How to Repair Canoe Thwarts

Canoe thwarts connect a canoe's gunwales, literally "thwarting" the water pressure that threatens to collapse a canoe. Even a cracked thwart can collapse quickly, and the shell of the canoe is likely to follow it. In a wooden canoe, ash and spruce are the best woods to use in emergency repairs; however, if your thwart is too badly broken to stand firm with this repair, then you need to keep the canoe out of the water until you can make or buy a new thwart.

Things You'll Need

  • Ash or spruce lumber (as thick or thicker than your thwart)
  • Nails
  • Hammer
  • Rope
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut a piece of ash or spruce to the length of the original thwart, or slightly shorter. If you are in the middle of a canoe trip and ash and spruce are not available, limbs or boards of other types of wood can work just as well. Limbs need to be straight and at least four to six inches in diameter. Whether you're using boards or limbs, you'll need two pieces.

    • 2

      Nail the boards into the thwart. Make sure you're nailing into solid spots instead of cracks. If you can't put nails between the ends of the break and the gunwale, as with a crack or break parallel to the thwart, move to Step 3. Also, if you're using limbs, move to Step 3.

    • 3

      Tie both limbs or boards fast around the broken thwart with rope at both ends and, if needed, in the middle as well. Finish off with a square knot, as you don't want this coming undone and you won't need to retie it -- when you get the canoe out of the water, you'll want to replace the thwart. If you can use lumber and can nail the boards to the thwart, you may want to tie rope around the splinting boards and thwart as well for extra support..