I purchased one of these ash kits a couple of years ago when I restored my 1989 Mad River Malecite. They worked very well and the price was reasonable.
https://northwestcanoe.com/shop/ols/products/ash-gunwales-knockdown-kit
Sometime around 1977 my college buddy and I were fishing on Gardner Lake in Connecticut. We had anchored up in about 20' of water and decided to move. My buddy was in the bow of my dad's 1941 Old Town Otca. He pulled up on the anchor rope which was attached to a very heavy chunk of stainless...