I purchased a brand new, Northwind Solo, last fall from a dealer in Ely. It was in the water once to test it out and then I brought it home and stored it in the garage for the winter. Wrapped an old carpet around it to protect it from any scratches.

Well I finally got around to taking it out this summer and while tying it down to the canoe trailer, noticed that there was several spots damaged that had not been there when I brought it home. I for the life of me could not figure out how this had happened until I sat by 6 year old down and asked if he had been playing around it. He admitted that he and a neighbor had been walking and jumping on the canoe while it was in the garage over the winter. Probably about 90 pounds between the two of them. Boy am I POd!!

Can anyone tell me what exactly Im looking at here? Does this damage need to be fixed or is just mostly cosmetic? Their are no "cracks" that penatrate through to the other side and it seems to keep out any water. Thanks for any advice you might have...

If I lived close enough I would just haul it up to Northstar in Princeton, MN and se what they think. They are really good people. I'd call first just to make sure someone who can help you is there.

Bill

get it on the water and get it scratched up BWCA style.

oh are they in trouble....maybe you should hire a lawyer.?

dr bob

Aramid fibers are very strong when it comes to tensile strength, but resin bonding to aramid is not as good as one would like. As a result, under severe stress, the fibers will disassociate from the resin matrix rather than fracture.

These light colored lines are evidence that the hull was stressed enough to cause some fibers to start to delaminate. If the hull does not feel soft to pressure in these areas, and there is no other sign of damage, I probably wouldn't worry about it too much.

You could probably email the photos to Ted Bell at NorthStar Canoe and ask for his opinion.

You're fine. Go get it scratched up. A new canoe is only perfect until it's first trip. Enjoy it for the beautiful tool that it is.

quote pblanc: "Aramid fibers are very strong when it comes to tensile strength, but resin bonding to aramid is not as good as one would like. As a result, under severe stress, the fibers will disassociate from the resin matrix rather than fracture.


These light colored lines are evidence that the hull was stressed enough to cause some fibers to start to delaminate. If the hull does not feel soft to pressure in these areas, and there is no other sign of damage, I probably wouldn't worry about it too much.


You could probably email the photos to Ted Bell at NorthStar Canoe and ask for his opinion."

I will definitely email Ted and see what he has to say. I don't mind scratches at all (and to be clear these are NOT just scratches), but if there is a chance that the structural integrity has been compromised, then I need to get it fixed. There are broad areas on the hull that can be "flexed" when you push on it (much more so than my SR wilderness and 3 man. However, it has been like that from day one and I considered that to be normal for this type of canoe.

When I looked at your pictures I flipped back to an experience with my new Magic in 2013. I observed what I thought were cracks in the resin liner and posted concerns here. I contacted Ted Bell and dropped it off at his place while on a tandem trip to the BWCA. When I returned he explained how folds may occur during the vacuum process and showed me boats in the vacuum bag. I had a full tour and explanation on how the boat is designed and works. I left with great confidence in how a light and flimsy boat can be so strong. Still going so. Since I have found other boat builders and repair folks often mentioned here that have similar great customer service. I am sure you will be reassured.

quote Diego: ".. I sat my 6 year old down and asked if he had been playing around it. He admitted that he and a neighbor had been walking and jumping on the canoe while it was in the garage over the winter. "

I'm sorry for your misfortune, but this made me LOL- I can easily see my 5-year old doing this exact thing. The irony is that they might not have jumped on it if you didn't cover it with old carpet to protect it!
The boat is probably fine. I have a kevlight magic in that layup- its pretty robust.

quote oldirtybassturd: "get it on the water and get it scratched up BWCA style."

Yep. Seems that rocks will jump up out of deep water to specifically target new boats. You can still take good care of it at landings- but acceptance of the inevitable is a beautiful peripeteia.

I'd think your ok, but a chat or communication with Ted or Bear is never a bad thing. Reassurance is always nicer at that level. One day though after many trips you'll think... "boy remember the day all I had was a couple stress marks?" Enjoy your Northstar. And keep loving those kids.

I've been in boat repair ever since I worked for Ted in the early to mid 90's. It's just cosmetic. Unless your boat is "squishy" when you're using it, no reinforcement is needed.
Kent

I got an email back from Bear. Thought others reading this might be interested..

"You've got stress cracks. The lamination has been damaged. If the white lines are on the interior of the canoe and below the waterline you should fix them. White lines above the waterline are not as important to fix, but still recommended. If the only white lines are on the exterior, it's much less of a concern.

We recommend patching with fiberglass. It's easy to use and makes invisible patches. We have a composite repair kit on our website that you can purchase. "

So does anybody have a good tutorial site on applying fiberglass patches?

Check out this thread. Pete (pblanc) has done some remarkable work fixing up damaged canoes and lent his expertise to this thread.
Canoe Repair

My son destroyed a lot of gear! Good luck on the repairs! Hopefully this will be the worst thing he ever does! Lol

Hey Diego,

Sorry your canoe got damaged by the minions.

Ozarkpaddler linked to my thread regarding my garage sale find. The amount of info that pblanc and others have shared there is incredible & I feel like I am much more likely to be successful in my repairs because of it.

Good luck!

Diego,

What was the final conclusion? What did you do?