For equivalent boat stiffness, ash
is going to be stronger than aluminum. Yeah, aluminum may not split, but it will bend in ways that can’t be corrected.
Still, for lake boats, I favor aluminum, because the boat will be lighter. The only way to achieve the same degree of lightness with wood is to turn to Sitka spruce (maintenance issues) or to thin the ash to the point that it will not be as stiff as the same weight of aluminum.
aluminum bends
Just last week my Bell Northstar in Kevlight and aluminum was sitting on saw horses outside. A large limb fell atop if and ripped the kev as well as bent the gunwhale. didn’t crush, but just bent it enough that it now holds it shape slightly off skew. I am replacing with wood this week as well as doing kevlar repair.
I went to edscanoe.com and ordered gunwhales that come in pieces and all new wood parts. I plan to take pictures of the process.
Engineering
– Last Updated: Apr-11-10 5:50 PM EST –
Wood is usually screwed through the upper laminate every six inches or so, and clasps that laminate tightly if the rabbet is slightly back angled.
Most aluminum rails touch the laminate at each pop rivet but allow the laminate to rattle between, as the inwale side is loose and ripples under compression. [Swift and bell have addressed this issue with two piece rails; a John Winters concept.]
Both systems have a good horizontal leg through which seats and thwarts can be rigidly mounted. The old Sawyer/Moore system of crushing thwart ends and double pop riveting to the rail underside is lame. We know where the rail is weakened and where it will fail.
I remember the difference between the Sawyer solo 13 w/ alu rails and the Classic, same mold, same laminate with wood. The wood railed hull was stiffer, more solid, and much higher performing. Same song with Bell WildFires.
And, after a maximum credible accident, with a wood trimmed hull we have fire starter too!
I know…
I know what I like; wood trim on my canoes, and wood paddles.
I don’t know which is “best”, or if “best” can be proven, and even if “best” could be proven, I’d still like wood trim on my canoes, and wood paddles.
Even if it was proven NOT the “best”.
BOB
I like low maintenance.
I get no joy from maintaining wood gunwales. I may never sand them - just add oil when they need it. Didn’t have any boats with wood gunwales until three years ago, but now have four. I’d rather have a no maintenance option for them, but don’t have $3k for a new boat with composite gunwales. Have no interest in ever replacing any gunwales with anything.
I don’t tolerate varnish fumes at all. Watco oil is tolerable.
I’ve got no indoor workspace.
Paddling my boats is my hobby, not maintaining them.
I do what I need to to keep the rails structurally sound, but would prefer not to have to maintain them at all.
Maybe royalex boats with aluminum trim are all that I should be allowed to own.
If anyone believes that my wood trimmed boats are being treated inhumanely, you are welcome to intervene with an outrageous cash payment to save them from me.
Yanoe…
You need to get you an old Perception HD-1.
I’ll trade you my HD-1 even up for those wood trimmed boats.
You won’t have to worry about maintenance; it’s nearly indestructible. It’ll will keep your paddling partners entertained, watching you do stupid paddling tricks & you might even end up as the subject of a pnet photo of the week.
It’s a classic too.
:^)
BOB
P.S. I’m here to help you out, whenever I can.
Aren’t those things very heavy?
I don’t need another stinking heavy boat.
You’re retired and have work space. I suspect that both of those make boat maintenance easier.
Regarding boat tricks. My recently acquired modified Bell Flashfire seems to spin like a top compared to my Curtis Lady Bug, which the Flashfire is supposed to be nearly identical to. This Flashfire has 1" wider gunwales and a kneeling thwart.
Bob, I didn’t know that you had
an HD-1 too. I just assumed your garage was filled with Blackhawks! The HD-1 sure was an…interesting hull. Brings back memories.
Jim
Blackhawks…
I like to throw a monkey wrench (HD-1) into a well oiled machine every now & then; just to hear the gears grind.
Blackhawk count is down to 9.
A Dagger, 2 Mad River, a Swift, a Lotus, a Chestnut, a Wenonah, 2 Bells, and a Hemlock round out the mini fleet. Recently sold an Old Town & a Mohawk.
Still “lookin”.
BOB
I’ve got both.
Royalex w/ aluminum live outdoors. Kevlar w/ wood gets stored inside. Works great for me that way.
Maintenance is a pain…
but wood looks a lot nicer IMHO.
Don’t know about kevlar…
…but my fiberglass Malecite (with wood gunwales, of course) has no extra thwart. In fact - it has a center seat instead of a thwart. And it seems plenty rigid.
My beat-up Penobscot has aluminum rails (don’t they all?). They were bent pretty bad when I bought it (for cheap). It took a lot of effort to re-bend them to a shape closely resembling, but not exactly, the way they came.
On a nicer boat, I would tend toward leaving the existing rails as they are until damage necessitates some action. Then I would consider replacing with wood.
Penobscot
My 15 foot Old Town Penobscot had wood gunwales & brass deck plates.
The gunwales were most definitely built to last; strongest looking gunwales I’ve ever seen on a canoe.
BOB
Penobscot
I ahve a 16 foot penobscot with the wood rails and brass deck plates. The wood is 2 tone with 6 sculpers carved in on each side. It is so beautiful, and it is robust indeed! Wood pain or not, gives a boat soul! If you are going to be in it all day on on a multi day trip why not have a boat with soul? I love wood gunnels even if it means more work.
Wow, Brammy!
Now that’s another boat for me to be on the lookout for! I hadn’t seen any with wood rails yet - now I know…
Penobscot
I too have a 16 ft Penobscot with wood rails and brass endplates. These boats are about 20 yrs old. Very heavy Rolex,beautiful wood. Me and Molly are in it in the pic of the week that is up this week.
Does wood really equal more work?
I guess that’s relative to your definition of work. I’ve had boats with wood trim and a handful of other boats with aluminum or vinyl.
I will never buy another boat (unless it’s an absolute steal) that doesn’t have wood trim.
The weight difference between the two materials is almost negligible so why argue about it . . . 1-3 pounds maybe. How much needless gear do you pile in the boat anyway. A Nalgene full of water, some sun screen, food, and a first aid kit and you weight savings has been thrown out the window.
Wood = Work … that depends on your definition of work. Every spring I spend about 10 minutes gently gliding a piece sandpaper over my wood rails and another 10 minutes gently gliding a Watco oiled rag over and under the rails, when it dries sometimes I do another quick coat . . . the wood looks beautiful. I might complete process twice or maybe even three time from March until November, and I paddle the hell out of my boats. Can that be classified as work, not in my book, I probably spend an hour throughout the entire season tending to the rails. How much time is wasted sitting on your ass in front of the stupid Television?
Aluminum is cold and not very aesthetically pleasing. I had an aluminum rail break right in half after swamping it in white water, the wood would not have broke.
Moral of the story . . . “Wood is good”!
Another Option
Another, although rare, option is integral, synthetic rails. While difficult to apply as a re-rail, some mention should be made here as we’ve morphed into a general discussion of rail utility in general
In simplest form these can be Hornbeck’s roll-over inverted rain gutter rails. Part of the hull when it is laid up, nothing could be simpler, less expensive or lighter.
In currently most complex form, they can be fabric over shaped foam and infused with the hull as achieved by Placid, Swift and Colden. Weight saving ~20% per hull total, ~50% on rails alone.
If you’ve got inside storage …
… wood is the bomb. If you don’t, then it can be a constant challenge and probably not worth it.
wood
I have to give my vote to wood. Another poster was right, it does have more soul. All my paddles have been wood, I have used other types before and they do not have the same warmth in them. Plus, wood does scar and reminds you of the good times.