I have an ancient fiberglass canoe that I am "storing" for my brother. The Thwarts (or cross braces) were getting pretty rotten, and one had basically fallen off. The braces probably were not original equipment- they looked with 1/4's cut to length and screwed in. Since this canoe isn't a show piece and is only used occasionally, I thought I'd try something really cheap and easy for Thwart replacements.
 |
| Rotten Thwart! (cross-brace- not a yoke) |
 |
| All ready for new Thwarts |
I decided to try using EMT tubing- or galvanized steel conduit. It's super cheap- 5' long 1/2" diameter EMT tubing was less than $1.50 at the local Home Depot.
Step 1: Measure the stock Thwarts and cut the EMT to length with a hack saw
Step 2: Smash the ends flat- I used a combination of a big bench vise and a hammer. My bench vice has a built-in anvil. Everyone needs an anvil!
 |
| Getting ready to smash |
 |
| Squishing with vice |
 |
| Finishing the job with a hammer |
 |
Nice and flat
|
Step 3: Drill holes in the end for fastening hardware. I used M5 x 25mm stainless hardware, since I had some available.
 |
Hole Drilled
|
Step 4: Install and go paddle!
 |
| Installed and ready to go! |
Obviously these replacement EMT Thwarts are not strong enough to use as a portaging yoke, but they are certainly strong enough to hold the canoe sides in place.
No comments:
Post a Comment