Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Aluminum gunwale replacement

More like installing siding on a house than traditional canoe building, a Fiberglass Scott canoe came in with a kinked and broken gunwale after the shed fell on it from snow load. A pop rivet gun, rather than a steambox, is the tool of the day. 

Rear, port side. 


Starboard rear, nice gentle sweep of gunwale


Kinked gunwale, small crack from folding due to weight


Kinked, cant be saved


Rivets from seats, thwart, carrying handles and decks drilled out, before drilling rivets along gunwale


Lots of guck, a wood boat would be well on its way to rotting away


Gunwale starting to go back on


Guck. Scott, and an offshoot Abitibi canoes, are iconic Canadian 'glass canoes, and are very common anywhere there is water to be paddled


Gunwale showing slot for top of fiberglass, it introduces tremendous rigidity to otherwise floppy sides.


Trusty pop rivet gun

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