I have an old 4 person canoe. It is the type with high bow and stern. (photo below)
Long story short: I want to reduce the height of the stern so I can safely car top it. It currently blocks my windscreen.
I was thinking of cutting it straight across, slightly higher then in line with the gunwales, then cutting a block of wood to fit the hole and fiberglass in place.
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Turn the canoe over, it won’t care if you carry it right side up or upside down
It is your canoe and you can cut them off if you want. I personally like the look of your canoe as is. Do you know the make, model and worth of it?
If it was mine I think I would look at a rack that held it higher at the front maybe. Air getting under it at high speed is always a concern.
It looks like it will be some work getting it on the roof ether way. Maybe a boat trailer that hauls it right side up.
Sorry not a boat builder here so can’t help much with the chopping part of your question.
After market racks often hold things higher. I’d set the boat higher and level. You can add shims, boards, etc
I know how and could do the modifications you propose , but its would ugly up the boat. It also could ruin wave handling performance.
No rack is going to raise it the 25cm it needs to go without raising the cog too much and making the whole car unstable. The boat is v heavy and my SUV is already tall.
I don’t care about looks and I’m always on flat water.
I had a friend that bought a beautiful corvette about 30 years ago and brought it home. He took a chalk line and snapped a few lines on the roof and 15 minutes later he had the sawzall out and was cutting the roof out. He always wanted a tee top so he made one.
Snap a line and go at it. Make some decks and glass them in.
You only live once.
Don’t cut it. Figure a better way to carry it. You can tip the bow up so it doesn’t interfere with your vision much, it doesn’t have to sit level. Canoes are going to cover part of the windshield, that’s just the way it goes.