Caring for a Wood-Canvas Canoe

Care and Maintenance of a Wooden Canoe

by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes

MOST WOODEN BOATS ARE DECADES OLD, AND FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ALUMINUM OR FIBREGLASS. THEY CAN TAKE HUNDREDS OF HOURS TO RESTORE AND EVERY YEAR YOU'LL PAINSTAKINGLY SAND AND VARNISH THEM. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?
- Jake MacDonald, Motion Magazine, Spring 2003

Generally speaking, the best way to take care of a wooden canoe is to use it. If the canoe is left in storage for a number of years, it dries out and becomes brittle.

Now that you are using the canoe, the key to maintaining it is to ensure that your canoe gets to and from the water in one piece.

Roof Racks - Any secure roof rack on your vehicle will transport the canoe. To avoid damage to the gunwales due to rubbing against the rack, cover the rails of the rack with high density foam or other protective layer. One idea I have seen used to good effect is to thread the rails of the rack through ABS pipe. The pipe rolls as the canoe is loaded on or taken off and it provides a round, non-abrasive surface for the canoe to rest on.

Ropes - Securing the canoe to the vehicle can be accomplished in any number of ways, yet to my mind, rope does the job well and serves double duty once the canoe is on the water. Use rope with a core made up of many straight fibers covered with a braided sheath. This kind of rope has no 'memory' - that is, it can be knotted and untied without leaving bends or kinks in the rope. Climbing rope (9 mm) works very well and single braid polypropylene over a multi-fiber polypropylene core (3/8" MFP rope) has the added advantage of floating in water. Because it floats, MFP rope works very well as lining ropes (to guide an empty canoe through a rapid on a river from shore) and painters (12 foot ropes attached to the bow and stern decks of a canoe).

Anchor Loop - To tie the canoe to the roof rack, the end of the rope is anchored to the rail of the rack by means of a loop which slips over the end of the rail. The loop can be fashioned with many different knots, although I prefer a double figure-eight knot. This knot holds extremely well and forms an all-purpose working end.

Tying the Rope Tight - Toss the free end of the rope over the canoe to the opposite side and use a trucker's hitch to secure the canoe tightly to the rack. This is a compound knot involving a slip knot and a couple of half-hitches.

Securing the Ends of the Canoe - To secure the ends, use a piece of rope twelve feet long and fashion an anchor loop in one end. Attach the anchor loop to a spring-loaded clip (i.e. a climber's carabiner) and secure the clip to the painter rings on both the bow and stern decks. If your canoe is not equipped with painter rings, I strongly recommend installing them. I use brass rings made of 3/16" stock with a 1-1/8" inside diameter. They are secured to the decks with bronze eye straps (5/16" eye diameter) and #8 or #10 bronze screws or bolts. These ropes serve as painters when the canoe is on the water. I stow the painters on the decks of the canoe under a length of bungee cord secured across both bow and stern decks. In this way the painters are stored neatly and are always accessible.

Storing the Canoe - Between uses the canoe is best stored upside down and off the ground - wet ground and wood don't mix. A couple of sawhorses can do the trick. However, I prefer using a pair of canoe cradles. These can be slapped together with 2x4's, non-corrosive deck screws (2-1/2") and scraps of carpet or canvas.

Repairs on the Water - Anyone using their canoe regularly in a wide range of lake and river conditions is bound to 'run into' minor leaks, tears or breaks. A small repair kit is easily packed along and can contain pieces of canvas for patching. One item that has been a mainstay in wooden canoe field repairs for over fifty years is AMBROID glue. It bonds canvas exceptionally well and is completely waterproof. It can be found in any hobby store.

A little note to the neophyte wooden canoeist: These canoes are workhorses and can handle massive loads on the water - I repeat - on the water. Make sure the canoe is fully supported by a cushion of water before the substantial weight of paddlers and their gear is added. The same applies for coming ashore. Be prepared to get your feet wet in order to keep the canoe surrounded by that water cushion while people disembark. Then the empty canoe can be lifted (as opposed to dragged or skidded) onto the shore.

Enamel and Varnish Touch-ups - At the end of each season, touch-ups to any scraped or chipped enamel help maintain a durable exterior on your canoe. A wide variety of enamels work well in canoe canvas applications. I find that a basic alkyd enamel (commonly known as rust paint) provides a very tough and flexible finish. Rust paints are readily obtained at your local hardware store and come in a wide range of colors. Start by roughing up the area to be painted with 220 grit sandpaper (wet sandpaper on enamel and dry sandpaper on varnish). Thin the enamel with one part thinner (mineral spirits or other suitable thinner) to seven parts enamel. Many people make a big fuss over the type of brush used and the difficulty in getting a smooth finish. I find that thinning the enamel or varnish is the key to a smooth finish (one part mineral spirits to seven parts varnish or enamel). As long as the brush doesn't lose hairs when subjected to rough use, it is workable. For touch-ups, I use a 2" disposable foam brush. If you are doing touch-ups to the varnish, use a good quality spar varnish.

Now for the application. Work in a well-lit area and position yourself so that the surface is between you and the light source. With the light reflecting off the wetted surface, it reveals any spots you missed. When applying either enamel or varnish, slop it on and work the material into the surface vigorously. Then with the brush set at a 45-degree angle, lightly 'tip' the surface with your brush - first in one direction (on exposed wood work across the grain) and then a second time at right-angles to the first 'tipping' (on exposed wood work with the grain). Do this quickly and lightly without fussing or trying to go back over an area repeatedly. Don't worry about bubbles or streaks - the addition of the mineral spirits ensures that the surface will smooth out on its own. Work across the grain then with the grain, then go away and leave it alone for two days.

Winter Storage - This is best done with the canoe under some kind of roof. Failing that, cover it with a tarp and secure the tarp. As discussed earlier, set the canoe upside down. A slick little storage system involves two ropes (1/4"), two canvas slings with grommets at the sling ends, one single pulley and a double pulley.

Enjoy your wooden canoe and happy paddling.

ANY RELATIONSHIP WORTH HAVING IS WORTH PRESERVING.

Kettle River Canoes, P.O. Box 2324, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0
Phone: (250) 442-0312 Email: artisan@canoeshop.ca