding. After I oiled it over a period of two days it looked stunning, and except for a few nicks and dents could have been fresh from the factory…so don’t worry about your ash trim.”
All I really wanted to know was how long I could expect it to take for the wood to dry out enough to absorb the oil, but this has turned into an interesting thread–for me, anyway–and I do appreciate all the advice and discussion.
As I believe I said before, I love this boat, and short of moving to where I can have a garage, I’ll do what I can within reason to preserve the longevity of the gunwales. Never having tended to anything like this, I have really benefited from the knowledge and helpfulness of my fellow p.netters. Thanks!
Sissy (that’s what my brother calls me ;^)
Not giving up on wood,
and hoping I never need to replace the gunwales, but if I do…aluminum.
Monthly oiling during the rainy season will, I think, be necessary. Once dry season starts, we’ll see. Of course, my boat will be wet several times a week anyway, but at least will dry in between paddles.
Hey, what are you? A weenie? ;^)
Oil
Well, in fairness to all you oil folks, after I said that real wooden boat folks NEVER oil, WoodenBoat Mag has a several page article this month on the advantages of using warm RAW linseed oil on boats. Mostly as a primer because it is compatible with varnish and paints.
The fact remains that if you want my varnish can you’ll have to pry it from my sticky cold dead hands.