Mad River Canoe | Gunwale Replacement

Replacing the wood gunwales on my 1982 Mad River Canoe. Royalex Hull.

[@sheldonbass4238]

Excellent! Just came across a canoe for super cheap that needs restored, and primarily, it's the gunnels that need replaced. This video is a tremendous help to get me started in understanding the materials I'll need and also some how-to helps. Keep the good stuff coming, thumbs up!

[@swatsullivan]

Sheldon Bass glad it is helpful!! It’s good to know that more of these canoes are being restored!

[@blessedarmadillo8257]

Great video, thanks. I have the same canoe, same year and am about to replace the gunwales. I will also have the added step of repairing a cold crack in the side. I have to many good memories of this canoe and Royalex is no longer made, have to keep these classics on the water!

[@swatsullivan]

Yes indeed!! Good luck with your project. Hope you will get many more years of enjoyment out of it! I know I have!!

[@AvaFan002]

I'm in VT with a similar canoe. I loved your video. I got it from my Wife's grandmother. I haven't done this sort of task before but I'm excited to try it! Tks for posting.

[@swatsullivan]

Malaine90 good luck with it! That’s exactly why I made this video. Something I’ve got no experience with either, and couldn’t find a video on it. Let me know how it turns out, and post pics if you can!! Happy paddling!!

[@andrewraymond3657]

Great video! I’m actually in Roanoke, Va, and my folks live in Lynchburg, so I thought it was cool when you mentioned Farmville! About to embark on a repair restoration of a ‘77 Mohawk. Thanks for the info.

[@swatsullivan]

Good luck with it! I’m in Richmond, so not too far away!!! Glad you liked the video.

[@thecaptfun]

Thanks for the video. I think my Malecite is quite a bit older than yours apparently. My outwales are rabbited and cover the hull thickness. The top plates are mahagony and inset flush to the inwales. They survived nicely. My thwart is in good condition and I have new seats and risers. I will probably install a kevlar skid plate on the bow and flotation foam bow and stern. I have flotation bags for aft and stern. I grew up in Richmond We would run from Bosher dam down to Choo choo rapids after school. Always a fun time!!!

[@swatsullivan]

thecaptfun that’s awesome! I bet you do have good memories on the James. So lucky to live here and have that resource. Hope your restoration went well.

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

I had to make replacement gunwales up here in Alaska...oak from Lowes in Fairbanks. My shop table saw allowed me to rip 8 foot oak boards into 1 inch by 3/4 inch strips. Then use scarf joints with epoxy to make 16 foot oak gunwales. Alternate the scarf joints so there is no scarf joint across the inner and outer gunwales. Used the original screw holes as screws are tightening between the sandwich of inner/outer gunwale. Used a trim router to round the edges of the gunwales. I painted the gunwales so no need to sand...we use this canoe for moose/duck hunting so painted drab green.

[@swatsullivan]

Missy Skeeter that sounds great! I’ll bet it looks nice. Good thought on screwing through to other gunwale. I bet Alaska is wonderful. Will have to get up there one day. I know a couple of pilots up there!! Be cool to visit them

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

@@swatsullivan One key is to make scarp joints as long as possible....I used a 5 degree cut with a simple chop saw jig so my scarf joints are as long as the blade (12 inches). Lots of clamps and gorilla glue overnight, then lots of 1.5 inch stainless steel screws.

[@rockfieldlangley1955]

Looks great man! Your boy will remember this project I bet!

[@swatsullivan]

Rockfield Langley I'm sure you're right, especially because we use it so much now. He thinks about it every time on the river!!

[@1992jeep]

Great job. Lots of memories from the mad river canoe. Thanks for all the hard work bringing it back to its glory. #noice

[@douglasmaclean5836]

perfect. fantastic. just the video i needed. Thanks from Ottawa !

[@swatsullivan]

Douglas MacLean I’m glad it’s helpful!! And glad to know another canoe is being restored for more use! Happy paddling!!

[@dougwallace560]

@@swatsullivan Afraid I need more than the video, Doug. Also need the skill. Do you know anyone in Ontario that would undertake the job for me? Doug Wallace, Ottawa,On, [e-mail]

[@glennmuir5617]

At 0:48 you say "It's a Royalex canoe, that means it has a kevlar hull". Nope. That means it has a hull made of Royalex, which is a three layer laminate of ABS plastic, ABS foam, and cross-linked vinyl. Royalex and Kevlar are two entirely different materials. Kevlar is a woven material developed by DuPont. Boat hulls made from Kevlar are composites consisting of layers of Kevlar cloth and polyester, vinyl ester, or epoxy resin.

