Still in denial here ... found a minty Kevlar UL Prism locally last week and got it for my wife for our anniversary I was hiding it in the brush behind the house. 80 mph wind storms came off lake Michigan a couple nights ago and guess where it toppled a tree. The damage looks to be a number of longish "cracks" in the epoxy from the tree compressing the hull (it was upside down) but pretty sure the aramid is intact. There are no punctures. Is it possible to simply apply epoxy to these areas under release cloth, or will I need to put down a layer of cloth? Will try to load some pictures.

from outside

Tough break man.

Have you put it in the water since the incident? If the hull doesn’t deform I would leave it alone as long as I could. If it does I would epoxy in a double layer patch of Kevlar and fiberglass.

I’m certainly no expert and my experience is limited to patching up one outfitter abused canoe. Looking forward to hearing other ideas.

Good luck!

Ugh is right. Insurance?

schweady: "Ugh is right. Insurance?
"

Yes, but still ... it was in super good condition.

I would apply a fiberglass patch inside; 3-4" wide strips of cloth with some overlap. On the outside I would carefully rough the area and paint with epoxy. You may need some cloth (again I would use fiberglass not kevlar) on the outside as well depending on how much play the damage causes in the hull.

Well. State Farm Insurance will not cover this. The canoe "must be inside a garage or other enclosure" for it to be covered. Basically, protected from any risk of damage, for them to cover damage. I'm steaming a little right now.

So provide support and stiffening from the inside, makes sense. Why not kevlar though? Curious why Glass.

thanks.

I have Country Companies homeowner insurance, and added my Prism to it as an additional named item. Costs me $18 per year. It is my understanding that it cover damage/destruction, whether it flew off the top of my vehicle, was stolen, or something pretty bad happened to it, e.g. tree falling on it. I do store mine inside a garage though.

I should probably check to confirm the above. It may be that you have to have told the insurance company that you just bought an expensive item, e.g. $2,000 canoe, $5,000 guitar, etc., and have it listed on the policy, for which they will charge a small annual amount.

Tomster

Model94: "Why not kevlar though? Curious why Glass. "

Glass is much easier to work with and gives good results. Wets out clear. Don't need kevlar for a stiffening patch.

There's also these folks that can sell you the kevlar cloth and two-part resin, made by West I think. It's pretty straight forward to apply and not that expensive. You probably won't use all of it and you can save the materials in case any of your other canoes need a repair (hopefully, not any time soon!).

I've used it on my boats and I liked the results. There are videos to walk you through the process.

I've repaired two kevlar canoes. I agree with what Banksiana suggested. And you use glass rather than kevlar because you can not sand kevlar or it will fuss up badly. You can sand the glass after the epoxy has cured and it will basically disappear.

+1 on fg.....wets clear, you won't even see it.

excellent help everyone I appreciate it.

Don't put it in the water before you repair it! Water will wick into those cracks and take forever to dry out.

Fiberglass on the inside, 4 or 6 ounce cloth. Just resin on the outside. If you feel you need cloth on the outside there is a 2 ounce cloth that works good. I have even used a 3/4 ounce on the outside of a repair.

Model94: "So provide support and stiffening from the inside, makes sense. Why not kevlar though? Curious why Glass.


thanks. "

1. Glass is a lot easier to work with (easier to cut, wet out and apply).
2. Glass will give a better finish and create a more seamless appearance.
3. A couple of pieces of fiberglass will be just as strong as a Kevlar piece.
4. It will sand nicely.
If the hull Is soft and flexy I would start with fiberglass patches on the inside first and lightly sand the outside and apply some fresh resin there. That should take care of it.

Model94: "Well. State Farm Insurance will not cover this. The canoe "must be inside a garage or other enclosure" for it to be covered. Basically, protected from any risk of damage, for them to cover damage. I'm steaming a little right now. "

I dumped State Farm Years ago. Erie insurance now. Better coverage and much more reasonable rates. I've had two claims and never had a rate increase.

And my canoes are covered. Heck all my utilities are covered. Typically utilities are a homeowners responsibility.

Sorry about your canoe. And agree with what others have said about fiberglass much easier to work with.

Good luck!!!

