Removing fiberglass from 1930s Old Town

millie_sass

Canoe anybody?
I have an old wooden Old Town Canoe that was found in the 1936 flood here in Pittsburgh. My father used it for fishing in the 40s and 50s; he took off the canvas and covered it with fiberglass in the 1960s. It has been stored inside so the wood looks to be okay at first glance but it has not been floating for a few decades.
Can/should I take the fiberglass off and cover it with canvas again? Or get somebody to do that for me? Or should I just keep it "as is" and enjoy it on our river?
In case I decide to sell/donate it, how can I tell what the value might be?
 
If you want to paddle a nice canoe, you can remove the fiberglass and re-canvas. If you need help with recanvassing, I'd suggest tracking down a neighboring chapter of the WCHA... you'll find friends there, and hands that will help. And a cheering squad. It may change your life.

You can use the canoe with the fiberglass (if it doesn't leak) but be careful because fiberglass will hold moisture (any wetness inside the canoe) and won't permit the wood to breathe, so the canoe can have problems, over time-- please look at past discussions by using the "search" function on the right above. If you don't want to restore the canoe with canvas, my suggestion is to find someone who wants to do that, and let them have the canoe for a reasonable price... maybe free... depending on the difficulty of removing the 'glass. Sometimes it comes off easily, sometimes it comes off in little bitty bits.

Here is the video, with removal using a heat gun. The other method involves use of a pond.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXILZU6Jm-s
 
The Three Rivers Chapter will be holding our annual meeting at the Sylvan Canoe Club on the Allegheny in Verona on Oct 27th around 2pm. If you are free you would be welcome to bring your canoe and join us. There will be lots of folks there who can answer your question.
 
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