Removing sponsons from a w/c canoe.

[lowangle al]

I may go look at an 18' Old Town HW from about 1940 that has sponsons. I don't like the look of them and would remove them if I buy it. Does anyone know how they are attatched? Are they on top of the canvas? I don't want a project right now so is this something that can be done quickly and easily just requireing paint and some sanding or is it more involved.


Thanks, Alan

 

[Robin]

I'm with you,I don't like the look of them. I know that a sponson canoe is canvassed like a regular canoe and then the sponsons are canvassed and attached to the side, over the canoe canvas(not sure how) and then the filler is applied over both canoe canvas and sponsons canvas at the same time.
I don't know if the sponsons can be removed and still save the canoes canvas under them but you might be able to get an idea when you see the canoe.

 

[Boatman53]

The sponsons are screwed on through the ribs and can be removed as a unit. You would need to patch the screw holes in the canoe canvas and probably fill and paint the canoe. As there will most likely be no paint under the sponsons.
Jim

 

[lowangle al]

Thank you gentleman, it doesn't sound like that big a deal. The seller will know, as he said he redid the canvas himself, and is this something to worry about. Any red flags I should be aware of when I check it out.

 

[Boatman53]

I guess look for loose wrinkled canvas if not stretched tight enough or tears near the gunnels or stems. And of course rot at the stem heads.
Jim

 

[Robin]

Look over the ribs carefully, a cracked rib while not a deal breaker, is a bad rib that will have to be replaced when the canoe is refurbished/restored. These can be very hard to see with varnish over them, but will show up when the varnish is stripped. Bright sunlight helps find them, inside a dark barn hides them.
Broken ribs are easy to see. Broken plank is easy and cheap to replace when you recanvas, unless it's alot of broken/rotted/warped plank.
Check to see if the seller sanded the hull smooth before installing canvas. If you can see alot of plank lines chances are he didn't. Again not a deal breaker, just something to haggle over.
I agree with Boatman53, check the stems for rot, plus rotted Old Town decks can be hard to fix and are expensive to buy.

Having said all that, you should see the crap I have come home with, oh boy. Hard to pass up

 

[lowangle al]

Thanks again, I won't be able to look at the boat for about two weeks so if it is still available I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Murat V]

The April 2016 Issue of Wooden Canoe (Vol 39, No.2) from the WCHA has a detailed article about sponsons which goes into detail about how to take them off with minimal damage. Apart from removing the obvious screws on the inside of the hull (2 per rib), sponsons were also installed with large diameter wood screws driven from the outside of the sponson ends through the canvas into the ribs. The author goes on to say that these outside screws were often in random places and number depending on the builder. After installing, the sponson's wooden frame is covered in canvas so these outside screws won't be visible until you cut off the canvas and look at the wooden skeleton. Should help that your seller did the job himself. Be prepared for lots of screw holes to fill in the ribs and the canvas. The article's project canoe had over 80 screws to remove!

 

[lowangle al]

Thanks Murat, if I end up with this boat I'll probably join the WCHA to access that info. The price would have to be right for a boat that I want to make changes to.


BTW your paddles impress the crap out of me. I've carved five but no works of art yet.

 

[yellowcanoe]

You can join the WCHA forums and not be a member. I have the Wooden Canoe issue in question All done with it. PM me your address and its in the mail.
Reading that article you may be in for a day long struggle to remove them.

from the article"if you're removing sponsons from a canoe, you are in for a challenge". In an Old Town, 80 screws from the inside to the outside seem to hold them on. Take out the 80 screws and they still wont come off. Seems there are numerous randomly placed large diameter screws from the outside of the sponson ends to the inside of the ribs.

That leaves you with about 100 holes to fill.. The article gives some suggestions on that. You can't leave the holes.. the boat will leak like a literal sieve

 

[lowangle al]

Thanks YC that's a very nice offer but I would hate to put you out if I can get the issue myself through WCHA. I was unable to place the order but am waiting to hear from them to see if I can get it.