While this site (and the suggestions you find here) are great, you might want to just email the manufacturer and tell them what happened and show them the pics. More than likely they will be more than happy to provide suggestions on repair. I did it with my Wenonah when I refinished it and they were very helpful.

quark2222: "I have Country Companies homeowner insurance, and added my Prism to it as an additional named item. Costs me $18 per year. It is my understanding that it cover damage/destruction, whether it flew off the top of my vehicle, was stolen, or something pretty bad happened to it, e.g. tree falling on it. I do store mine inside a garage though.


I should probably check to confirm the above. It may be that you have to have told the insurance company that you just bought an expensive item, e.g. $2,000 canoe, $5,000 guitar, etc., and have it listed on the policy, for which they will charge a small annual amount.


Tomster"

A standard homeowners generally won't cover this.......but a rider specifically purchased to cover that canoe would.

I'd bitch about this to my agent.........especially IF you though you were covered.

Later,
Geo

RT: "While this site (and the suggestions you find here) are great, you might want to just email the manufacturer and tell them what happened and show them the pics. More than likely they will be more than happy to provide suggestions on repair. I did it with my Wenonah when I refinished it and they were very helpful."

This is the best advice of all...

sns: "This is the best advice of all..."

Possibly, but the comments above from experienced people are totally valid.

I think the advice you got here is sound, and running the photos by Wenonah is never a bad idea. Sorry the boat got squished but it's definitely repairable. As others have said, fiberglass on the inside unless it's really mushy then I'd consider kevlar in the heaviest damaged places.

When I restored my Northstar I got materials from Sweet Composites in Vermont, and now I probably have a lifetime supply of kevlar and s-glass.

Model94: "Well. State Farm Insurance will not cover this. The canoe "must be inside a garage or other enclosure" for it to be covered. Basically, protected from any risk of damage, for them to cover damage. I'm steaming a little right now. "

Wow. Good to know. Would they have covered it if it was stolen? That's just bs. When there is a hail storm,insurance companies will cover marks in the fence, and patio furniture. how is that different?

Model94: "Is it possible to simply apply epoxy to these areas under release cloth, or will I need to put down a layer of cloth?

Hello Model94

I have repaired canoes and other boats with both Fiberglass and Kevlar. I pretty much keep epoxy and kevlar and fiberglass in my basement waiting for the next project.

Kevlar does wick water to a greater degree than fiberglass and when it has been oilcanned like that it loses some of the rigidity since the epoxy has lost its strength. So yes as posted upthread you do want to use some cloth over the repairs to regain the strength of the original composite, and you do want to get the area sealed before it gets wet.

You are going to have to sand before you apply a repair and that can be problematic over kevlar. It's going to tend to fur up and make a mess. Don't try to sand through that, just sand down to the point where it starts to get furry and call it good enough.

It doesn't matter much whether you use kevlar or glass. Glass is easier to sand down at the edges and blend in.

You will want to apply the cloth and wet it out with epoxy. Ideally you would then wait until the epoxy approaches the gel point and put on another coat of epoxy to fill the low areas in the cloth. That minimizes sanding.

After a full cure you will want to sand. You then have a choice of applying filler if you want to even out any low spots for cosmetic reasons. I use a microballoon additive for the epoxy to make filler. Then sand again, repeat filler and sanding as necessary to get it as fair as you want.

The microballoons and other additives are all opaque and so if you are trying to maintain the skimcoat appearance you will have to use plain epoxy which is nearly impossible to sand.

Then paint. Epoxy isn't UV resistant so you have to paint it or at least put on clear varnish. I use Interlux Perfection (color) or Perfection Plus (clear) which wear like iron and are easy to apply but they are expensive and toxic. It isn't necessary to prime over the epoxy as long as you remove amine blush per the directions on the paint or the epoxy.

Good results so far with interior, cutting woven glass and wetting with epoxy. Surprisingly easy to be honest. I put in the first set of strips maybe 2" wide, then overlayed a second set 4-5" wide. It looks nearly invisible. will let that cure, maybe sand and roll a final coat, then begin with the outside shell.

I have repaired a couple of kevlar boats, one was severely in need of repair. I would start by spreading a layer of marine epoxy over all the cracks and let it set up. I would use a large layer of fine weave fiberglass cloth on the inside of the boat, large enough to cover all of the damage with one piece. Wet it out clear with epoxy. After it sets up for a couple days you can try out the boat.

If it paddles okay and you can press on the damaged areas and they feel like the undamaged hull, some light sanding of the cloth and some varnish to resist UV.

If you want it stronger you can add more glass.