I see a old (antique?)wood strip canoe for sale cheap. Is it worth it? does anybody have any idea what kind of canoe it is? I don't have any dimensions or weight.
I have no idea of familiarity with this type of canoe. It looks like it needs a LOT of work. How much work would it be to restore something like this? HOW do I restore it?
it was listed at $1,000. I've offered $250 he came back with 300.
Any Idea or advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Tim

How much time do you have? Looks like a major project. Could be 30-40 years old but it's probably not an antique, as in wood/canvas. It's a home built job, probably fiberglass over wood strips. At the least it needs a good sanding and resin recoat. It may need fiberglass work as well.

Why not build one yourself? I think that you would be much happier with the outcome and enjoy the process along the way.

I believe that is a pretty old woodstrip canoe. It looks to me like it was glassed with polyester resin, not epoxy, so probably pre-1980. That, however, adds no particular value to the canoe. It has badly delaminated although it doesn't seem to have any major injuries. The only way you could make this hull look good is to peel off all the glass and re-glass it. If it is delaminating anyway, that might be easy, or not.... If I got it for free I would patch the bare spots, paint it with porch and floor enamel and leave it out at the lake for kids to knock around in.

I would put that $300 toward plans and materials and build one yourself. If I owned that boat I would give it away, but more likely drill holes in the bottom and fill it with dirt for a cute flower garden.

Well that canoe is a mess... But I've seen worse.

It can be made seaworthy again. Based on the interior picture, that canoe was finished with polyester resin. You can tell because polyester resin does not bond well to resinous woods. So you're stuck with that. Pun.
The outside bare spots can be repaired with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. Sand it smooth to blend in with the rest of the finish. Clean the hull inside and out, sand off the big bumps and drips then brush on a few coats of spar varnish. It will never look brand new but it will float.

I'm building a couple of strippers on the builder's forum right now.

builder's forum- cedarstrip canoe construction

Tom

Thanks for the advice all. I think I’ll take a hard pass.
At this point in my life, I’d rather be in a canoe, not working on one