I removed the outer cloth on my 17' cedar strip canoe by using a putty knife and a heat gun, just go slow, you could remove everything this way.
:
My Bear Mountain 'Redbird' seems heavier (and uglier) every year. Actually,
: it was my first strip built, built about 20 years ago. It weighs 65# and
: the workmanship on the fiberglassing is not what I would like it to be.

: Is it possible to remove all the cloth from the outside without tearing away
: wood and then re-apply new cloth?

: I think I could reduce a few pounds and significantly improve appearance.

: One problem I think would be that fact that it would be nearly impossible to
: remove the outer gunwale - therefore the new cloth would not span the seam
: between the sheer strip and the second strip. Would this weaken this area
: too much? Any other problems or reasons not to pursue this?