Cedar Strip Help with an odd boat

[MichiganFlyfisher]

I got this canoe from a friend who was going to cut it in half and make shelves out of it. He got it from a woman, who’s husband built it and died before he could get it wet. I used it once with my wife and 6 small children, there are two bench seats in the middle. We canoed a small stream in Northern Lower Michigan and it out handled all of the other canoes we were with, of course that could have been due to the operators. It wasn’t finished very well, the fiberglass has white patches that seem to be underneath the glass. Other than the cedar strips on the top 3 rows of the bow and the transom being rotted, the rest of the canoe looks to be in excellent shape. There are no stems or ribs. Again the fiberglass job is a tad shoddy. As you can see in the photos I’ve already started peeling back the glass on the outside, this is going to be a mess. The dimensions are as follows :

Overall length : 14’ 10.5”
Rear Mid Front
Width 21” 42” Well you know
Depth 15” 12” 18”

The fasteners are all small brass wood screws, 5/8” for each cedar strip, one at the front and one at the rear. Longer brass wood screws were used for the gunnels and the seating braces.

What I’m looking for is direction, step by step so as not to muddle this up.
1) Should I be removing the glass inside and out, & best method?
2) What type of wood should I use to replace the Transom?
3) What type of wood should I use to replace the gunnels and seating braces?
4) What method should be used for cutting and attaching the gunnels?
5) Should I stay with brass wood screws?
6) Do I use Fiberglass again or is there a better product? Please tell me there’s better.
7) Should a short deck be added to the front.
8) Any ideas for making this a flyfishing friendly canoe

I’m sure I’ll have more questions as this thread progresses, but this is the meat of my concerns to date.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Jeff

Someone on another site thinks this is a row boat, however there were no signs of oar lock mounts anywhere.

 

[john hupfield]

If that is an oak transom, and I believe it might be ,heat gun the glass off,sand the garbage off at the planking ends and fix it or refinish it. Oak doesn't need fibreglass.
Good place to start and get some satisfaction.
Brass screws are weak but may be hard to remove from under polyester resin.
Of course you need a foredeck..It's a boat.
See who else responds as I have to go shovel snow again
John.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

nice

wineglass transom, but its no canoe..
my 2cents:
1. no, only the flaky delaminated sections, or where you have to get to wood to repair
2. best you can afford, if not mahogany then ash or white oak perhaps?
3.see #2
4.scupper 'em and add oarlocks
5. sure
6. check if its polyester resin or epoxy, but it needs 'glass for strength, look up "stripper"
7. a breasthook would look lovely.
Neat boat, all the hard work is done so have at it..

 

[Bill Mackey]

Suggeston #1

The transom appears to be three pieces of oak glued together to make a piece big enough to cut out the piece. My suggestion goes like this. do not remove the old transom. cut a new transom piece and install it 1/2' inside the old transom. Two transoms with 1/2 ' between them. after the new transom is installed run a saber saw between the two to remove the old transom. this keeps the shape of the hull without you having to build support. This also lets you clamp to the old transom until you have everything in place.The external fiverglass looks like it will come off fairly easily, I wouldn't to that until I have the new transom in place. I'm sure you will get many more suggestions but I always wanted to be #1.

 

[MichiganFlyfisher]

I don't want to shorten the boat, can I just put the second transom 1" in front of the old one?

 

[Bill Mackey]

replacing transom

The reason I mention this solution is that you get all new wood at the corners of the boat. We did this to a rowboat at a summer camp that I worked at in the 60's. We didn't have to deal with removing screws at the transom and the holes that they left in the hull. The end of the hull was partially rotten and this gave us new wood to attach the new transom. You have to decide based on the condition of the wood after you remove the fiberglass.Take a good look at reconditioning the wood or replacement as a possible choice for the repair. Shortening the boat by 1" will not affect its performance in the water.

 

[MichiganFlyfisher]

Sorry I was thinking that your measurement of 1/2' was 6 inches or a half a foot. A 1/2" makes sense and your right it seems as though it would remove alot of possible problems later.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[CParker]

Response to Question #8

Since no one else offered any advice to you question on how to set the boat up for flyfishing, I thought I'd give my $.02 worth.

I'm a fan of those flyfishing bags such as Wood River used to provide with "gunnel hooks" which fit perfectly into the gaps on the gunnels of wood/canvas boats. Maybe you should consider routing similar cutouts on your inwales to provide a way to hang such a bag up off of the floor and out of the water.

Sure beats wearing a vest.

I may also consider making small grooves (or small dowels) into the transom to hold the rod (s?)steady while you're rowing to your next spot. Nothing big, just a way to keep the rod secure so it doesn't bang around, and you always know where it is without even having to look? Maybe even a small wood bracket on the side of the boat opposite to where you'll hang the bag to put the handle of the rod in.

Then again, you've got oars to consider, so maybe that wouldn't work out very well!

Whatever you come up with, please share!

 

[ddewees]

What Andre said

I wouldn't bother trying to take off all the glass, unless all of it is really de-laminating. With care you can fair in patches that will disappear under another coat of epoxy/polyester and varnish. (I'm sure you realize that the fiberglass cloth and resin are integral to the structure of the boat, unlike that sometimes used to try to salvage w/c canoes.)

Don't you think that transom once held an outboard motor, explaining why there are no oarlocks?

Don in Vermont