Replcement gunwales - where do I get them?

[twyych]

My wife and I were paddling the codorus this weekend. She was borrowing a friend's Mohawk Viper 12 and flipped on upper d's. The left gunwale ended up cracking and I'm looking to replace it. Where can I get a new gunwale for it?

Thanks!

[pblanc]

Well, have you checked with Mohawk Canoe? They don't have any more Royalex to make Vipers out of any more but they might possibly still have gunwales available.

[twyych]

Yeah, I looked on their site and they don't have any listed. I e-mailed them, but was wondering if there were any other suppliers out there. Thanks for your quick reply!

[pblanc]

Send a PM to 2opnboat1 (Richard Guin) and ask him about replacement gunwales that might fit the Viper.

[twyych]

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely message 2opnboat1.

[Dave.E]

Easy fix would be wood. Also look for a trashed tandem boat, can cut then off and rivet on.

[ohioboater]

If you don't want to mess with trying to ship full length gunwales, I've heard good things about these:

http://www.edscanoe.com/14kndogusy.html

[sbroam]

Assuming you are talking about vinyl - check your local boat shops - one of our local shops has vinyl gunwales on a rack in the back. I've bought from them for repairs - a special order would involve ugly shipping costs.

Wood would be an upgrade and you have a good shot at finding stock that long in a suitable species. It's not that hard and makes for a lighter, stiffer boat - probably more resilient, too - i've had wooden gunwales spring back from bends that would have left vinyl permanently creased and weakened. There is some maintenance to consider, though.

[twyych]

Thanks to everyone for your help! The actual gunwales from Mohawk aren't bad, but the shipping was through the roof. Greg from Mohawk Canoes is driving up this way this weekend, so he's hooking me up. I'm going to go with the factory replacements, and can't speak highly enough about the quality of staff at Mohawk. They are truly awesome people.