As the snow melted and the summer toys were prepared for the warmer weather, one thing was clear – our paddleboat in Alden needed some TLC. Deb power washed the faded blue carpet, which had grown a rather thick crop of moss. The wood for the seats was beyond repair, however, and needed to be replaced. The seat planks were rough, rotted, and the front seat plank had split a few years ago and was missing a front section.
The replacement of the seat wood was long overdue. The planks were quite simple, so no fancy cutting was necessary. Fortunately, I had a surplus of 16-foot cedar 1x6s in the barn. I grabbed a can of spar varnish from the local hardware store to seal the wood against the elements, then set out to replace the planks.
Using the original planks as a template, I cut the cedar into 3 sections as needed. The new planks were sanded, then coated with the marine spar varnish. I had new stainless steel screws in the barn, which were an exact match to the original screws.
This tiny bit of maintenance should help keep the paddleboat operational for the near future. The paddle crank bushings and chain were lubricated, and my initial test ride with Enzo went well. Next, I may look into a bimini top for this fun little boat.
