Repair of Canoes & Kayaks

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Keith e.M - 10 years ago

Good to see an instructional Video with quality craftsman ship, tips and advice.
my HDPV kayak is ready for some work. Thx

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

We’ve used G/flex for our own repairs with better results than anything else we’ve tried. You can buy it from most retailers that carry marine supplies." Good luck!

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

has degraded structurally. That being said, if you still want to try for a repair, then a good product to use on plastics is G/flex Epoxy, made by West System. You can use this stuff by itself for repairing small cracks on ABS or combine with a fiberglass patch for repairing larger areas. This of course, assumes the entire hull hasn’t been compromised by UV damage. Proper surface prep is the key to a lasting repair.

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

Here's a little feedback from one of our boat guru's - I'll post it in the next 2 or 3 responses: "If the ABS plastic does not have a vinyl skin (used by some manufacturers to protect against abrasion and UV damage), then 2-3 years of direct exposure to sunlight will have degraded the material to the point that any repair will be short lived. If the ABS starts cracking without any significant impact (such as simply being on the water for 8 hours), then it probably means that the material itself

frank drebin - 12 years ago

ok, suggestions needed. acquired a new basshunter 2 seater boat. rescued it from sitting in the sun the last 2 to 3 years. after 8 hours on the water today, i realized pulling my boat on shore it was a good 50 + pounds heavier. could hear the water and as soon as i got the boat at an angle it started pouring through a crack on the bottom. its not a huge crack. can i repair it just like fiberglass even tho they are ABS plastic? any suggestions and help would be appreciated.

NoteToFutureSelf - 12 years ago

So I've used polyester resin and fiberglass cloth to try to repair a crack in my polyethylene canoe TWICE already. I sand down the area apply heat from a torch to the area. Put down a coat of resin, a thinner piece of cloth down, pat that down until it is saturated, a wider piece of cloth, do the same, and then a third thinner piece over the crack. The next day after it has cured, the resin has always lifted up in one of the corners. Why is this not adhering to the canoe?

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

MnktoDave - Chris also mentioned "I have installed 20+ skid plate kits on royalex canoes over the last ten years and have had very good results with the kits sticking like they should. The bad part is these kits are three times more expensive than G-flex if you only have a small area to repair."

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

... continued ... When using these epoxies on plastic you have to follow the instructions to the letter. Some epoxies for example call for flashing the surface with a flame. If you were to skip any steps the epoxy will fail. You also have to know that with plastics, you are working with a material that is very difficult get good adhesion with any epoxy." Hopefully this helps! All the best!

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 12 years ago

We've circulated your question around the office and believe that we came up with a helpful response from Chris M. (our favorite boat repair guru). He offered the following: "It all depends on the condition of the plastic. If it's chalky and oxidized from UV damage not much is going to stick. If the "royalex resin" does not work another option would be to try West System's G-Flex epoxy with some fiberglass mat or cloth. (G-flex is made for plastics) ... continued ....

10. comment for Repair of Canoes & Kayaks

MnktoDave - 12 years ago

What do you recommend for repairing the bottom of a "royalex" whitewater canoe, that has holes worn down to the foam core? Everything I've tried, has continued to crack/break/peel off with use...nothing seems to stick very well to royalex...not even the special black 2-part royalex resin, that you can buy.

Luke Morter - 13 years ago

hair dryer is not going to help at all. get a heat gun.

Great Outdoor Provision Company - 13 years ago

@Ck129nick Please call our Raleigh Shop @ 919.833.1741 thanks!

Nicholas Chu - 13 years ago

What is the phone number I can call you because I have a kayak need to fix ?

lstvisuals - 13 years ago

This is good if you want to repair your carbon fibre/kevlar boat, with step by step stages - 'How to fix your canoe polo boat' Hope this helps paddlers! :) x