Hi Deb--I've got two Mad River canoes...both with wood gunwhales (an
Explorer in Royalex and a Malecite in Kevlar--both lovely boats!). I've
had the Explorer for more than 20 years, the Malecite for only about
six. I've used a variety of treatments for the gunwhales over the years,
but the one I've come to like best is a 1:1 mix of tung oil and spar
varnish--nearly all varnish nowadays is polyurethane...makes no
difference. They're also lots of tung oils on the market--some are pure
(cure very! slowly) others are mixtures; again, probably doesn't make a
lot of difference in the long run. The proportions of varnish to tung
oil are really quit forgiving--do a google search and you'll see lots of
recipes. Please don't use linseed oil (BLO) on your boat. It was a
commonly used finish in the 17th and 18th centuries...'cause that's all
they had then!

One huge thing to remember about royalex hulls (as is your Outrage?) is
that the gunwhales must be loosened from the hull (see the Mad River
website) if the canoe will be stored in cold temps-where I live, -20 F
is not uncommon in the winter in a garage, and definitely requires "cold
weather maintenance."

Hope this helps...

Bill

Deborah M Riel wrote:
I was just lucky enough the other day to find a used Mad River Outrage
in excellent condition. It's a "real" Outrage with the wood gunwales
and nice Tom Foster outfitting. My question is, what's the best way
to care for the gunwales, especially in the winter when the canoe will
be living in an unheated garage? I'm so psyched about this canoe, and
I want it to last a good long time...

Thanks!

Deb R.