Saturday, 23 July 2011

Placid Boatwork's Spitfire -- Ready for Service Again

In my last post I noted finding a crack in the gel coat of my Spitfire and so I took James up on his kind offer of his workshop to do some restoration on the little pack canoe.
The Crack
Repaired -- Yes there are carbon fibers close to the surface, but under a coat of gel.
Along with repairing the crack, I also used rubbing compound on some of the cosmetic scratches above the water line, and the entire bottom of the boat. Then I waxed the whole canoe with 3M 09009.

Then I sanded the decks and painted them, and the gunwales, with spar varnish.

First outing after her spa treatment

Look at those diamond wood decks!



Such a thing -- to paddle a work of art

It seemed to paddle faster too -- but perception is everything...

I just can't get over those beautiful diamond wood decks. ;-)

Time will tell how the varnish holds up on the gunwales, but for now they look great!
Posted by Richard Powell at 12:44
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7 comments:

  1. Brian23 July 2011 at 13:17

    That looks like a great makeover,the woodwork is ace :)

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  2. Brk Trt23 July 2011 at 14:01

    That's one beautiful canoe.
    Well done on the restoration.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Scott Schuldt23 July 2011 at 17:37

    You should put this one in a glass case.

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  4. canoetoo24 July 2011 at 08:27

    Wow. I've never seen pictures of your Spitfire closeup. What beautiful gunnels and other details. Look forward to seeing the 'new' canoe.

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  5. Richard Powell24 July 2011 at 10:47

    Thanks guys, I appreciate the encouragement. Feels good to honour the wee boat with some attention. Like a family member, I can sometimes take this beautiful canoe for granted and it is good to stop and appreciate her for what she really is.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Maria30 May 2015 at 07:45

    With the diamond wood decks the canoe looks amazing really.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vintage Leather Bags2 September 2016 at 04:40

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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