Refinishing the Interior

When we took on this project, I had envisioned doing a light but thorough sanding of the interior followed by two or three coats of varnish. After sanding a little, I realized that the original varnish was no longer in tact in the area around each of the approximately 1,000+ plank/rib clench nails. To assure lasting protection and integrity, it was decided that all of the old varnish would need to be removed.

Stripping the old varnish turned out to be a more daunting task than I had originally envisioned. The chemical stripper that I used had a hard time breaking down the varnish. It took several coats of stripper and much scraping and rubbing to get down to the bare wood. With some experimenting, it was found that the most productive way to remove the varnish was with a heat gun and a scraper.

Most of the varnish was removed with the heat gun and scraper. Then the chemical stripper was used to remove the final bits from seams and tight spaces. The stripped area was then sanded and bleached. The bleach was used in hopes of lightening the dark stains in the wood around each clench nail. I don't believe the bleach had any effect on the stains. This was fine because the stains actually contribute to that natural patina we love so well.

After the interior was stripped and sanded, a few minor repairs had to be made before we could begin with the varnishing. Two of the floor boards had suffered from rot. Wood from the damaged areas was removed and the new cedar was spliced in. The punctured plank was repaired by removing the damaged area and a new piece was shaped and epoxied in its place using West Systems epoxy.

The keel bolts (screws) were very corroded and the wood around them had deteriorated over time. I removed the affected wood, filled the void with putty made of West Systems epoxy and wood flour. Mahogany plates were placed over each repaired keel bolt for cosmetic and structural reasons.

The first of three coats of Epifanes Gloss Clear Varnish brought out the rich colors of the cedar planking and ribs. The next couple of coats brought out the bright luster. The gunnels had been sanded earlier and were now varnished as well. The outwales would be removed for the canvassing and needed more varnish work later after the final assembly.

Getting Started

I was surprised to see the variety of woods used to construct this canoe. The planing is of western red cedar and the ribs are of northern white cedar. The breast hooks, seat frames, thwart, and keel are made of white oak. The inwales are made up of Douglas fir, and the outwales are of African mahogany. Each wood was chosen because of its characteristics and ability to perform specific functions well. The cedars are very light and rot resistant and the white oak is very strong and fairly rot resistant and holds fasteners very well. Besides the mahogany's aesthetic appeal, it is a good all around boat building wood and the Douglas fir is very light and strong.

After John and Nancy had owned the canoe for a number of years, it was again damaged when blown away in a storm. I believe it was found under a neighbor's dock with the canvas torn and a puncture in one of the planks. The torn canvas was removed and the canoe was then stored. Over the years, the varnish deteriorated and a couple of the floor boards suffered some dry rot, but overall, the canoe remained structurally sound.

Our goal was to refurbish the canoe without losing the hard-earned patina that it had developed over the last 46 years. The hull of the canoe has its share of bumps and bruises and each one tells a story. The antique wooden canoe is beautiful in itself, but it is the patina that truly gives it character.

After doing a quick survey and cleaning (including removing the old mud hornet's nest) we were ready to start refinishing the interior. The first step was to remove the seats and the center thwart. This was more difficult than it sounds because the diamond headed bronze bolts were badly corroded. Several of the bolts were damaged beyond reuse.

In an effort to keep the canoe's appearance original, John opted to have the corroded diamond headed bolts replaced with after market replicas. We purchased 10 Old Town style diamond head brass bolts from Rollin Thurlow at Northwood's Canoe Company. As we continued through this project we found that most of the fasteners used in the gunnels and keel were almost completely depleted. All of the original fasteners were replaced with new silicon bronze screws from JamestownDistributors.com.