How to Restore an Alumacraft Canoe

The surfaces of aluminum canoes don't rust, but they are susceptible to other forms of corrosion that produce scars and other imperfections. Restoring an old aluminum canoe means dealing with the corrosion from the years of neglect to the boat's metal materials. Get ready to get dirty and have a work out while restoring as the process requires a bit of work. The process takes some time, so plan on a full day of cleaning and scrubbing to restore the boat to near original luster and quality.

Things You'll Need

  • Saw horses
  • Bucket with warm soapy water
  • Sponges
  • Power sander with 200-grit sandpaper
  • 400-, 600-, 800- and 1,000-grit sandpaper
  • Garden hose and water hookups
  • Metal polish and power buffer
  • Window cleaner and soft chamois clothes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set the canoe upside down on a set of sawhorses. Hose down the entire boat with water and then wash it off with warm soapy suds and a sponge. Rinse the soap off the canoe and let the boat dry. Turn over and repeat.

    • 2

      Wet down the 200-grit sandpaper and begin to sand down the surface of the canoe, inside and out. Keep the sandpaper wet with a garden hose. As a general rule, spray the canoe surface you are sanding, and then water the sandpaper to prevent build-up between the sandpaper granules while you sand.

    • 3

      Change the sandpaper to a finer grit, depending on how marred the canoe surface is. If it is severely marred go to 440 grit, and perform the same sand, water and rinse sequence over the entire canoe.

    • 4

      Sand the canoe again with the next finer sandpaper such as 600 or 800 grit. Once the surface is smooth and shines, switch out to 1,000-grit sandpaper and smooth out the surface. The 1,000-grit sandpaper gives the metal a ball-burnished appearance.

    • 5

      Apply metal polish the the buffer pad and begin going over the entire surface of the canoe, the thwarts, seats and seams. Buff it out to a fine sheen.

    • 6

      Spray the canoe with a glass cleaner and wipe it off the soft chamois clothes to give the aluminum a fine finish as well as a clear water-beading surface.