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Author	Message Text
bobbernumber3	12/30/2023 10:55AM   After just a little thought of a new canoe, I've started down the patch/repair path. On my last trip, my canoe took some abuse portaging and I have a few small cracks to repair. A fiberglass repair kit is a lot cheaper alternative. And my canoe and I have lots of fond memories. Step one was to get the canoe down to the basement where I can work on it Step two was to remove a glued-on D-ring at the crack area. This came off quickly with solvent and cleaned up well. Looks like a fiberglass patch 21" x 4" will cover it on the inside. Outside, I plan to just cover the crack seam with epoxy.
Banksiana	12/30/2023 03:31PM   A couple of key tricks: Clean sour cream or yogurt containers for mixing resin. 1" or 3/4" disposable paint brushes Generous supply of nitrile gloves.
Speckled	12/30/2023 11:29AM   A little glass and epoxy can fix pretty much all damage and if you're good at it, the boat still looks good aesthetically. Good Luck!
bobbernumber3	01/01/2024 10:09AM   This went very well. I put on a single layer of fiberglass. The expoy went on smoothly and soaked the fiberglass mat. I didn't sand the patch area as it looked "grippy" enough. Should I have put on two mats of glass?
arnesr	01/01/2024 10:51AM   That looks pretty good. I always sand the area prior to give the epoxy something mechanical to grip to. You might be ok and have a sufficient chemical bond anyway. I would sand or grind the edges down and put another coat of epoxy to smooth things out. Those edges can be rough and pokey otherwise. I find a cordless angle grinder with a rounded disc to work well, just go slow as to not remove too much material. Does the area feel nice and stiff now? If so, I would not do a second layer. Not sure what weight patch was used.
timatkn	01/01/2024 01:31PM   Nice work, looking good. T
bobbernumber3	12/30/2023 11:35AM   I've never worked with glass and resin. I hope YouTube is helpful!