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Alick Burt

Felix's Canoe Sealing the second stem.

Hello Folks

Following on from paddling Felix's canoe at Beale Park Boat show. I left her to dry for a couple of weeks.

At the show she leaked a little which seemed to be concentrated around the stem that I didn't pour varnish around!

After a day of paddling the leaking did stop and I put this down to swelling of the timber but as she is a canoe that won't spend all its time in the water I Want to cure this altogether by hopefully sealing her further with varnish.

With that in mind I decided to let her dry and repeat the process I used on the other end to effect a seal.

I mixed up some 50 /50 turps and varnish.

Then I poured it around the stem.

I lifted the opposite end of the canoe a few times to let it run further along between the ribs planking and stem. Lifting it right up above my head to work it up the far end.

Then I left it overnight with the opposite end still propped a little higher.

Next day I could see there was a little leakage.

So I repeated the process with thinned varnish and next time I will use a full thickness varnish as before and repeat a few more times.

That's all for now

Cheers

Alick

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