Canoe with a View : : Canadian Open Canoe forum

Hi all

Sorry, this about a kayak

I have been given an old Granta kayak and being the least practical bloke in the county I have a few questions. Googling Granta shows that they have been building canoes/kayaks since the 50s so there is a good pedigree.

There is a sticker on the kayak that suggests that it was built by a business named DB Fibreglass in Derby.




The kayak has no internal bouyancy that I can see but I do have a huge roll of bubble wrap and I wondered if I could use it in the front and back of the canoe (in bags)?

I would like to make the kayak a bit more practical as I would like to carry a few things in a small dry bag, I wondered about glueing some sort of D rings and using some sort of lacing in the top of the kayak in front of me. Any hints gratefully accepted.

The kayak has tatty duct tape along the sides which I assume means that there is a seam and that the seam leaked or could there be a reason that I cannot see?

The kayak is generally stained and a bit tatty, hot soapy water and a stiff brush has not shifted much of it, what should I use to clean it up?

Best wishes
Mark

bubblewrap should be fine
in fact it could be quite good as one hole is only one bubble popped unlike an air bag where one hole would means the whole lot goes down
does anyone make bubble wrap bags for boats it seams like a good idea to me?
i wouldnt bother with d rings in the boat myself maybe drill the sides of the seat at the back for a backrest strap or bungees to keep stuff from comming out if you take a dive. just push a dri bag behind you in the back of the boat. you could get more in front of the foot rest but only if you are taking loads of stuff camping.
the tape on the sides was probably cosmetic to cover the seams ( standard when sticking two halves together) there may be a leak or two but some gaffer tape would sort that out,
as for it looking a bit tatty i guess its just years of use and sunlight. you can get some sort of fibreglass colour restorer from somewhere ( someone here should be able to tell you where)
just remember it wont improve the performance and a nice shiney boat just makes you wince more when you scratch it

I wonder if t-cut would work?

Baggy, time to give it some elbow grease just like a fibreglass kit car the gel coat has dulled, firstly I would remove the tatty sliver duct tape and check what lies beneath you could use white spirit or petrol for this no problem if its all okay leave it off for now, if its not post a pic and we will offer advise on any horrors that may lurk behind it.
Now comes the elbow grease as Lee has said get some automotive T-cut and start rubbing work the canoe all over top and bottom if necessary do it twice once buffed off the canoe should look a whole lot better finish by applying two coats of a good automotive car wax this will make it shine and fly through the water.
A|s for the bubble wrap I would bind it in duct tape making it pointy and shove one down each end, it should work fine.
I would finish the canoe by re-applying a strip of black tape around the circumference where the tatty silver stuff was, job done.

When I get back out on the water there's a Granta open canoe at the South End of Coniston I will take a pic of it for you, its in a pretty sorry state.

Hi Andy

(07-06-09 09:13 PM)andym Wrote: [ -> ]bubblewrap should be fine
in fact it could be quite good as one hole is only one bubble popped unlike an air bag where one hole would means the whole lot goes down
does anyone make bubble wrap bags for boats it seams like a good idea to me?

That was my feeling, bubble wrap it is :-)

(07-06-09 09:13 PM)andym Wrote: [ -> ]i wouldnt bother with d rings in the boat myself maybe drill the sides of the seat at the back for a backrest strap or bungees to keep stuff from coming out if you take a dive. just push a dri bag behind you in the back of the boat. you could get more in front of the foot rest but only if you are taking loads of stuff camping.

The backrest idea is a good one TVM.
I will not be using it for camping, just pottering about on our local canal.

(07-06-09 09:13 PM)andym Wrote: [ -> ]the tape on the sides was probably cosmetic to cover the seams ( standard when sticking two halves together) there may be a leak or two but some gaffer tape would sort that out,

That makes sense, makes it look rugged I suppose :-)

(07-06-09 09:13 PM)andym Wrote: [ -> ]just remember it wont improve the performance and a nice shiney boat just makes you wince more when you scratch it

Noted, I do tend to bash stuff about.

Best wishes
Mark

Hi

(10-06-09 02:18 PM)Retro Wrote: [ -> ]Baggy, time to give it some elbow grease just like a fibreglass kit car the gel coat has dulled,

Ah, I feel the approach of a plan that involves work

(10-06-09 02:18 PM)Retro Wrote: [ -> ]firstly I would remove the tatty sliver duct tape and check what lies beneath you could use white spirit or petrol for this no problem if its all okay leave it off for now, if its not post a pic and we will offer advise on any horrors that may lurk behind it.

I do have some old two hedge petrol laying around so I will give that a go.

(10-06-09 02:18 PM)Retro Wrote: [ -> ]Now comes the elbow grease as Lee has said get some automotive T-cut and start rubbing work the canoe all over top and bottom if necessary do it twice once buffed off the canoe should look a whole lot better finish by applying two coats of a good automotive car wax this will make it shine and fly through the water.

Thanks for that, I will give it a go. The T-cut and polish tip is very useful.

(10-06-09 02:18 PM)Retro Wrote: [ -> ]A|s for the bubble wrap I would bind it in duct tape making it pointy and shove one down each end, it should work fine.

Brill That will be the first thing I do.

(10-06-09 02:18 PM)Retro Wrote: [ -> ]When I get back out on the water there's a Granta open canoe at the South End of Coniston I will take a pic of it for you, its in a pretty sorry state.

I hope you are soon out of the clutches of the NHS and back to paddling very soon. I look forward to seeing the photo.

Best wishes
Mark

Just a follow up

I rolled some bubble wrap into torpedo shapes and before pushing them into the kayak I put them into a heavy duty bin bag.

When I put them in the kayak the bin bag was full of air so I sealed the end with a clamp folded the end over and sealed again with gaffer tape. There is so much air in the bin bag I thing the bubble wrap may be superfluous.

I did the same to the front and rear.

Then using another heavy duty bin bag and some bungie cord I have made a cockpit cover to keep the bugs out.

Mark

Ingenious, as with most folk on this forum.... with the exception of myself of course

(13-06-09 07:52 PM)LAS247 Wrote: [ -> ]Ingenious, as with most folk on this forum.... with the exception of myself of course

I don't know I am pretty envious of the paddle pocket in you Bell