Wooden Canoe Workshop

From This . . .

. . . To This

Workshop

Your canoe is waiting to provide you and your loved ones with years of enjoyment and faithful service. Kettle River Canoes provides an attention to detail and a commitment to invest the care that is essential to a quality canoe restoration. What happens once your canoe is in the shoppe? The following takes you through the process step-by-step:

Step 1: Stripped - The old varnish is removed from the exposed wood. This is done in sections and sometimes takes several days to complete the entire hull. Varnish remover is laid on thick, left to work, then carefully scraped off. The section is then bathed in mineral spirits to consolidate the remaining remover. Once dry, the area is brushed clean of residue.

Step 2: Bleached - Water stains are part of a well-used wooden canoe. Sand scours the wood over time and wears away the varnish allowing water to stain the wood. The interior of the hull is bleached to remove these stains and expose any damage to the hull.

Step 3: Uncovered - Stembands are removed along with the keel and rails (outwales). Then the old canvas is removed. Sometimes fiberglass has been used to cover the hull - usually because people didn't know how to re-canvas a canoe or they were under the mistaken impression that fiberglass would be better. In any case, the task of removing fiberglass involves the use of heat and can take fifteen hours or more to expose the hull completely.

Step 4: Repaired - With the entire canoe exposed, the full extent of damage can be determined. Gunwales (inwales) are repaired or replaced (some are made of spruce while others are made of ash or birch), broken ribs are replaced with custom-fitted cedar.
Hull planking, stems, decks, seats and thwarts are repaired or replaced as required. If desired, up-grades to components are made at this point - hand-woven cane seats or a custom-carved portage yoke. Ask us about these options.

Step 5: Sanded Smooth - The foundation of the unbelievably smooth finish on the completed canoe is a smooth hull. This achieved by sanding the entire canoe with 220-grit sandpaper.

Step 6: Oil, Shellac and Varnish - The wood finish used for a century in the old canoe factories started with linseed oil. We add wood preservative to the mix to ensure a long life for the hull. The oil brings flexibility back to the hull and prevents water from being absorbed by the wood. Once the oil has dried for a couple of weeks, two coats of shellac seal the wood and provide a base for three coats of spar varnish.
Step 7: Canvas and Filler - In a ballet of horizontal and vertical tensions, top quality canvas duck is stretched over the compound curves of the hull. It is then stretched over the gunwales with upholstery stretchers and secured with non-corrosive staples and tacks. The cloth is then singed to remove the knapp and filled with an oil- and silica-based filler and hand-rubbed smooth. The canoe is then set aside for a month to allow the filler to dry and harden.
Step 8: Stem Bands Installed - Installing protective brass strips around the ends of the canoe presents some challenges. In order to secure the bands with brass screws, holes are drilled through the water-proofed canvas. To ensure that the canoe remains water-proof, we seal the stem bands with marine bedding compound. If we are asked to replace the keel, more holes are drilled along the entire length of the canoe's bottom and bedding compound is used here as well. It is not surprising to note that most leaks in older canoes occur along the keel line. A personal note here: I do not install keels in the canoes I restore for my own use.
Step 9: Enameled - Four coats of alkyd enamel are applied with sanding between each coat. The result is a gleaming 'showroom' finish.
Step 10: Railed - The crowning touch is the installation of the rails (gunwales). We use strong, corrosion-resistant silicone-bronze screws to secure them in place.
Step 11: Stored - Enamel is vulnerable to chipping and scuffing until it has cured completely. We store the finished canoe for a month and then return it to you - ready to use and enjoy.

One More Step - People constantly remark on how our canoe restorations shine. Now don't tell anyone, but our trade secret is a coat of tough carnauba wax on the painted hull to further protect the finish. The wax also allows the canoe to fly through the water.

Kettle River Canoes will provide a free estimate on the cost of the work required to restore your canoe (giving a rough idea of the costs involved). The estimate is given on the basis of photographs sent to Kettle River Canoes via e-mail. If you want the canoe to be seen in person, travel costs will be charged at $0.40/km.

When you are ready to proceed with the restoration, a start-up payment of $400 is required at that time. I then take the canoe into the shop to do a thorough inspection of it and work up a detailed quote for you to consider. Once the full nature of the project is determined by you in discussion with me, I ask you to sign a work order. When I am able to start the work on your canoe (it may be several months before I can begin to work on your canoe depending on the workload in the shop at the time), I will notify you and ask for a second installment payment (one third of the balance owing). The third installment (the same amount as the second installment) is due when the woodwork repairs are completed and/or the canoe is canvassed. The final balance owing on the project is due upon completion of your canoe. You will have one month to pick up your canoe or arrange to have it delivered. After that, storage fees will be charged at a rate of $100/month.

At Kettle River Canoes, a quote is a quote, the price quoted is what you pay. If the restoration happens to involve more work than was anticipated, Kettle River Canoes will absorb the cost and do the extra work as a professional courtesy. My main objective is to provide you with a job well done. If at any point in the restoration, you want extra work done above and beyond that described in the quote, a revised work order will be prepared. I require signed authorization from you before I proceed with any work order.

NOTE: It takes a minimum of four months to refinish and re-canvas a wood-canvas canoe. Repairs add more time. We will give you an estimated time of completion when the work order is prepared and give you a more precise time line as the work progresses. Throughout the restoration of your canoe, progress can be followed by accessing a photo album posted on-line.

Once your canoe is completed, you will be notified. You will have one month to pick up the canoe or have it delivered. At one month plus a day and thereafter, you will be charged $100/month for Kettle River Canoes to store the canoe until it is picked up or delivered.

Kettle River Canoes provides pick-up and delivery at a rate of $0.40 per loaded kilometer.

Your canoe may have come from a factory, but after forty years, it is unique.