Years ago i inherited a fiberglass malecite, i think it is a 1979 vintage, and the gunwales were rotted so i just replaced then with similar dimension pieces of spliced ash and rehung the seats with a center seat also. now the cane in the seats has deteriorated and it is time to replace them. was thinking about rehabbing it with nicer, rounded gunwales and contoured seats, and replacing the center seat with the original thwart. Any suggestions about gunwale profile for this boat?
Also I love the color - it was called “Indian Brown” and I cannot find paint that color but the hull is in good shape for 40 yr old - there is one area of spider web crack but otherwise just needs a good buffing. The interior was originally gray but i did paint over it with light tan cause the gray got hotter than h… on sunny days.
Was looking at Ed’s canoe for parts and any tips on rehab would be appreciated.
thanks
I think it’s personal preference. If your gunwales are in good shape it seems like you could easily round the top side corners with a router since it’s the top that you touch or bump. I’ve put Ed’s seats on several solos…they are typically a bit thicker that stock and add a little strength but also a little weight. Contoured seats are again personal preference; I end up using seat pads for comfort whether or not the seats are contoured. In general I find webbed seats a bit more comfy than cane but at the same time on some “vintage” boats I’d stay with cane to keep the boat with a factory appearance. It’s not difficult to recane your seats as discussed in the other recent thread.
The name of the color sure dates the boat. I wonder if they had other colors named after ethnic groups…perhaps Caucasian beige?
I don’t know the “Indian brown” color. maybe post a photo. There are some duck skiff paints that come in pretty neat colors - dead grass, marsh grass, etc. Parker paints is one company. Cabela’s sells a few of their colors. There are several others.
not sure about posting a photo - hopefully this will work.
at least getting new seats and replacing the middle seat with the original thwart.
when i did the gunwales i did not follow the 10:1 or 12:1 rule for the scarf joints. - inwale joints visible in this photo - will post another angle view of the bottom for more color - the color is an olive brown to my eye
I have used short scarfs for canoe gunwales (1:3) and they work just fine and are no more noticeable than long scarfs. When joining thin panels together, like 3 or 4 mm thick Okoume plywood, long scarfs are necessary to achieve enough bonding surface for your adhesive or epoxy. With canoe gunwales 3/4" thick, they are not.
Eds canoe is a good source for parts. Another is Essex Industries:
Composite canoes with dark color gel coat show scratches more since the scratches are invariably light in color. That is just the way it is.
I would give your hull a good cleaning if you have not done so already, then apply a finishing glaze and go over it with a low speed automotive buffer. I have had good luck with 3 M Finesse-It II:
If your hull bottom is all scratched up I might be inclined to paint only the bottom up to a 3" waterline. I have had good results with Petitt EZPoxy which is a one-part polyurethane with some silicone added for sheen. They do have a dead grass color:
