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So, I bought a canoe.
Well, I bought what I thought was a water tight floaty thingy.
I was wrong.
So wrong.
After getting the canoe home, and on closer inspection, I found that the repair and paint job from the previous owner, was hiding a multitude of sins. Some I would say, were known about, the others, maybe not so.
I started to sand off the bad patching over the bottom rest rails, and the more I sanded the more damage I found. I just did not end. I kept going on and on. I had bought a rotten lemon.
Having learnt from this, I decided to cut off the next rail.
The other rail I used an angle grinder on, as I knew at this stage there would be water damage the whole length of it.
(click image to make expansive)
Here, after I have cut, removed and sanded the rails, you can see on the right, some wood rot, due to water getting in from under the craft. I started with a little sanding, and just kept going till I had removed as much wood rot as I could.
The previous owner had just put one layer of fibreglass over the top, straight onto the gel coat, without removing it first, and there was little to none in the way of resin cover in most of the fibre glass. So lots of little holes for the water to leak into.
Here I have sanded back to bare fibreglass, removing the top clear and gel coats.
The bit sitting up to the left side on the canoe, next to the gash, is a flaked off piece of patched fibreglass that was not even stuck down correctly.
So, first things first. Safety first.
When I began working on the canoe, I had gloves, face mask (more about that in a bit), earmuffs, full arm, leg, body and feet coverage, and safety goggles.
Yes, I know, the face mask is not a proper bio filter one, I have one, but as I have moved house recently, it is currently misplaces, and I am too cheap or broke at the time to go get a new one. Well, just actually broke!
So for now, this mask will do. Till I find the other one later.
Just so you know. Sanding fibreglass gets everywhere. And I do mean, everywhere!
Even with cover, after a very long shower, I still had fibres imbedded in my arms and legs for days afterwards. This seem a situation that is hard to avoid. My face on the other had had very little fibreglass, if not any at all, so no irritations.
I think that the clothes helps push the fibres into my limbs, making it worse. But, no cover would have been even more worse.
That face mask, really does help. It is good at keeping the fibreglass dust out of my lungs. So for now, it stays till I find the other one.
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