BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Coleman Canoe wrapped around a rock

Michael Daly

wrote:
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.

I know those old canoes - but wood is stiffer than aluminum in bending, pound
for pound. I'm pretty sure that stiffness is more important than strength in
those Colemans - the plastic hull is so flexible that it relies on the frame and
gunwale to keep its shape.

I think a slightly heavier than average version of a canoe gunwale would do.
Hardwood would be best. In fact, two strips - one inside. one out - screwed
through the hull at regular intervals would probably be easier and better than
one big hunk of wood. It would also be easier to bend to the shape of the canoe.

Mike