Message text written by Cliff Hansen
>I'm wondering if any of you folks are willing to offer advice on
straightening the keel. The bend is about 3" in the vertical direction
(towards the inside of the boat), and about 2' on either side the keel is
straight; so overall the bend is a very shallow V. I've thought about
turning the canoe upside down and pressing it upwards into a pair of 4x4s
running the length of the bottom alongside the keel, using a hydraulic jack
to press upwards on the bulge. A friend who salvages railroad cars has the
timber and two backhoes that we would use to hold down the ends of the
4x4s. He also has a 30 ton jack. I have a section of railroad tie that we
can use to distribute the load across the bulge, so that we don't just
punch a hole in the bottom.
<
Cliff, the important thing to remember is the aluminum is now streached and
is longer than it used to be and will never go back to its original shape.
You might consider cutting the rib and removing a short section and finding
a weld shop to TIG it back together. Any thoughts of returning it back to
a state of undetectable-ness will be fruitless.
Heating up aluminum to soften it won't help (like it does with steel).
Good luck
Dave
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