Wood/Canvas Leak Repair Question

[Sweetfancymoses]

My 1964 Old Town Otca leaks at the stern. It seems to be coming from between the stem and the keel. I have removed the stem bands but not the keel yet. Obviously, there are many screws holding the keel and the stem bands which are penetrating the canvas. I have some Dolfinite marine bedding compound. Assuming that the canvas is in good shape under the keel. Would applying this under the keel before reassembly be a good way of stopping the leak? Thank you in advance for your replies.

 

[Boatman53]

Yes I would use that first. It should do the trick but if it doesn't it is easy to remove it and try something more adhesive. Better to start with something that is easy to reverse, I know still a lot of screws but at least you don't have adhesive complicating future work.
Jim

 

[Iskweo]

You may find that removing the keel damages the canvas pretty substantially. Be prepared to go a couple of steps further. We hardly ever put keels back on our boats.You may wish to consider that opton as well. Remove the keel, seal the holes and repair the surface, repaint. Good to go.

Just an idea.

Christy

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

Remove the keel, seal the holes and repair the surface

Christy, What would you use and how go about sealing the holes and repairing the surface?

 

[Iskweo]

First things first.....disasseble it as far as you can, or need to. Then asess the condition. If keel removal damages the canvas you need to repair that. If not, then use the bedding compound liberally to replace the keel, making sure is squished out the sides. Same with the stembands. Get it apart and show us some pics.

Christy

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

The stem band and full length keel band came off OK. A few brass screw heads were buggered up, other screws twisted off. There were 2 larger screws holding the keel that went from the outside in near the ends. The rest of them went inside out at every other rib. No screws through them stems though. There the keel was held just by the stem band screws of three different sizes.

The bedding compound was still pliable, though aged at 54 years old. I couldn't see any obvious water stains near where I noticed the leak. The cut in the canvas is fresh (operator error).

Do you think cleaning up both sides, bedding compound, and a fresh coat of paint is the way to go?

Otca Keel 1 https://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/

Otca Keel 2

https://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/Otca Keel 3https://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/

 

[Robin]

If the canvas is 54 years old, time for a new canvas. I'm as anti keel as you can get, they are more trouble than they are worth if your canoe is going to be a user. If it was my canoe and I didn't want to replace the canvas now, I would try to get the canvas as smooth as possible, and fill the screw holes with G-Flex. I would even patch that rip with G-Flex, maybe stuff some plastic under the rip to prevent gluing the canvas to the plank. I would use a piece of flannel or some lightweight canvas for the patch. It will show, as the screw holes will too, it's hard to smooth out G-Flex on canvas without damaging the canvas around the G-Flex.
If you want the keel back on, then do like you say, smooth out the surfaces of the canvas and keel as best you can and apply soft bedding compound to it.
Keep your fingers crossed when you drag the loaded canoe over a beaver dam.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

54 years is nothing for canvas. Think of da Vinci! Seriously, I'm not a keel fan either but I want to restore it to as close to the original as possible.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

Meet 'Baby Blue'

I rebedded the keel, gave it two coats of Pettit EZ Poxy, and varnished the gunwales. I must say, I wasn't too keen on the color but it grew on me.

 

[Boatman53]

Looks beautiful. But I might be biased, I have an Old Town OTCA painted the same color.
Jim