Restoring a Coleman Scanoe

[JakesLeakyWaders]

I had one of these for years, boated on dozens of lakes and dozens of miles of the Susquehanna, local streams and even Pine Creek Gorge solo in late October. Went through some tough times about ten years ago and had to sell it. So when one popped up for sale I sprung to grab it up for a few hundred and began to clean and restore and register it. I cannot convey enought how tough, versatile and useful these boats are. I was introduced as a young kid to the Coleman Scanoe by a man who is no longer of this world, so in his memory I'm bringing this one back.

The boat is not finished just yet but it is a work in progress and has been to both the river and Pinchot Park in the same day. I'm hoping for many years of service out this big hauler. Honestly after several hours of scrubbing with some steel wool, scrotch pads, degreaser, some shop towels and a little turtle wax and she's not lookin' so bad for a 1987 boat.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Nice job! Coleman made good stuff back then. GG

 

[Dave_W]

Neat project - keep us informed.

 

[franklin]

Nice job. I've got a 15' Coleman canoe for over 30 years and it still performs yeoman's work. I've got one of those old 1.5 HP air cooled engines that helps make trips on long Maine lakes a little easier on the muscles.

 

[larkmark]

Very nice set up. I had a square stern canoe made by another company and had a 1.5 evinrude on it. Used it on rivers and lakes and small streams. Also used electric motor. Was a great boat. The scanoe is even better because it is very stable. Cool find there.

 

[pcray1231]

Could try a fine compound to shine it up. Meguiars ultimate compound is good stuff, but test a spot first. If you got a DA polisher and cutting pad, even better. Finish off with a fine scratch remover or polish to take out any haze, and then a straight wax/sealant instead of a cleaner wax like the turtle wax. Will be an amazing shine.

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

Larkmark,
I had a 4hp Mariner on my previous Scanoe that would move it about 15mph. Motor was heavy though and I either had to have a kid or two up front or a battery and a cooler or it wasn't safe with all the weight in the back. Right now I have a trolling motor. I'd like to get a newer smaller gas motor, but I would want to keep the weight around 30-35 lbs at most.

Pcray,
I'm not quite done with it yet, theres still some work to be done especially on the inside and on the aluminum frame and the bottom of the hull. I'm looking at maybe cleaning up the hull and adding a layer of poly resin or something if possible. Definately will check into finishing products. Mainly though I just want something that will keep it easy to keep clean from river grime and mud.

Also I know I've used 2000- 3000 grit sandpaper from the auto parts store to restore headlight lenses. So I will probably see what option works best there as well for smoothing over scratches.

 

[poopdeck]

Looks great doing what your doing. Once clean I simple wipe with a spray wax should do it.