Advice on Wood Gunnels

[Lupe]

Hi folks,

I've got a new to me Mad River Outrage with wood gunnels that need some TLC. This is my first canoe and I know nothing about wood/how to care for wood. I know there's some folks on this board who have mad skillz and know-how in this area, so I wonder if there's anyone, preferably in the Little Rock area who might be willing to take a look at my boat and give me some advice on what to do. I think I'm supposed to apply some oil, and that may be all I need to do, but since I don't think they've been cared for in a few years, I'd like to see if there's some other things I might should think about doing. I could also just post some pics. Appreciate y'all sharing your knowledge!

Cheers,
Heather

[canoe]

If there is no dry rot, usually a light handsanding and couple coats of polyuretane will last several years, as long as the boat is not stored outside in sunlight. dale

[stymie]

Watco teak oil.

I tried poly and it breaks down over time and leaves pits and a chipped look.

I use a bleach water solution (1 cap of bleach to 32 oz of water in a spray bottle) with scotch brite pads to clean it and get it ready then wipe on the teak oil. The bleach will get rid of any discoloration that happens during the season if the boat is put away wet.


1 cap of bleach to 32 oz of water in a spray bottle.

Scotch brite comes in different grits like sand paper. You can get it at Lowes or Wally World. I use 7446 120-150 grit to clean it and get rid of dings 1st, then 7447 400 grit to get to the wood and last use 7445 or 7448 800-1500 grit to smooth the gunnels out before adding the teak oil.

Most years I only have to do it once before I put the boat up but it really depend on how much you use the boat and how hot it is. You can tell when the gunnels start to look a little dry and flat.

Hope that helps.

[Jim Krueger]

Heather,

I like the above suggestions for polyurethane and Teak oil for various wood projects. In the case of the gunnels, my preference would be the highly shinny
look of polyurethane. The keys to a durable and lasting polyurethane job is picking the correct type of polyurethane, and good preperation of the wood beforehand.
For marine use, i.e. outside in the sun and water,on boats, Spar Urethane is the best, hence the name 'Spar'.
Like Stymie mentioned, a progression of sanding grits to either remove what polyurethane is left on the gunnels and smooth it, or to just smooth what is there enough to reapply more finish. I would take it all off back to wood and start over myself. In addition, I favor using sandpaper, and although the gunnels don't represent a lot of surface area, it's a lot of hand sanding, I would use an electric 'palm' sander to make it much easier to start with. Once all the old finish is removed, I like the idea of giving the wood the bleach treatment to kill any remaining mildew in the wood pores. A little more smoothing when dry and the wood should be ready.
Prior to applying the polyurethane, I would get some of that fancy new painters masking tape they have now and mask off a couple inches of the canoe on either side to help insure a neat job. At least two coats of the Spar Urethane ( three is even better) will really make the gunnels look great! I think the keys to a good application are picking a day when the humidity is low as possible, using a good quality brush, allowing 24 hours between coats, and smoothing the gunnels with #OOOO steel wool in between coats. The steel wool is important as it removes any micro bubbles that formed in the previous coat and insures the final coat is 'like glass' when the project is finished.
Whichever way you choose to proceed, oil or polyurethane, the surface preperation is the same and important. If I may be of any help, just let me know. I can also do any or all of it here in my shop if you like but I work on my own timetable I hope this helps.

Best Regards
Jim

[Owl]

...I've got a new to me Mad River Outrage...

[ckuntz]

Jim at Ozark Outdoors helped me change out the gunwales on my Outrage 4 years ago. Did an excellent job and it looked great. Congrats on your new boat!

Chris

[ckuntz]

Just realized changing out gunnels wasn't question..
Oh well..
I just need to go to Rockport

Chris

[Tim Eubanks]

Chris
What ever happened to that Outrage? Aren't you a dedicated butt-boater?

[Lupe]

Thanks for all the advice guys...

Chris...hopefully I don't need to replace these gunnels quite yet, but I'll keep that in mind if it ever comes to that!

