hogged fiberglass canoe

I have a 15-foot square back fiberglass canoe from the seventies. The fiberglass itself is in great shape. No soft spots, no cracks, no delamination. The gelcoat is completely deteriorated though. It was freebie I accepted on a whim... Sort of like a free kitten. I think I know why the glass is so pristine, but wanted to run it by more experienced people. It is hogged. 1.5 inches at the center and fade out to the bow and stern. I suspect it has always been that way, and has been passed around like a moonshine jug for the last half century. Hence no other damage because it never really saw the water. My question is: Fix it or plant tomatoes in it? If the answer is fix it... How??? Has anyone ever heard of a fiberglass canoe permanently hogged like that? It has no hull number or brand. For all I know it was built in somebody's basement. The truth is I am more intrigued than determined. I used to work fiberglass, but never boats. The only way I think that could happen to the parts I used to make was if it was pulled from the mold green. You can get a clean pull sometimes even if the glass is not completely cured. Thoughts anyone?

Fatman, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, because canoeing is a geographic sport, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar as a clickable map link. Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

I don't recall ever seeing a hogged fiberglass hull and, not being a builder or restorer, don't really have any ideas about whether it can be fixed.

If it were me, the question I'd ask myself is whether I want a canoe to actually paddle for years. If yes, a 50+ year old, square back, hogged, fiberglass canoe with "completely deteriorated" gelcoat wouldn't be my choice. Much better paddling canoes can be found, used, in the $500-$900 range, and many will hold their resale value.

Sounds like a case for the Sawzall, unless you want to experiment with repairing.

If you have the space it's always good to have a beater boat on the rack. There are times when such a thing is perfect.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Fatman, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, because canoeing is a geographic sport, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar as a clickable map link. Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

I don't recall ever seeing a hogged fiberglass hull and, not being a builder or restorer, don't really have any ideas about whether it can be fixed.

If it were me, the question I'd ask myself is whether I want a canoe to actually paddle for years. If yes, a 50+ year old, square back, hogged, fiberglass canoe with "completely deteriorated" gelcoat wouldn't be my choice. Much better paddling canoes can be found, used, in the $500-$900 range, and many will hold their resale value.

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I think the mystery of how it happened is more of an issue than any desire to do anything about it. I think I will let common sense prevail and pass on any serious intervention. I got free paddles out of my efforts to drag it home. It was a flat bottom design (I think) so I may cut the center three feet out of it and rejoin it as a 12-foot pond boat. At least that long range plan will be my excuse for not hauling it to the land fill. Hehe! Thanks.

It was probably stored upside down with lots of stuff piled on top for way too long.
Jim

Welcome to the site. There are many very knowledgeable canoeists here and I have learned a lot from them.

Have you tried paddling the canoe yet? 1 1/2 " sounds like a lot of deformation but if it is symmetrical on the left and right (port and starboard) I wonder how much it would affect the glide and tracking of the canoe.

Drop it in the water and give it a try before consigning it to the flower bed. You might get lucky and be surprised. If it doesn't work, then off to it's next incarnation.

Occasionally, fiberglass or other composite canoes are manufactured with center braces. Like a pair of aluminum tubes that go from the center of the hull to the gunnels. It might be worth checking if there's evidence of braces that are missing.

However. My guess is boatman53 is correct, and this was stored outside with debris or has otherwise been damaged by age.

I would toss it in the water and see how it is.

Old fiberglass canoes aren't worth much, but if it's a functional canoe and you have a spot for it, it's nice to have a beater.

there were some woodstream fiberglass canoes built in the 70's that came intentionally hogged from the factory in the thoughts that any rock hits would be on the stems rather than gouging the bottom- I had one brand new from the factory in '76 with about a 1" hog, and I've seen several others the same way, they actually showed no noticeable oilcanning or tracking issues, but were quite slow compared to more modern designs, If you want to smooth it out sometimes changing the thwart lengths can alter the hull shape substantially, I remember one fiberglass St. Laurent with zero rocker- by pulling in the sides by about 1 1/2" we added over 1" of rocker.
Don't forget that the 70's were a time of innovation and experimentation for canoe manufacturers and there were many unusual designs from reverse "tunnel" keels, to built in bulbs to act as skegs, to winners like the kruger canoes...