Mad River in Billings

[Rich D]

Hi everyone. I just picked up a 1991 Mad River Kevlar Explorer in Billings for $60. The wood seems pretty solid but dry. I'm gonna wash it good today, then I'm thinking of using one of the new ceramic coatings on the hull. It will be stored on saw-horses in the barn, so UV isn't a problem. I'm about a mile from the Yellowstone River, and hope to use it there and for smaller bodies of water fishing. I owned a big Grumman with a keel for about 30 years, but never ran it on the river. I'll wet sand the wood with teak oil after I coat the hull a couple of times with the ceramic. The bow is a little messed up and I thought that before I use oil, I'd fill in the spaces with epoxy resin. Sound like a good plan???

 

[Boatman53]

Welcome to the campfire Rich. Hope you will have some stories to share with that canoe.
That wood however looks beyond dry. Not much integrity left in it to my eyes.
Lots of folks here with advise (good advise by the way) so don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Jim

 

[ppine]

Never let aesthetics stop you. I would try some sanding to get back to some less weathered wood. I have used epoxy mixed with wood dust to regain structural integrity and the appearance on the wood work and some wood canoes. You scored a great boat.

 

[Alan Gage]

That's a great price.

I'd definitely be replacing those decks and gunwales and give the yoke and thwarts a real good lookover. It looks like the seats may have been replaced already.

Alan

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Rich, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, because canoeing is a geographic sport, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar as a clickable map link. Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

Heck, you can barely buy a dinner for two where I live for $60, so you got a great deal on a classic canoe.

The wood decks and ends of the gunwales look pretty shot. Filling with epoxy might work as a patchwork kind of fix just to keep the canoe useful. A full gunwale and deck replacement would be ideal, assuming it's within your budget and expertise. I'm definitely not one of the many builders, restorers or woodworkers on this site, but I wonder if you could just replace the decks and splice in new outwales or inwales over the last two feet of the ends. Others with actual experience can opine as to whether this solution is feasible.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Looks like the chicken approved of your purchase. Is that a Rhode Island Red?
I would do some sanding on the wood, just to see what’s under the weathered surface. Ppine’s advice on sawdust & epoxy is good for a quick and easy repair of some of the damage that can be seen. Nice thing about winter in Montana you have plenty of time for major repairs if needed.
Lots of good advice here, freely given to those of us that are willing to read old posts and ask for help.

 

[Halpc]

I agree with ppine on this. I bought a Bell Wildfire last year with wood that looked a lot like yours. It sanded down very well. Our relatively dry western climate seems to be a lot easier on wood than the humid east/midwest. The gunnels dry out and turn grey but don't thoroughly rot as easily. Here are before & after photos. I dry sanded first and then treated with Watco teak oil after I got down to good clean wood. I've done this with quite a few "rescue" boats with good results. I think that wet sanding yours as is would be a real mess. What is wrong with the hull? Do you have photos of damage? I agree that you got a great buy! I think you will amazed how good it can turn out.

 

[Jmharrick]

I saw the listing for that boat and wished I was closer. That price is a steal! Congrats on a great find.

 

[Alan Gage]

I agree with ppine on this. I bought a Bell Wildfire last year with wood that looked a lot like yours. It sanded down very well. Our relatively dry western climate seems to be a lot easier on wood than the humid east/midwest. The gunnels dry out and turn grey but don't thoroughly rot as easily. Here are before & after photos. I dry sanded first and then treated with Watco teak oil after I got down to good clean wood. I've done this with quite a few "rescue" boats with good results. I think that wet sanding yours as is would be a real mess. What is wrong with the hull? Do you have photos of damage? I agree that you got a great buy! I think you will amazed how good it can turn out.

Your before pictures, to me, look considerably better than the ones in the original post. I'm guessing if you went poking around and chipping away with a screwdriving on the boat that started this thread you'd end up with some pretty big holes pretty easily where yours would have still be pretty solid.

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

My 2 cents.
The stems might be punky. It's always worth a try to stablize that questionable wood with anything from resin to shellac. There are several options, so long as the porous wood is sealed against further moisture. This is a short term treatment, replacement is the ultimate solution.
There are so many skilled builders/restorers here at CT you'll have a hayday getting happily lost in their projects. (As have I). Enjoy.
Robin has done some excellent quick turnarounds like yours. Check them all out. That $60 was a good deal regardless.
BTW, was that fine looking specimen of poultry riding shotgun with you or was it doing inspection guard duty in the sellers yard?
I'd have offered another sawbuck and the front seat. She looked like she knew her business.
Also ; really looking forward to your Mad canoe project. Thanks for starting this Rich.

 

[ppine]

I would add two thwarts. Replacing the gunwales is harder than it sounds. It is hard to ship long pieces of wood if you can find them. You can add a scarf joint in the middle. You can make some maybe at a cabinet shop. The bevels always make it harder. On a $60 boat I would repair what is there and call it good.

 

[Gamma1214]

Welcome, Rich.

IMO, $60 is a great deal and repairs depend entirely upon you. You could probably preserve what is there and use the canoe w/o replacing the questionable wood but, if you're up for a winter project, start a repair thread and get ready! Many truly knowledgeable people here can (and will happily) advise & guide you during restoration.

Besides, winters are long, budgets are tight and sometimes we must live vicariously... I'll be looking forward to seeing the development of the project & try not to be jealous of you for scoring a diamond in the rough.

 

[Robin]

Robin has done some excellent quick turnarounds like yours

Sounds like the OP is leaning towards patching up the existing wood.

While I’m no expert on Kevlar canoes, when I did work on them, I noticed how thin the sides where and how much the canoe depended on a strong gunnel system for structural stability. I also found that aged wood gunnels as shown in the original post easily broke over my knee when removed.
Here’s some before and after pics of a couple of canoes I restored. I scarfed ash and spruce to make long gunnels. I found inexpensive wood on Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist. I use Interlux Britside paint. If you scroll thru my YouTube channel I have a few restoration videos.https://youtube.com/@robinlauer?si=qtEhv-1pcZap_sNB

 

[ppine]

The Mad River joinery is very simple and easy to repair.