PS - before someone who knows what the inside of my boat barn (aka garage) looks like, let me clarify that this is my first WHITEWATER canoe (it's joining three flatwater/river touring canoes, as well as 2 kayaks). That's right, y'all know me as a kayaker, but I actually already have twice as many canoes as 'yaks! Go figure!

[Chester]

As an ex woodworker, all above suggestions seem good to me. Spar poly (i.e. MinWax Helsman) is a good one, other brands available. Stir the stuff first, never shake the can. Go slow, let it come off the brush or foam pad, come back for drips/runs. Steel wool rubbing between coats of poly is definitely standard, clears bubbes, also helps the next coat adhere to the earlier one. 3 coats minimum.

[Deuce]

Heather, I had this conversation with Marc Van Camp at rec school. I have an Explorer that left OMTC a mere four months ago and the gunwales look really dirty (don't get me wrong, I love love love the boat), while the gunwales on his beautiful Bell Chestnut that he bought used are a sight to behold. I'll have to double check, but I'm pretty sure he told me he lightly sanded them and applied Watco Danish oil sparingly then repeated as necessary. I'll email him today and share his response. Also, I'll probably be doing mine in a few weeks, and if you'd like you're welcome to bring yours over and join me. Might even be a frosty brew or two laying around there somewhere.

[Lupe]

So it appears to me that there are 2 competing schools of thoughts on the wood treatment: oil vs. varnish. Maybe not as spirited as canoe vs. kayak...but competing opinions nonetheless!

I was able to find actual manufacturer recommendation for the Outrage which is oil...the reason being that it penetrates and protects and that on something like a ww boat, the gunnels are going to be flexing and absorbing force. They say varnish is cool for thwarts, seats, etc. that are more fixed. Their "argument" for oil is that varnish can develop lots of cracks from the flex, while the oil penetrates and won't.

I have no doubt the varnish when done right can look really spectacular, but I'm going more for protection and function, so I think I'm going to go the oil route. My understanding is that can really perk up dull, greyed out gunnels as well. I have some Watco Teak Oil (I have no idea why), so I might give that a whirl, after some careful cleaning and light sanding as recommended.

I also have a couple holes in the gunnels from an extra thwart that I had to remove. I was thinking that if I'm oiling, that I'll oil first, letting oil soak down into those holes, and then maybe fill them after with wood putty.

Luke - I'm looking to work on my boat pretty quick...I'm down to a bare hull (a blank canvas!) and my goal is to touch up the gunnels and get all new outfitting installed for a trip in early July...which doesn't leave a whole lot of time! But if you feel up to boat tinkering this weekend or next, I would for sure love the company and advice while working on it!

[Deuce]

Marc confirmed my recollection of his instructions; light sanding to remove any unsightlies (think I just made up a word ) followed by judicious application of Watco. Probably gonna take little Deuce to Rockport on Saturday, but maybe next weekend, although I'm sure we'll be at the lake next weekend...... I thought summer was supposed to be less busy.

[stymie]

I also have a couple holes in the gunnels from an extra thwart that I had to remove. I was thinking that if I'm oiling, that I'll oil first, letting oil soak down into those holes, and then maybe fill them after with wood putty.

All of the reasons you mentioned above is why I prefer oil. I have done both. Oil is just a simplier solution as the year goes on. If it gets dry add a few more coats. Poly looks nice but it is a bit more work if it gets chipped and dinged up.

I used to cringe when I put my boat on the rack worrying about the scrapes, scratches and rubs. A little cleaning, sanding and oiling and all is good.

No need to put oil in the holes if you are going to fill them. Dry will let the filler adhere better.

When you fill your holes where the thwart was use a wood epoxy filler not straight wood filler. The wood filler will dry out and get loose with the flex of the gunnels. Clamp a peice of wood on one side of the gunnel covering the hole then pack filler in from the other side. Leave it a little high and let it dry then sand it down to the gunnel. It will keep it from forming a deperssion at the at the top of the filled hole when it drys.

[Chester]

Instead of putty or epoxy, you could also place an easily obtainable small dowel rod (perhaps some light drilling to adjust diameter). Then press the rod in with any waterproof epoxy/glue, like Gorilla glue, etc. Just cut off excess and sand smooth.