Another 'glass repair

16' kevlar built by West Toronto Canoe about 30 years ago

Both ends were damaged, with hastily done resin repairs

Holed through to the foam in the end flotation compartments

Glass needs to come off

Serious crack along bilge on one side

Hits and repairs on bottom

Patch on the other end 

Polyester resin and patch lifting off, applied straight to gelcoat with no sanding to promote adhesion

Cleaned off ready for repairs, patching and keel felt

Secret weapon

Foam filled in

Hardening up, ready to be shaped

old patches near flotation chambers on keel

Cracks in keel and ribs

more glass removed waiting repairs

foam repairs shaped and 'glassed over, and felt skidplates on

Horizontal patch in place, second coat after faired in

Glass over foam is of course transparent, and visible through saturated felt. Plastic wrap in place, felt will be trimmed and excess removed when epoxy cured to green, before full cure

Next up is tube to be glassed into keel on the inside to stiffen hull and prepare ribs for minor glass repairs

3/4" diameter metal tube laid into keel depression to give longitudinal stiffness

Popular in some Scott canoes, it will help stop oilcanning and give extra strength to rib repairs

small side cracks done as well

Inside cracks from outward cracking running along outside at bilge

West Toronto Canoe, long out of business apparently but a nice touch with a built in carry handle and raised letter castings

A clean workbench is the sign of a sick mind... 2 part Epifances polyurethane in Black Green. Nice gloss and super hard when cured. 

First coat laid on

repairs hidden

Nice easy gloss

Skid plates covered

Almost done, inside paint and new seats and ready for the water in spring. 

Another rotted fiberglass canoe

Per usual, relatively maintenance free fiberglass and kevlar boats get left outside and on the ground, and with aluminum or vinyl gunwales dont suffer much at all. But after paying extra for wood trim, if treated the same they deteriorate at a rapid rate. This one has a nice shape, some tumblehome and upswept ends, likely copied off of a more traditional boat like a Pal or Deer. Was fine until the recent windstorm picked it up and threw it, now it needs a glass repair along one side. Milled the gunwale stock today, next to strip it in preparation for the new wood.

Rotted ends gone

Rotten rails with some weird seats, lots of effort went into them but they're going in the fire.                                                     

Rotten ash

Doubt its factory, but maybe. Inners stop before the deck, not strong or correct. Even if not full length, inletting to deck would be better than this. 

Fairly traditional shape.

New rails, and 3 cordless tools means never having to change bits! Countersink, drill bit and robertson tip.

Maybe should have washed it first. No matter, its getting sanded anyways

Flat run all done. 

Shape restored, ends will need steaming.

Thwart back in to hold shape

Bring out the steamer......

Reusing seats from another boat that was refurbished with new seats, ash frames.

Easy weave, more so than cane!

Cypress decks from a board we had laying around, not a glue up, change in colour through the board

Ash rails, seats, thwart

2 coats of Tung oil before varnish.

Thwart to be positioned at centre for portaging

Crack repair along side from windstorm picking up boat and throwing it across 2 yards....

Next up is colour...

If its wood, we'll work on it. A Dovetailed blanket box from the late 1800s.

With prices out of control on these 20+ years ago, boxes like this were out of reach and fetching unrealistic prices. With a slump in the market, they're back to realistic prices. Made of pine, this one has nice details, great dovetails, and hand made hinges. 

Besides needing to find a key to fit the iron lock, it also needs several repairs and a total strip and refinish. The last person to work on it has done the typical refinish consisting of several coats of glossy finish, and some poor repair work.  Once back to its original glory, it will be wrapped up and given away later in the year.  

An excellent source for many hard to find items, and reproductions of many rare and different pieces of hardware

http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/OnlineCatalog.aspx?id=e8fdc23c

Lid stripped, starting on box.

Chemical stripping only, no sanding. Few small repairs and screw holes to fill and re-drill, for original cast hinges. Tung oil to follow stripping before finishing.

Progress as we start up on this after a break. Lower trim all to come off for refinishing and repairs

Porcupine corners. Yikes, lots of nails

Corner repair, old split with decades of gunk in it. 

Thick bottom nailed on, needs a few more to secure it for another 100 years.

OLD nails. 

Original pencil lines for 45 corners. Knot in stock hidden on back side. Bottom and back all display lots of knots as clear lumber used on sides and top.

Trim wrestled off. 

16/30 varnish coming along. 

Lee Valley, source for all things kool and obscure, supplied the new (old) square nails, $8/lb. Reassembly will be authentic.

Trim/legs repaired and stripped

Last to strip, the back, and main box is done

Drilling out old dowels on bottom

All stripped and light sanded, ready for tung oil.

First puddle, the most satisfying part of restoration projects

Inside of bottom cleaned up, ready to be attached. 

Box sanded ready for oil

Nice, old growth sides, over 22 inches wide and clear. Imagine the tree that yielded the material

Oil

All oiled up

Lid oiled and back on for show

Whats left:  dowel and fill old screw holes and re-drill, fasten handles and legs, attach lid hinges, and finish coats of oil. And a chain for the lid so it cant go over any more.

Bottom pegged, another coat of oil and lid has been paste waxed

Trim ready and feet ready to go back on, past the half way mark!

Back together

 

Left to do: attach lid with original cast iron hinges and fit lock and escutcheon plate

Oiled and waxed

Repairs done, ready to go