Weep holes

[Jim Dodd]

Years ago, I attended a wood canvas canoe repair seminar at MidWest Mountaineerings Spring Event. The presenter showed how nearly all the old WC canoes he worked on were rotted in the stem area, under the decks. Those canoes, did not have a place for the water to drain out the ends. He said if those canoes had a small drain, or WEEP hole. They would have been in much better shape !

Since that day, I've made it a point to build my strippers with a WEEP hole. Allowing the ends to drain.
Here's a pic.

Jim

 

[wgiles]

If I understand correctly, that weep hole would allow water to drain when the canoe was stored upside down.

 

[memaquay]

I usually have unintentional "weep holes" due to my poor woodworking skills!

 

[Philtrum]

If I understand correctly, that weep hole would allow water to drain when the canoe was stored upside down.

Exactly. Otherwise condensation keeps the wood moist. It can even form puddles.

 

[charlie wilson]

We tried to improve things at Bell Canoe by slotting more rot resistant walnut decks, but condensed moisture still ran down the underside of the inwale and puddled at the deck tip, leading to eventual rot after a decade or so. At Placid we had a very positive opening at the sub deck tip before solving the problem forever with composite rails and decks. Wood rots if left damp.

 

[Philtrum]

We tried to improve things at Bell Canoe by slotting more rot resistant walnut decks, but condensed moisture still ran down the underside of the inwale and puddled at the deck tip, leading to eventual rot after a decade or so. At Placid we had a very positive opening at the sub deck tip before solving the problem forever with composite rails and decks. Wood rots if left damp.

Those walnut decks are gorgeous. One solution is to remove enough gunwale screws to get at the underside of the deck. After cleaning it, apply a few coats of polyurethane, making sure that every bit of wood is covered. Murphy's Law dictates that any speck that's left unsealed *will* rot.