Michael Daly wrote:
wrote:
That being the case I'd suggest that the replacement needs to be a
relatively beefy aluminuim gunwale.
Wood gunwales will be stiffer and lighter than aluminum. You can make them from
scratch, whereas aluminum has to be extruded to shape.
As I recall the aluminum gunwales on older Colemans were not like the
sleek aluminum gunwales on higher-end modern canoes, they were more
akin to the bumper of a '57 Chevy. Thick, massive and clunky - I
think you would need a really big wood gunwale to match that strength.
But it's a good suggestion - instead of paying the cost of a single
replacement gunwale it would be cheaper to replace both of them with
wood.
I'm thinking a two 16 foot pressure treated boards, each ripped
lengthwise to form a massive inwale and outwale and then screwed
together with decking screws.
It would be inexpensive, easy and quick, and the parts are available at
any Home Depot or Lowes - it's a '79 Coleman; spending more than
$25 or 25 minutes on repairs is a waste of time and money.