So I have embarked on the process of following Geoffrey's method to see if that will make Felix's Canoe leakproof. I washed and dried the hull as suggested and then spent several hours clinching every tack. I don't think I missed any! I had to do it in stints of a few hours at a time to avoid doing my back an injury spread over a week.
Then I sanded with 120 grit. Then I sanded between ribs and then on them. Luckily its just to key the varnish and I don't have to strip the whole boat all over again Phew!
Next I did the same to the outside which is far easier being a relatively flat surface apart from the many scars of 120 years life.
Boat soup followed starting with the inside. I mixed up about four litres to Geoff's recipe 1 varnish 1 boiled linseed oil 1 Pure Tung oil and 3 Turps. I poured it in lifted each end up to reach bow and stern and sloshed it all around leaving it sitting with the canoe heeled over in various angles to make sure all was well soaked. I brushed it into the gaps between ribs and planking and then after leaving it for 20 minutes checked it and spread it around again.
After a while there were a few places underneath where it had leaked through a little but no huge puddles.
After another long soak I poured it out and managed to get most of the surplus back into my tin using a piece of folded cardboard under the gunwale as it poured it out. Then when lifting underneath to reach the tin I caught the bottom of it on another piece of card on the floor and promptly spilt a large portion of it back onto the floor, Doh!
Anyway I wiped away the rest of the surplus wringing the cloth into my tin and then turned the hull over to coat the outside. This was also left for 20 minutes and then I brushed it well into all the joins applying more before leaving it again and wiping it off. Here it is in the wet stage.
and here it is after wiping off.
I am now leaving it for a few days to dry well before I varnish with 50 /50 varnish turps mixture which will be followed by full strength varnish.
Looking at the hull today I noticed the gaps between planks do look to be well filled by the boat soup mixture so I think we might be on to a winner..
Alick (woodencanoes.uk)
