Keel/ herringbone area trouble area on canoe

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Robbie
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:38 pm

Keel/ herringbone area trouble area on canoe

Post by Robbie »

Hi, It's been 2 years on this canoe in an outside (under garage tent) enviroment and I think the moisture/ dry weather has taken it;'s toll. The glue between the strips is starting to let go and I tried to fill some of the area with wood filler before I start making the keel and the wood strips are so uneven along the keel line.
What should I do? What can I do?
I wanted so bad to get this canoe glassed on the ouside this summer.
Any ideas?
Thanks a million in advance, Robbie
Rick
Posts: 727
Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 9:23 am
Location: Bancroft, Ontario

Post by Rick »

Forget the keel. They are more trouble than they're worth and canoe designers no longer consider them when building.

I don't know how warped the hull has become but if it is still fair you could sand the outside as smooth as possible and then glass. If this means adding wood filler or if the hull gets sanded too thin you can still paint the outside and leave the inside natural wood. Additional glass layers might be needed to reinforce the outside sheathing if the strips below have been sanded thin.

Canoes can look good with a well-chosen paint to complement the interior wood tones:


Image
Robbie
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:38 pm

Post by Robbie »

Thanks for the reply Rick. I don't think the hull is twisted or warped. I think the glue joints between the strips are letting go. I was thinking if I could sand some of the filler I put on doing the keel line I could try to squeeze some glue in where I can and tack it back down to the stations. I took the staples out last year to sand........
What do ya think?
I really don't want to paint this canoe. And, it's a square stern canoe for putting a trolling motor on so I thought I wo9uld need a keel? I'm I right?
I sure would like to skip that part and get serious on the glassing.
Thanks again for your help.
Robbie of Napanee.
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Jim Dodd
Posts: 1359
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:08 pm
Location: Iowa

Post by Jim Dodd »

Hi Robbie
There was some recent discussion on "What glue to use". And I was just wondering, what glue you used to glue up your strips?

I guess in your situation, a waterproof glue may have been a good choice.

I'm sure you can glue and pull your strips together !

Good luck

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
Big Woody
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:18 pm

Post by Big Woody »

I would also like to know what glue is letting go on you. And how bad is it? Any pictures?
Robbie
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:38 pm

Post by Robbie »

Hi, I used an outdoor wood glue when I did some regluing last year but the original owner that did a lot of the stripping did not tell me what type of glue he used.
I think what is happening is the canoe is swelling and contracting dependent on the outside humidy and this has cause some joints to let go? Or the glue between the stips was of poor quality. As I mentioned I took all the staples out and maybe I should have tacked this back down to the stations for the winter....
I'm going to have a nother look at her today and see if I can determine what is the best way to go based on your thoughts.
I'll take some pics but I need a place to put them so I can dowload them to here correct?
Anyhoo, I shall return.
Thanks for everyone's help. :thinking
Rick
Posts: 727
Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 9:23 am
Location: Bancroft, Ontario

Post by Rick »

Robbie, I don't think a keel will be a problem with the squareback canoe. A keeled canoe that's paddled will likely be less efficient and that was my reason earlier. Good luck!
Robbie
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:38 pm

Post by Robbie »

Hi, Si I have sanded down the keel line as much as I want to and have decided to finish sand at 120 and when I seal the canoe I'll keep an eye on that area of the canoe and fill with the epoxy/ mixed filler at the same time. I read Gil Gilpatrick does this in one of his books. I'm attaching a keel so it may not look perfect along that area but the keel will hide some of it. :twisted evil
So I'm on with the final sanding , thank God!
Oh yea, I would never recommned hand sanding a canoe....
Thanks everyone for all your help.
Cheers Robbie.
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