"chris jung" wrote in message
news
Hi,
When we bought our house, it came with an Old Town canoe in the backyard.
We were told by our then tenants that it was owned by a previous tenant
and he was planning to come back for it. It's been 4.5 years and it's
still here and we've occasionally taken it out for small jaunts on the
local waterways (we're in the Finger Lakes region of NY). Last winter
during a wind storm, it was lifted up and whacked against a spruce tree
which cracked it midway on the left side, from the top of the gunwale to
about 12-16." No pieces of the hull are missing, though the plastic
covering the top of the gunwale wall is broken and missing sections.

We are pondering on whether it's worth repairing and how hard it would be
to fix it. We are not sure what kind of material it's made of. I went on
Old Town website but couldn't match it up to any of the current models (no
surprise). It's serial number is gone and so is any other name, except for
the "Old Town" label on the sides. Looking at the cross section of the
break, it looks like a layer of plastic, a layer of stiff foam and another
layer of plastic. This canoe is light blue on the outside, beige/putty
colored on the inside. It's pretty generic in shape and style. While we
are fixing it, we would also want to replace the plastic that covers up
the top of the gunwale walls.

We already have a different canoe that my husband & son use for fishing
(an aluminum square back Sports Pal). The Sports Pal is a nice canoe x
boat (it's sort of a hybrid) but since it's aluminum we're hesitant to
take it in rocky situations. The thought is that if we fix the Old Town
for a reasonable price, it could be used for times when we might liked to
go down a local creek.

So is an old Old Town canoe worth fixing? Is there a point where a crack
is too severe to be safely fixed? Any idea of what kind of Old Town canoe
it is in terms of materials? My digital camera charger is MIA but when I
find it I can put up some photos if that would help. And if we do fix it,
would it be ethical to claim it as our own? And if we decide it's too
difficult for us to fix, should we scrap it or donate it? And if we
donated it - who to? Are their any liability issues with donating a
cracked canoe?

Chris in lovely Ithaca NY


Definately post some pictures of it when your camera is fixed, but
generally, Old Town boats are far superior to Sports Pal boats. Your boat is
most likely a Tripper, which is a well respected and well known boat. It
could, however, be a Discovery, a Kennebec or any of several other
types...there's no telling from what you have posted. If you can measure the
length of it in a straight line from tip to tip, that would help.

However, the material it is made of is 'ABS', which is very durable and
flexible. It consists of a 1/2 inch thick foam core (stiff cream-colored
foam, as you described), sandwiched in a layer or layers of plastic sheath.
As long as the outer plastic coating is not too badly damaged, the core and
inner sheath is almost indestructable. The only thing that really weakens it
is UV rays...like if it were laying out in the sun for several years and had
some damages to the exterior coating.

The damage you describe sounds like what happens when you whack a frozen
canoe with a spruce tree. It sounds like the boat just cracked. If thats the
case, you can just fiberglass over the split; a thin layer on the inside and
another on the outside. If the tear does not go below waterline, then you
might consider just getting some sealant/glue and basically glueing the tear
shut. However, in any case you WILL need to replace the gunnels, as the hull
strength is a bit compromised so you need a sturdy gunnel to hold it in
shape. Its best to have someone look at it in person to assess the damage
and if it needs repair. Posted pictures would help here.

You can get replacement parts via Old Town Canoe in Old Town, Maine. They
will sell gunnels, seats, thwarts, and end plates, however almost any canoe
shop can get you seats and thwarts, and any reasonable handyman could put on
wooden gunnels. But the real problem is that new OT canoes cost in excess of
$1000, so if you just took possession of this, the owner might charge you
with theft. Its best to find out the laws in your region about abandoned
property: I'm pretty sure that merely claiming it for yourself is
insufficient, and you'll have to make some effort to find the owner, etc.
You probably aren't responsible for the damage to it, but the original owner
could take possession and you may or may not get reimbursed for the repairs.

--riverman