Canoe seat upgrade

Try again

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Hmm I try attachment. If this don't work I'll go over to the other side.....

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Aha! Attachment works, back again. I was going to cut a piece of 1 by something and bolt to the original aluminum bracket, then mount my seat on that cause my new seat is wider then the bracket. But I decided to remove the plastic gunwale trim and replace it with wood. I replaced the front and rear plastic deck plates a couple of years ago.

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Wow what have I started? I ripped 4 strips about 3/4" out of a 2 x 6 spruce. Planed one down to 1/2" thick and checked to see how it was going be, eww, (head slap). I didn't think about the dip curve from bow to stern. I think if I plane it down some more I might be able to work with it.

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Ah let's see, the saga continues. I thought about under-cutting the back side of the outside strip, so it would cover the edge of the canoe material, and I would only need 2 pieces per gunwale. Didn't work, the spruce I was using was kiln dried and that lowers the moisture content enough that the wood fibers are set and firm and don't bow easily. To bow wood, to an extent, requires that the wood not be kiln dried. It can be steamed and sometimes green, yeh there is a science to it.

Any how, on with it. I was going to admit defeat, but thought I would get some clean, no knots, straight grain wood, knots aren't good for bowing wood, and take another dive at. This time I'll use 3 pieces per gunwale instead of 2.

Ya do know I'm bored and dieing to go camping, and that's why I'm posting all this stuff. I hope some one out there is camping and shares pictures and stories. I don't even care if it's true.

 

Oh good grief! Pictures didn't load. Ever since that last droid update.

 

Rrrr! I'm going to drive you all nuts with this.

 

Little more done today. I got some more wood that I think will work. This is called "Appearance Grade" it is treated for exterior use, but my main concern was knot free, pliable, "does that sound more appropriate than supple"? ha, and cost. They had some western cedar, but it was 3 times the cost and it had knots in it. So after a couple of hours, I concider it a sucess. I will be attaching a piece on top of the strips to cover the edge of canoe, and grind off bolts sticking out, and sand then stain and poly. It'll be awhile. All this just to install a seat uhn.

 

...lookin good!

 

Thank you. I've spent some time modifying my basement door track so I could hang my canoe, un-obstructed. I think all houses should be built with canoe storage in mind.

 

...can agree on that as I looked out across a snow packed back lawn to my outdoor canoe rack. I pause for a moment to reminisce and to think about the warmer weather to come. "Canoe Blues."

 

Bring your canoe in the house with you. Throw a pillow and blanket in it, and voila be like drifting around on a placid lake at night.

 

Maybe leave seat and thwart out of it? I've got to finish it up and quit goofing off.

 

After a week of warmer, but rainy weather I was able to get my gunwales bolted on, and the excess of bolts sticking out ground off. I have yet to fit a piece over the top of gunwale strips, but now I've realized I don't have enough wood to attach my thwart to. So I figured I would cut, and bolt a piece on the inside for attachment points. I saved my last "unsuccessful seat frame" and cut a few pieces off to use. I've got a little bandsaw that I think will cut the shape out.

 

Got the top piece glued and nailed on. I had to work it on slowly so I didn't break it, but it held up great and bowed with the curve. Little bit of glue squishing out, but I wanted to make sure I had enough on it. The squished out glue is a pain to clean off to. I did use a router and a dremmel tool to help trim it up before sanding with the sander, very slow go. I had to add an extra piece on the front across by the deck plate because for some reason my strips were a hair to short.?

 

Ever since I did last up grade I can't post pictures like I used to. Go figure.

 

Oooh this really sucks. I put my canoe in the floor so I could sit in it and check for correct thwart placement. The left rung support broke when I sat down. I think there was to much give with the side of the canoe, maybe due to no thwart support, that the front support gave way, and this allowed the seat to twist, plus i shouldve done better with the support, and the sudden stop with my weight on it finished off my seat. I have gained a couple of pounds this winter, but not that much. Uhnn Oh well. I don't know what to say.

 

I did some research, which I should've done before I started. Black ash is weaker than white ash. Oh well thanks for looking.

Oh this ain't over either.

 

I'm done with this canoe for awhile. The gunwale trim was a chore on its own. I rubbed a second coat of danish oil on it.
The first picture was taken in 2014 after I replaced the plastic decks. Of course the most recent with the wood gunwales.

 

Digging it up again, or should I?

I've got enough red oak, I think, for 2 canoe seats. Got the strips to 7/8 x 1 3/4 that's 19 x 44.5 mm for y'all on metric. It feels a little springy when I stand on 2 of the strips. I had the blocks spaced out 35 inches, 890mm, apart, and I was standing in the middle. I weigh about 218lbs, 98 kg. I'll drill the holes for the seat material and test it again.

Should I just give it up?