Greetings All,
I’ve been around FAOL for a couple of years, but don’t do much posting. I just saw this new forum - thanks, Deanna and J.C.!
I’m in the process or restoring a 15’ wood-strip and fiberglass canoe. I plan to use it to sightsee and fish at a nearby lake. I hope I can be of help to others who may be doing something similar.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hey jeff,
How about some pictures when you get her finished? Sounds like fun.
Welcome. I’ve restored a couple and have built ten cedar strip canoes, all from the same pattern. Plus I’ve “restored” my original three different times. Man these things are resiliant. JGW
Sorry for the lack of posts; I’ve been away from the canoe project for quite a while. Now that it’s getting colder, I’m starting on the (hopefully simple) resotration. The wood looks solid; the hull needs some re-glassing at various places. Mainly I need to replace the decks, gunwales & seats.
I’ll gladly post some pictures so I can brag a little about this project. Thanks!
quote=“nighthawk”]Hey jeff,
How about some pictures when you get her finished? Sounds like fun.[/quote]
A dozen cedar-strip canoes! Wow - I envy you! I’m new to working with wood-strip canoes; thanks for letting me know that you’ve found them to be restore-able.
I don’t know the history of my canoe. It looks a lot like a 15’ version of the “Puddle Duck” from Gil Gilpatric’s book. I’m pretty sure the wood strips are redwood, and the boat looks to be maybe 30-years old.
Interestingly, there are boxes built into the bow and stern filled with flotation foam, which apparently got wet and expanded, which warped the tops. The boxes are also built with the wood strips in a pretty herringbone pattern. I’ll need to cut those tops away and re-flatten or replace them since I want to keep the flotation feature.
I’m debating whether or not I want to make caned seats. The old seats on the canoe simply used lawn-chair plastic webbing. I’m planning on paddling from a kneeling position using it solo.
It weighs about 100# - not light by any means. There’s no carry yoke or thwarts; I imagine it would be a good idea to add one.
I’m happy to be finally starting on this project. There’s something enchanting about the flowing lines of these wood-strip canoes!
Jeff
I should NEVER have opened this post! To me, there is NO watercraft to compare to a cedar strip canoe. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the resources to ever obtain one. I DID, however, see one cartopped heading south as I was heading north last week…darn near wrecked the Jeep!
Mike
Hi Mike,
I know what you mean. It would take a good chunk of time to build one of these from scratch. (But I plan to do that next year.)
I should have mentioned before that I got lucky; I found the canoe that I’m restoring for sale on eBay. It was mouldering out in the weather on top of a garden shed about 15 miles from my house. It’s pretty ugly right now, but I suspect that because of that I won the auction at $50.
I’m estimating it’ll take about 50 hours to restore, which means it will actually take about 100 hours. For a number of reasons, it will be a labor of love. 
Jeff
I have two cedar strips, one is called beauty and the other is called the beast.
Beauty on the Excursion
Beast on the Excursion
Its hard to see, but beauty is a true cedar strip with brass nails and very light weight.
While beast has no ribbing, but very thick fiberglass that is starting to darken and yellow.
I want to sand it down this winter and re-glass it.
BDC 8)
Wow, nice canoes. Which patterns did you use? I’ve built MNA Explorers and have the forms cut for a solo Merlyn I hope to strip this winter/spring. JGW
BDC,
Thanks for the pictures of the Beauty and the Beast!
Both of them look great.
I’ve only seen a true ribbed cedar-strip canoe in pictures; did you build her? Gorgeous!
Jeff
NICE!!!
…lee s.
Sorry did build them, bought both of them in N.Y. and had them shipped.
Will post photos in another thread as do not want to hijack this on.Just wanted to show you the beast before I strip it down.
BDC
Hi BD,
You are welcome to “hijack” this thread any time.
Your canoes are beautiful, and it would a great help to see you you do your re-glassing.
I’ll try to put up some of my “before” pictures and post others as the project progresses.
Cheers,
Jeff
whatever, looks like some good info on the way…
Blackgnat- we had real cane seats in our cedar strip Chestnut Prospector for 15 years now- I guess the boat still has them- my wife gave the boat to her son. Not a problem unless you hit them with something sharp.
That’s very encouraging, Charlie - thanks. I was a bit concerned that caned seats wouldn’t hold up to the hard use I hope to put them to. Gilpatric’s book mentiones using a plastic version of the caning material. Since I’ll know how to make repairs, the natural material sounds more appealing.
I do all sorts of chair caning as part of my woodshop. Handwoven, rush, danish cord, etc.
The best place WE’VE found for supplies is a small company called Frank’s Cane and Rush Supplies, out in Calif. They are on the internet.
Nice couple to do business with.
Charlie,
Thanks for the tip! Frank’s Cane and Rush Supplies is about 20 miles down the freeway from me! 
Jeff
Kewl- tell 'em Charlie from CNL Woodworks in Victoria Texas sent you. Won’t save you a penny :lol: , but they ARE nice people. :lol: