So I'm new to this forum but thought it would be good to ask for some advice. I recently purchased a 25 YO cedar strip canoe, 15' in length and in better condition that what I might have expected for a boat that old. Before I put it in the water I'd like to give it a new coat of varnish so my questions are
a) can I use any marine type varnish .. like the stuff from Home Depot?
b) do I need to be concerned about they type of epoxy that was used ... for adverse reactions to the varnish?
c) I'd like to add a small fiberglass reinforcement strip to the bow and keel for abrasion resistance, any suggested fiberglass for that job?
Thanks

I have several woodstrip boats that recently have been refinished. The oldest is now 30 and was reconditioned at 26 with new gunnels, sprucing up a few old repairs and varnish.

Your questions.

A. I assume there is still varnish on the hull. It will have to be sanded to smooth out the surface and roughen it for the new coating to adhere. If the sanding residue gums up your sandpaper and is yellow, it is likely traditional oil-based spar varnish. If the residue is white and harder, not gumming up your sandpaper it is likely polyurethane. If you are not removing all the varnish down to the epoxy I would stick with the same type of varnish. If you sand it all off than it doesn't matter.

Brands and cost is not essential, although you usually get what pay for as far as quality. It is essential that the varnish have UV filter to protect the epoxy resin. If UV didn't degrade epoxy varnish would be unnecessary. I have used the Helmsman brand from home depot on paddles, but have always used an oil-based spar on canoes.

B. Type of epoxy shouldn't matter. Type of previous varnish might if you don't remove it all.

C. For a keel strip I would not recommend fiberglass tape. It has a thick selvedge that is hard to blend into the hull. It also puckers around the curve of the stem. 4 or 6 ounce plain weave cloth cut of the bias(diagonal across the weave) takes the curve of the stem easily.

If you are buying epoxy for the keel strip you might consider a new coat for the whole hull below the waterline if there is a lot of wear. If you sand down to the epoxy you will be getting into the coating that covers the glass fabric a bit. It is a good idea to put that back.

We'd sure like to see a pic !

(a) Helmsman's, Varithane, and Rustoleum, all make a Spar varnish, or Spar urethane. They will all do . Depending on the condition of the present finish,150 grit should be fine. Remove as much as you can, without tearing up the epoxy, or glass. They all should cure just fine. Light sand if old finish is still intact, 220 grit is sufficient.
(b) I agree with sedges on the epoxy. Early epoxies were more likely to blush, but if the old varnish stuck, and didn't peel off, you should have no problems.
(c) There are soo many different ways to do this. Every builder will have a different method. Kevlar is durable, but impossible to sand. I'd advise adding two bias cut strips of E-glass, on each end. The first layer cut about a inch bigger than the second. Sand the area you want to glass thoroughly.Mask it off, wet out both layers, and lay the widest one on first. After both layers are on , let epoxy cure. you may add another fill coats of epoxy, hours apart, to fill the weave of the cloth. Sand when cured, at least a week.
Do an internet search, and use the method you like the best.
Oh and a pic please ! Ha ! Sorry !

Good luck !

Jim

So I got it home and measured it. it is 15' long and 30.5" gunnel to gunnel and weight ~45 lbs with the bathroom scale. Previous owner said he sprayed it with marine varnish occasionally. As you can see from the photos below the cedar has darkened quite a bit. I'd like to use it a bit first before I commense the sanding and refinishing job. I'd also like to remove the two center thwarts and pit in a single yoke style thwart.... also maybe hang the seats from the gunnels as opposed through the sides.

OK! Nice canoe! The measurements and V-bottom make me think it might have been made from the plans in the book Rushton and His times in American Canoeing by Atwood Manley. Pages 184-185. The Canadian UGO was the model name.

It will be a pleasure to paddle once you get used to the motion that the V-bottom allows. You need to totally relax the first time you paddle it. It seems tippy, but the flat panel on each side of the V gives it real firm secondary stability. I have seen people get in a hull like this and immediately fall out, with the canoe righting itself without taking on a drop of water!

If you paddle it before you refinish it at least put some epoxy on the exposed wood at the stem. If the boat has been sitting dry a long time you may as well keep it that way.

If you are going to paddle this solo I would not suggest a stationary center yoke. That is where you need to sit for good trim. I have set a number of solos arrange like this:




The yoke clamps to the same rails as the seat. When hauling gear the seat can be slid back if you put your gear in the front.

Your new canoe looks to be in good shape except for the bare wood at the stem. Personally, I'd glass over that, varnish and get out and enjoy it.

One more comment. At 30 inches wide and the v-bottom, this canoe is going to be a nervous ride for two people. Its got a deeper V than a Mad River design. Two light weight folks with great technique and lots of experience together, maybe. It IS a wonderful solo tripper. This is what I wrote about it on a 10 day Quetico solo:

"Bayley Bay from Inlet Bay to Sunday Bay had a strong west wind at my beam and waves high enough to slop over the side if one broke while I was in a trough, though few were breaking in such a manner. Staying about 100 feet off shore, I clawed my way up to Sunday Bay. If swamped, the wind would assist my recovery by blowing me into shore. The Rushton, with more flare and a bit deeper than a straight-line sit and switch Wenonah-type boat, handled it very well. It has a smooth, comfortable motion in the waves and it was easy to maintain headway at any bearing to the wind. It may not be the swiftest solo around, but it is seaworthy."

Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts and was plannning on using it as a solo tripper. I'm in Michigan and have paddled Algonquin a number if times. I made myself a promise to get to the Boundary Waters this year so I'm tentatively planning on trying to do that in September. I'll be sure to look up your reference on the boat's lineage. Thanks again.

Thanks for posting pics !
They confirm you are on the right track !
I also agree about a coat of epoxy, where the stems are wore through the cloth. Save yourself some grief, or at least extra drying time, and close up the ends !

Have fun !

Jim

I finally got around to sealing up the stems.

Then I applied a piece of 4oz glass and epoxied it using West System epoxy. A couple coats of epoxy and some sanding in between resulted in a decent finish. Considering this was my first attempt with glass/epoxy I think it came out ok. In the pic below there was some soapy looking residue that ran to the ends. I sanded it away and finished it with a coat of spar varnish.

I'm guessing you over mixed your epoxy. May be the reason for the milky appearance of the resin runs.
Jim