On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 18:31:05 GMT, "toller" wrote:

Hi toller,
I,ve built a few strippers and done some of the type of work
you're looking at. My thinking is this:
If you're going to splice a piece of gunwale in, a scarf joint is
the way to go, but there are some trade-offs that don't really make it
worthwhile.
1) appearance
2) distortion
3) possible other rot areas.

You're probably better off to replace the gunwales full length and go
with an inwhale and outwhale.. I suggest 1/2 x 5/8 ash (not hard to
get). Single strips of clear ash will not need any kind of preparation
for the curves of a canoe.
Ripping the strips is not exactly the hardest job in the world, even
with a mediocre saw (table, band, or radial-arm). If you have no saw,
find somebody. The ripping is only a 15 minute job. Radius and taper
ends before assembly.

Clamp, glue and screw (stainless) from midship toward the ends - screw
from outside-in through the hull, countersink and plug afterwards. You
can unclamp as you sink screws, so you only need about 12 clamps if
your working both sides together.
Use only marine epoxy with fillers as glue. It is extremely strong and
will encapsulate the ash rot (ash is not particularly
rot-resistant). Use a slow-set epoxy, and keep the hull clean as you
work. Seal the finished product with clear varnish that has UV
inhibiters. (Clipper is good).
This is not a big ticket repair. Virgin gunwales will probably have
the coast guard on you case to slow down.. ( :=)

..



I have a 10' canoe. The gunnels are a pair of 3/4"x5/8" pieces of what
looks like spruce. (one pair on either side)



One piece has about 2' rotted away. We are still using the canoe, but it
can't be a good idea.

Replacing the entire gunnel would be difficult, both because of the way the
canoe is build and my inability to cut a 10' strip of wood. So, I would
like to replace the rotten part, plus some good wood on either size, for a
total of 4'.

I cut 2 5/16"x3/4" pieces of cherry 4' long. (somewhere I read that cherry
is rot resistance, plus I happened to have a suitable scrap of cherry). I
can easily bend the strip to the required size. So, what I plan is to
install one 5/16" piece to the canoe by screwing it to the other half of the
gunnel. Then I will glue the second 5/16" piece to the first, holding it
in place with screws and some clamps.

1) Does this make any sense? Will the cherry strips ever relax, or will
they always be under tension?
2) Is Titebond2 adequate, or should I use epoxy?

Oddly, one 5/16" strip is much more flexible that the other, eventhough they
came from the same 3/4" piece of wood and look identical.