[@swatsullivan]

Ramas Samar thanks for the clarification.

[@thecaptfun]

The Malecite (which I came here for) is Kevlar. the royalex is a walmart canoe....

[@steveburton5825]

@@thecaptfun No, plastic or stock Fiberglass is Walmart... Royalex is damn near bullet proof and is easily repaired in the bush. I would never take a Kevlar (or Fiberglass or plastic) canoe on a white water Canoe Trip but you will find that most Whitewater canoes and Kayaks are made from Royalex. The problem with Royalex is that it is nearly twice the weight of a decent Kevlar canoe... so much harder to portage.

[@meneermalik]

Well done! Love the video. Just about to replace the gunwales on my canoe, hopefully it turns out as nice as yours.

[@swatsullivan]

Sonny H thanks! Good luck with your project!! I am Glad to hear another boat will be repaired so it can be enjoyed for years to come. We sure are enjoying ours! Let me know how it turns out and post video or pictures if you like!

[@bushtherapy7655]

Thanks great video I have to replace my gunwales off my Canadian canoe

[@swatsullivan]

Glad to help!! Hope it goes well!!

[@robertwinn1118]

Great video! I am about to restore my mad river explorer and that is great motivation seeing how beautiful it turned out.I will however be repairing a cold Crack 1/3 their way thru the hull,which concerns me.

[@swatsullivan]

Robert Winn good luck! Hope it turns out ok. I am not sure what canoe shops are near you, but I know the people at Appomattox River Company would talk you through that hull repair. They were very helpful with my questions. I just had them install skid plates on this canoe.

[@slayer101100]

Amazing job.

[@swatsullivan]

Thanks!!

[@AlanMcKay]

Great video - thanks

[@swatsullivan]

Alan McKay glad you liked it!!

[@stevenchaprnka4327]

Taking on the same project currently. Did you fill the old holes in the hull with anything. Nice video!

[@swatsullivan]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I did not fill the old holes--just left them as they were! Good luck with your project!!!

[@baycitycycles9322]

Curious, I have a need to replace the gunwales for my 14 foot slipper. As I watched your awesome video I noticed the factory bought inwales didn't come with what I will call "water ports". My Slipper has the water ports, 3/4" breaks in the wood every foot or so. Helps with draining. When you purchase your ganwales, is there a choice in drain ports, or is it a solid piece of wood? Makes a difference in whether I buy or make...Looks like I am going to make my gunwales, me thinks. Great Video!

[@swatsullivan]

Karl Faber thanks for the comment and kind words!! There was no option for water ports. The inwales were the same piece as the outwales. Good luck with your project. I’d love to see it!

[@Floodplainsdrifter]

Slotted inwales or "scuppers" can be ordered from Mad River or other gunwale suppliers at an additional cost.

[@thecaptfun]

My replacement gunwales cover the hull. are the ports inside and outside or only on the inside?

[@nedsled2994]

@@thecaptfun They are on the inside. So when you get water in the canoe and you tilt it on the side it runs past the gunwale vers puddling up not running past.

[@blessedarmadillo8257]

stupid question - why not use the preexisting holes from the old gunwales? Wouldn't the new wood provide enough purchase?

[@swatsullivan]

The reason is that you will not be able to drill precisely through the pre-existing holes. So the holes get elongated and the gunwales will not be as sturdy.

[@blessedarmadillo8257]

@@swatsullivan Got it. Thanks for the reply. I'm wondering if I could just mark one preexisting hole and measure from that to know where the new hole should go, and measure from that hole and so forth - don't have to mark all the old holes. Make sense?

[@swatsullivan]

@@blessedarmadillo8257 Makes perfect sense. I would think you could not mark the existing holes if you measured carefully and didn't start creeping toward the existing holes the farther you go down the line. Marking the hull gave me confidence that I was not near the old holes. But there is a lot of space between them, obviously--a lot of room for error.

[@stephenarmstrong7354]

Just curious as to why you didn't kerf the inwales?

[@swatsullivan]

I do not know!

[@robertbolding4182]

royalex a credit card-like material, heated and formed into a canoe in four minutes. oddly its no longer made and the boat people never made it.

[@tunnelportterror]

gunwales have to be the most fragile, underbuilt part I've ever seen on anything man has made. they need to be upgraded with better materials and made larger in size, so they don't break and wear so easily. they should be made from titanium....(smirk)