Reply With QuoteLooks as if it will hold up just fine. Good job.
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Keeper
canoe repair: epoxy patch
I took advantage of the warm weather Sunday to patch up my old Old Town Camper. It's 25 yrs old, and still going. I used West System epoxy (fast) and 6oz woven fiberglass cloth. I left the previous patch (it's the dark amber color you can see in the pics) except for a couple loose spots. Scraped and sanded, roughened the surface with a rasp, then cleaned the patch area with lighter fluid, which was the only solvent handy. Acetone would have been preferred, but no time for a trip to the hardware store. Wetted the patch area with epoxy, applied the cloth, coated with epoxy, making sure the cloth was thoroughly wetted with epoxy. One end, then the other, (beer), and by then the first end had cured enough for a second coat, and so on. The first couple coats were straight epoxy applied with a thin wood shim. For the last two coats, I thickened the epoxy with silica and used a foam brush. The silica doesn't mix all that well, and the foam brush helps blend in the tiny clumps. Then I turned the boat right side up so that the epoxy tended to flow to the keel. I got that much done in the afternoon, while it was warm. It was still tacky at dark and finished curing overnight, no problem. I didn't bother with finish sanding or painting. It's not perfect, but good enough for banging on rocks and logs in the river.
Seats and cross pieces are next.
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Looks as if it will hold up just fine. Good job.
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Charlie Weaver USN/ENC 1965-1979
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I've done several fiberglass patches and major repair on a small boat, and it certainly is a stepwise process. Sounds like you did a pretty good job, and covered a wide area. If it's not done right, those patches are notorious for peeling,
Last edited by sky hawk; 02-11-2015 at 07:56 AM.
Keeper
I agree with the peeling problem. The previous patch was holding pretty good though. The old epoxy appeared to have deteriorated up on the sides, where it was feathered out. I wonder if that was due to uv (a coat of paint would prevent that) or maybe just a bad batch. On the previous patch, I was using some pretty old epoxy too. I bought a fresh patch for this one. The overall area looks big because I didn't tape it off. I just wiped up the runs and drips to give a somewhat neater edge. The new cloth was 5-6" wide, enough to cover the previous cloth by about 1/2" on each side.
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Looks like you are about good to put more miles on the old girl
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Over the counter epoxy repair kits are for general purpose repairs. Not intended to last very long. To get the right kit you'll have to find out with the canoe is made of.
My son has a wave runner with a hole in it. The right repair kit is $700. May last 3 years.
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If this one fails, Google G-Flex and look at the u tube. Jamestown Dist. has free shipping off and on for it, saves a bunch.
g
Keeper
I'm thinking a ice-breaker is next. I did see some open water in the river this morning. Ponds and lakes are still frozen. And the forecast calls for rain, snow, and sleet over the next 2/3 days, 10 degrees friday morning. When it hits 50, I'm going swimming.
