Dipping stripper process

[Tom Little]

A canoe maker/restorer mentioned bringing her canoes to Appleton WI to have them dipped and stripped. Could anybody shed some light on this process, it's expense, and is it an acceptable process? Does it do a good job?
Thanks folks.

 

[MGC]

Stripping a hull is not fun. It is a messy and slow process. Many restorers have decided that it is a better use of their time to have the stripping done by professionals. Shops that do a lot of boats invest in the equipment that is used by the pro's. Tanks, re-circulators and commercial strippers etc. give the pro's a real advantage over the hobbyist and especially now when we can no longer buy the strong commercial products for home use. You'll need to get in touch with the stripper to find out what they charge. If I had such a service available nearby I would certainly consider using it.

 

[pklonowski]

Dave Osborne uses the place in Green Bay; he'll probably be along shortly...

 

[Dan Miller]

I used V&L in Appleton many times while I lived in Wisconsin. They do a great job, and it's a bargain at any cost. Wish I could find someone like them in NY.

Do be aware that if there is a decal, it will be destroyed in the process.

 

[Dave Osborn]

V&L Stripping on Oneida Street in Appleton Wisconsin.
Look eM up. Ask for Craig. Tell them Dave sent ya.
They don’t dip, but they do strip. Chemical is pumped on to the canoe and with the help of a brush on the nozzle the varnish is removed. Ready for light sanding and varnish. You just can’t do a better job yourself.
I take 4- 5 at a time and stay overnight.
It takes about 3 hours per canoe. Make an appointment, drop them off, go to the antique mall, or see a movie, fly fish the Tomorrow River, or go poke around Lake Michigan.
Cost continues to rise. I think it’s about $20/ft. Well worth it for the time savings and quality of work.
Remember...tell them Dave sent ya!

 

[Dan Miller]

I used them a lot back in the day. At the time (20 some years ago, it was $10/ft), so given the passage of time, it is still truly a bargain. At the time, I was the stay-at-home dad, so when I had a load of canoes to go up to V&L, my wife had to take a day off from work. It was funny to hear her tell her boss it was because her husband had to go to the strippers.

On one trip they did two 25-war canoes and three standard canoes, and I was out and back on the same day.

 

[Gil Cramer]

Maumee Valley Restorations in Napoleon, Ohio has done practically all of my canoe stripping the last 10 or so years. Rob is the owner. He is the fourth stripper that I have used, and by far the best. His charges were $23/ ft shortly before the ban on consumer use of methylene chloride stripper.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I have a furniture restorer near me. He quoted $2,000 to strip a canoe. Years ago he did one for $275 and another for $600. I don't use him now. My Kingsbury went from here east of Flint, Mi all the way to Appleton and back and I was very pleased. There is a method using lye and dipping. Very toxic. I just used the eco friendly safe strip stuff with reasonable results. It's just one of those things that has to be dealt with.