Chestnut / Peterborough Refurbish Part 2

Now that the exterior of the 14ft Chestnut / Peterborough was finished (Part 1 Link), it was time to start the superficial work on the woodwork. Didn't want to strip the interior since the aged patina looked pretty solid. After a simple sanding to roughen the surface, another coat of spar varnish was put on just to freshen the surface.

The original ash seats had long since lost their cane, so the previous owner simply used prewoven can and roughly jammed the edges through the existing seat holes. These have dried into place and are pretty solid. Obvious though that that last used wasn't a kneeler, because these rough cane ends would scratch and annoy the back of the legs.

Condition of the existing prewoven seat repair

Ending up using garden snips and a crooked knife to cut the cane ends as close as possible to the bottom of the seat. A basic sanding and things smoothed out sufficiently to not snag during kneeling. The seat cane is still firmly in place.

Trimming the cane flush with the bottom

At some point the seats had been taken out and put back with 3/16 Robertson machine screws. The original steel carriage bolts probably had rusted beyond usage.

Machine screws installed by previous owner

Ended up getting some brass bolts, but my source only had 6" in stock despite mentioning 4" ones being listed in stock on their site. A little extra work but they were cut down using a hacksaw and installed.

Cutting 3/16th Brass Bolts

Installing last one into place

The glue on the outwale scarf joints has failed over time. These were simply epoxied back together with some additional wood filler used to fill out the chips and gaps.

Scarfed outwale separation and minor damage

Simple repair

When the canoe gets new canvas in a few years, the outwales with their rusted screws will be completely removed. I might replace them and go with a lighter weight wood in the future. But for now this one is ready for the water.

All done!