Thread: Wood Canvas Boats

Gidday Bill,

I can't help with anything sensible, so I'll just run off at the mouth a bit:

I built a canvas canoe when I was a kid, we used hide glue (I still remember the smell and the cute shape of the granules) which I don't think is at all waterproof, and gloss enamel to "fill" it, or more to the point, to waterproof everything including the glue.

Red it was.

I've checked out the Ambroid website, and I think the glue they are referring to was sold here as "Tarzan's Grip" but it'd cost a fortune to do a boat out of it.

I guess the question that begs is: Do you want to "restore" it, as in turn it into a museum piece for the purpose of preserving history? In that case there have been a couple of really good articles in Woodenboat Magazine over the last six issues, and one of them dealt with the restoration of a hide canoe.

On the other hand, if you are going to "renovate" why not look at modern materials, or at least more modern ones? Maybe a polyurethene glue and polyester coating over the skin, or something equivalent?

Cheers,

P

Or if you want to get funky you could skin it with clear vinyl like this guy has. He also has some info on coating in PVC, although it is mainly on kayaks but it may be of some benefit.
Good Luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Thanks BitingMidge and Slavo,

I have a couple to work on.

The white one in the pic is the first one. The skin is in reasonable nick, given age. The "Ambroid" glue is used for minor filling and sticking fabric patches on. So Tarzans Grip would be about right for that.

The other one will need recanvassing and I'll need some canvas filler. Filling the canvas up with regular paint would add too much weight, unless it was bulked out with something.

The purpose is to achieve usable family boats. Retro is in.

Dont know about the clear vinyl, I couldn't handle seeing the sharks coming.

Bill P

Originally Posted by Bill P

Dont know about the clear vinyl, I couldn't handle seeing the sharks coming.

Just as well this guy didn't have clear vinyl on his kayak then

Jeepers Slavo!!:eek::eek:

I was looking at those photos and I damn near soiled meself!!

When (and I do mean when.......dear) I get a boat I will make sure it's got a motor.....

look up "geodesic ultralight canoe" on the web - they use polyester (dacron) sailcloth which can be shrunk into place. You don't need the Kevlar strapping because your frame is strong enough.

(I assume you are recovering a couple of old ones - if starting from scratch a ply stitch and glue boat is about as much effort as the building of the frame for the canvas boat - is more durable, rugged and lighter).

From memory all the older boats before fancy glues used to just bed the fabric down in thick paint and most of the holding was done by dozens of tacks.

So if using tacks you just need to seal between them. Perhaps a bead of sikaflex polyurethane sealer could be run along the sheer batten underneath the fabric.as you tack it down. It will bond the fabric down as well.

Perhaps someone who has done it the old way might turn up yet.

Michael