Old Town Tripper has warped gunwales….Help!

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  • #4724
    Michael D
    Participant

    Just bought a used OT Tripper, my all-time favorite canoe. Got it cheap, $350, so I’m prepared to do some repairs. Needs bow and stern skid plates, which I’ve done before, but I’m a bit stumped about an issue I’ve never encountered: asymmetry. Warped gunwales. Somebody must’ve stored it on its side with a load in it for a decade or so. Any ideas about how to straighten it out? See photos. Thanks a million for any advice. I was thinking waiting until a really hot day (90 or so here in w. Washington state) and using some hydraulic jacks in some kind of jig to press it into the old sleek shape. Maybe add a little more heat with copious quantities of boiling water? Then let the whole thing cool while tweaked. Whaddaya think?[ATTACH=CONFIG]54[/ATTACH]

    #5761
    RustDeamon
    Participant

    I would cut a jig using the other side as a model for both inner and outer curve, then use bar clamps to clamp the jigs on and slowly tighten it over the course of a few weeks. if when you release the jigs is spring back bit you can exagerrate the curves a little so it ends up more curved when jigged but will spring back to the desired curve. using boiling water to soften it while tightening may speed it up a little but you don’t want to flex it too fast and crack anything.

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