After the epoxy bonding the new gunnel and stem wood cures it is time to shape it.

The ribs get cut down and cut to fit the underside of the gunnels. This is to allow the planking and outer gunnels to fit fair to the tip of the canoe. If it is not done then there will be a great big bump here.

The rib repairs are shaped fair to the curve of the canoe shape and then treated with some boiled linseed oil before the planking goes back on. Even though there remains some visible sign of the cracked rib from the inside, the rib is as strong as new, and still retains all the aura of the original canoe. The work should be nearly invisible - unless you know what you are looking for.

While I am putting the old planking back the planking, I take this opportunity to replace 4 pieces of planking that were too deteriorated to keep. These had to be matched for grain and then stained to match the old planking.

Here is the canoe's interior all back together and with two coats of varnish on. Each coat has to be sanded prior to the next, that means every rib and every span of planking between the ribs has to be sanded by hand, there really is no fast way to do this.

Two more coats of varnish should complete the job, then I can get the canvas and filler on.

The decks are still left out at this point in order to make it easier to varnish in the confined areas at the stem.