YC had mentioned awhile back she would like to see how I repair rib tips. We are presently working on a 15 foot Tremblay that needs hordes of rib tips done, the one side alone has received 22 new tips out of 45 ribs. Some of them had been previously repaired with thickened epoxy but they are now totally rotted so need to be fixed. I have done the epoxy repair as well but it doesn't look very good so I am moving away from doing that.
This one tip took about 5 minutes total. Once the gunwales are off and you remove the sheer planking it is much easier to get at this. At times, the rot will extend further down and the next row of planking will need to be removed as well. In this case, only the sheer planking needed to come off. We do try to save the planking as much as possible, but it too usually has rot. On this particular canoe it had steel nails holding the ribs to the inwales and they are rusted, break or near impossible to remove.
First, if possible, remove the original nails holding the rib to the inwale. If not possible then just drive it in or nip it off flush.
The one on the left is the first one we are doing today.
Next, I remove the rot and get the scarf shape with a portable belt sander. Although I do use the roller end, I am careful to keep the cut flat. I do want to keep it behind the inwale so the joint won't show from the inside, but this isn't always possible. The split in the rib will be glued up at the same time. Cracks or splits running lengthwise on a rib does not weaken it.
Tip stock was prepped by cutting blanks out of our supply of white cedar on the table saw, then run through the thickness planer to match the original rib thickness. I use the bench top belt sander to get the angle cut on the tip blank and to sand the profile on the edges to match the rib I'm working on. I free hand the angle, start at what looks to be right, trial fit and keep working at it until it matches as close as possible.
Now, take your time aligning it, sometimes I will run a pencil line along the inwale once I have it where I want it which makes it easier to align once glue is on the piece. I am working with Titebond 3 now although I used to only use thickened epoxy on the tips. I figured to give the glue a try since I can work with if faster than the epoxy.
Clamp it to the inwale then clamp the actual glued scarf and move onto the next one. If there are a few in a row you need to do every other one as the clamps get in the way of each other.
Once you get the hang of it you should be able to do an entire side in one afternoon.
This one tip took about 5 minutes total. Once the gunwales are off and you remove the sheer planking it is much easier to get at this. At times, the rot will extend further down and the next row of planking will need to be removed as well. In this case, only the sheer planking needed to come off. We do try to save the planking as much as possible, but it too usually has rot. On this particular canoe it had steel nails holding the ribs to the inwales and they are rusted, break or near impossible to remove.
First, if possible, remove the original nails holding the rib to the inwale. If not possible then just drive it in or nip it off flush.
The one on the left is the first one we are doing today.
Next, I remove the rot and get the scarf shape with a portable belt sander. Although I do use the roller end, I am careful to keep the cut flat. I do want to keep it behind the inwale so the joint won't show from the inside, but this isn't always possible. The split in the rib will be glued up at the same time. Cracks or splits running lengthwise on a rib does not weaken it.
Tip stock was prepped by cutting blanks out of our supply of white cedar on the table saw, then run through the thickness planer to match the original rib thickness. I use the bench top belt sander to get the angle cut on the tip blank and to sand the profile on the edges to match the rib I'm working on. I free hand the angle, start at what looks to be right, trial fit and keep working at it until it matches as close as possible.
Now, take your time aligning it, sometimes I will run a pencil line along the inwale once I have it where I want it which makes it easier to align once glue is on the piece. I am working with Titebond 3 now although I used to only use thickened epoxy on the tips. I figured to give the glue a try since I can work with if faster than the epoxy.
Clamp it to the inwale then clamp the actual glued scarf and move onto the next one. If there are a few in a row you need to do every other one as the clamps get in the way of each other.
Once you get the hang of it you should be able to do an entire side in one afternoon.
