I use and store my boats outside right up to freeze up and am wondering if anyone has ever heard of any issues caused by the moisture in the boat freezing and expanding.
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W/C canoes and freeze and thaw cycles
- Thread starter lowangle al
- Start date
I have never noticed any damage, lots of icy situations with my wc canoes.
The only problem I have ever experienced was wood gunnels on royalex boats, if one did not loosen screws of gunnels over the winter. All my other canoes either wood canvas or composite suffered no ill effects.
Bob.
Bob.
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We keep ours in cold storage over the winter and have seen no issues. Of course most of ours are inside. If left outside then they are at the mercy of the elements and may develop some stem/deck or gunwale rot due to that. It is a long process though and a little love can bring them back if you dont let them get too far gone.
I have though seen tons of neglected WC canoes and they can be in pretty sad shape if left unprotected.
I have though seen tons of neglected WC canoes and they can be in pretty sad shape if left unprotected.
Wood is a live material and it definitely expands and shrinks somewhat. The whole boat is wood, and it does create many problems. Rot and decay are much worse problems. Keep boats dry.
Avoid ground contact. Drain the water out of the ends.
Canoes made with man-made materials with wood gunwales are a different story. They expand and contract at different rates. Best to store inside or at least loosen the screws holding the gunwales in place over the winter.
Avoid ground contact. Drain the water out of the ends.
Canoes made with man-made materials with wood gunwales are a different story. They expand and contract at different rates. Best to store inside or at least loosen the screws holding the gunwales in place over the winter.
Thanks for the responses. My opinion is that a boat in good condition probably won't suffer any ill effects. That being said I had a boat start to leak from the stem area after an extended period of freezing temps, paddling, and precipitation. I'm not sure what caused the leak but when doing some work on the boat and seeing how many different colors the boat had been painted and the amount of cracks in the paint that started appearing I think it is ready to be recanvased. My guess is that the bedding material under the stem band has started to fail.
I am not taking any chances with my new boat though, when the freezing temps are here to stay I will put it in storage and use the 18' Guide in need of canvas.
I keep my boats outside, uncovered on a rack during the paddling season. I'm not too concerned about serious water damage but I do fear the possibility that water can make its way under the deck of the upturned boat and pool there causing rot. Has anyone seen rot caused by this or is the rot only associated with contact with the ground.
I am not taking any chances with my new boat though, when the freezing temps are here to stay I will put it in storage and use the 18' Guide in need of canvas.
I keep my boats outside, uncovered on a rack during the paddling season. I'm not too concerned about serious water damage but I do fear the possibility that water can make its way under the deck of the upturned boat and pool there causing rot. Has anyone seen rot caused by this or is the rot only associated with contact with the ground.
The boat needs to be off the ground at any rate. The underside of the deck ought to be able to drain and if exposed to air that circulates be dry. Stem rot comes from contact with dampness mainly.
I store my wood dacron boats inside but if I am transporting to an event in the South in the winter they have withstood outside freezing temps and foul weather well. We had to store outside one winter and all of the boats were buried in 6 feet of snow. That was not good for them but they lived.
The key seems to be store in an area of good air circulation. Our inside storage is unheated so with temps rarely emerging above freezing between Dec and April they of course are subject to those low temps,
Freezing is here. Today the high is in the 30s after a low of 17.
I store my wood dacron boats inside but if I am transporting to an event in the South in the winter they have withstood outside freezing temps and foul weather well. We had to store outside one winter and all of the boats were buried in 6 feet of snow. That was not good for them but they lived.
The key seems to be store in an area of good air circulation. Our inside storage is unheated so with temps rarely emerging above freezing between Dec and April they of course are subject to those low temps,
Freezing is here. Today the high is in the 30s after a low of 17.
They are stored off the ground when outside, which for the two boats that I am using almost daily is the whole paddling season right up to freeze up. Last winter I think I was able to get out every month as the lake froze and thawed at least three times. I only store the boats inside when there is not enough open water to make paddling worth while.or I'm out of town.
It is freezing here today also and the boats were covered in frost. Before my morning paddle I flipped both boats over and felt the very tip of the inside of the top of the stem to see if there was any ice there that would indicate water pooling there. Luckily it was dry, so I don't think it is a major concern.
It is freezing here today also and the boats were covered in frost. Before my morning paddle I flipped both boats over and felt the very tip of the inside of the top of the stem to see if there was any ice there that would indicate water pooling there. Luckily it was dry, so I don't think it is a major concern.
