How To Replace A Rotting Gunwale On A Canoe?

To replace gunwales and other wood work on your canoe, follow these steps:

1. Remove any dry rotted wood.

2. Build gunwales.

3. Cut replacement seats and thwarts to proper length.

4. Attach the gunwales.

5. Attach the seat and thwarts.

6. Attach the bow and Stern Plates.

7. Enjoy the new look and feel of your canoe.

A wood gunwale replacement takes approximately eight hours and can reduce your canoe’s weight by at least five pounds. Clean off the rotten wood with a paint scrapper and thin out polyurethane. Repeat several times with course sandpaper in between each coat.

Replace the gunwale with regular epoxy thickened with microfibers (and a little sawdust if you want to match color). Be prepared for the gunwale to fail at the wrong time.

For beater boats, buy 1×20 sch40 plastic pipe and cut a slit with a table saw. Screw the gunnel down from the inside out, making sure to have one screw so they don’t protrude out on the exterior.

If you want to make the job easier and save some cash, replace wooden gunwales with vinyl or aluminum ones. They cost about half as much and can be installed with pop-rivets.

Step 1: Remove the existing rails by drilling out the rivets that hold the rail in place. Drill the rivets with a drill bit in the center of the rivet head and apply pressure as you drill.

For fixing the gunnels to the fiberglass shell, use epoxy or glue, as it bonds well to fiberglass if washed and sanded first. Contact Canoe Country Outfitters for assistance in replacing gunwales on your canoe.