complete fiberglass canoe rebuild

[markus]

so i was given an old fiberglass canoe from a buddy and im getting to the point where its time to start the restoration. Only thing is i have no clue where to start! all the wood components need to be re-built, the fiberglass will need to be sanded, filled, painted...im looking for all the advise out there

 

[pklonowski]

It's hard to assess without pictures, but the question will come down to what all needs to be done, and whether it will be worth the cost when it is done? And only you can determine whether your time is priceless... or valueless... when it comes to a project like this.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I've done a couple 'glass canoes that were certified derelicts and passed them on. It was pretty straightforward and not too difficult. I painted the outside with enamel and the inside I painted with gray deck enamel. I replaced the rails with new wood along with adding wood seats. they seem to be heavier than w/c canoes.

 

[markus]

the re-build

im getting good advise here! getting excited...all the wood parts will be replaced for sure, any suggestions on the wood species i should be using? should i upload some pictures of this monster?

Mark...

 

[pklonowski]

Commonly used wood species would include ash, cherry, walnut, spruce... depends on the look you want. Spruce is softer than the others, so it'll get banged up more easily. And we like pictures...

 

[JClearwater]

I have also reworked a couple old fiberglass canoes. The one that needed the most work was an old Curtis Nomad solo canoe. It had been used hard, abused and stored outside so the gunwales were totally shot and the fiberglass scratched up from rocks. Using the old gunwales as a pattern I ripped new ones out on the table saw. The outwale had a notch that fit over the top edge of the hull and mated to the inwale. I sanded the hull and a friend with an auto body shop spray painted it with auto paint - don't remember what kind of paint. I painted the inside with gray enamel. Using every clamp I owned the gunwales were clamped on the canoe, holes drilled and screwed back together with stainless screws. I left the gunwales long so that after they were fastned to the hull I could finish the joint at both ends. I made decks from cherry. Dave Curtis never added decks to his canoes because the air chambers in the ends provided the structural strength needed. Being a wood canoe guy I wanted decks so I added them to complete the picture but they serve no structural purpose like on a wood canoe. Attached are a couple pictures of it finished. I don't have any "before" pics. Dave Curtis and his company Hemlock Canoes mades very nice high end canoes so fixing up this old Nomad was well worth the effort.

Good luck with your project.

Jim C.