Canvas stretched and preservative about to be brushed on
After the untreated canvas was stretched on the hull, the cloth was lathered with a chemical preservative to prevent rot. The stuff is very stinky and the boat needed about a week for the smell to dissipate.
Next up the dried, treated canvas was filled with a waterproofing agent. Last summer I learned of a relatively new compound used by canoe restorers, a water-based sludge known as pipe lagging compound. It is normally utilised to treat the canvas insulation for industrial pipe and duct work in buildings as a water-proof & fire resistant alternative to asbestos. Turns out, this lagging compound makes a functional canvas filler for canoes with a dry time of about 30 hours rather than the 30 plus days for traditional oil-based filler. The cost per gallon is also about half for pre-made oil-based + silica filler.
Water based canvas filler
Since the point was to get this canoe functionally out on the water for the summer season, I opted to use this stuff. It is a gelatinous white goo that can be worked in with a foam roller and brush. The downside is that it requires multiple thin layers rather than a thicker application of the traditional filler. Due to the lack of silica in the mixture, it also doesn't sand well to a polished surface so it needs a more careful application. Advantages include a much easier cleanup along with the relatively fast hardening/drying time. It finished to a white rather than a slate grey colour which means the contrast on the canvas isn't the greatest but it worked well for this user boat.
Canvas filled with lagging compound
After a few days, the hull was roughly sanded with 120 grit and a layer of primer added. Then the process of multiple colour layers with vigorous sanding between layers begun. The canoe was again painted in its original red colour. Here's a shot of one of the sanded colour coats...
A few more coats and the hull was a nice smooth shiny red and the canoe was flipped over to trim the excess canvas at the sheer line.
Done painting the hull
Thought about changing the outwales but for the time-being the original oak outwales were put back on after cleaning up 50+ years of gunk on the inside surface and resealing with fresh layer of varnish. All the rusted, stainless screws were replaced with brass. The original show keel was removed and I've decided not to return it back on. The original brass stem bands were also cleaned up and temporarily re-positioned on the stems with some tape in order to drill pilot holes. Sometimes, the staples or tacks used to secure canvas at the the ends ends up blocking the original stem band holes and need to be delicately drilled. In this case, I managed to avoid any issues and could feel the drill going easily into the original holes after puncturing the filled canvas so that was very satisfying.
Temporarily securing stem bands to re-drill pilot holes
Some messy bedding compound was added to the underside of the stem bands and they were secure with tiny #4 screws. After a few final touch ups the canoe is now ready for a decades of more service. Haven't weighed it yet, but by eliminated the keel, using lighter weight #12 duck canvas (which takes less filler to fill), it would've dropped some poundage. I also might remove one of the heavy ash seats and replace with a homemade thwart at some point but for the now the canoe is water-worthy again. Hopefully will be tested out in the near future. In the meantime, the lawn is going to need some major TLC.
Fresh new skin
As an aside, a neighbour has a beat-up fibreglass canoe that has rested dormant on its side for years in their backyard. The sad reality is that the boat in need of major repairs and has likely lived out its short existence. The only way to dispose of it is now to take up space in landfill. The beauty of the cedar canvas design is the ability to restore almost endlessly with minimal toxicity at the end of its life.
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