Would love any input you have on this. I noticed a small crack at the end of last year inside my wenonah Spirit II.

I haven’t been able to test it in water at all yet. However, I’m fairly certain these support ridges are hollow on the inside and I would take in any water through the crack alone. I’m worried about it expanding under the full load of gear and another person. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Hi Shoman,

Looks like a cracked rib. It probably won't leak but it is a soft spot in your canoe that you need to repair with a fiberglass patch on the inside.

Sand the area to be repaired with 60 grit paper. Use two pieces of 5 ounce woven glass, one cut larger than the other. Wet out the patches with polyester resin. Apply the smaller patch first, cover it with the larger patch and smooth out with a brush and a little more resin. You can sand any rough edges once it's fully cured.

This is an easy fix. Here's an article about gel coat repair that shows the steps of making a patch like this:

https://kitchi-gami.com/2018/05/20/gel-coat-repair-for-mortals/

Hope this helps!

Brian from Wenonah

Clean, sand, Waterweld stick epoxy.

BassmasterP: "Clean, sand, Waterweld stick epoxy."

Thanks that seems like a real affordable option and a perfect fix.

I have an older (1987) Wenonah that I bought with 2 cracked ribs. The boat would oilcan. Those ribs are there to maintain the structural integrity and shape of the hull. Based on that crack location, the rib is unable to do its job locally, and will stress the hull, not to mention hull efficiency loss.

It should be repaired with a fiberglass patch. If you are cheap like me you can get away with the Bondo polyester resin and fiberglass from the hardware store. Make sure to paint over it or the UV will wreck it in short order.

This is about a 10 minute, beginner level repair to do it the right way. I agree with Brian's approach. If you just goop some epoxy over the crack, the hull will flex and crack again.

Good luck!

ayudell: "I have an older (1987) Wenonah that I bought with 2 cracked ribs. The boat would oilcan. Those ribs are there to maintain the structural integrity and shape of the hull. Based on that crack location, the rib is unable to do its job locally, and will stress the hull, not to mention hull efficiency loss.


It should be repaired with a fiberglass patch. If you are cheap like me you can get away with the Bondo polyester resin and fiberglass from the hardware store. Make sure to paint over it or the UV will wreck it in short order.


This is about a 10 minute, beginner level repair to do it the right way. I agree with Brian's approach. If you just goop some epoxy over the crack, the hull will flex and crack again.


Good luck!"

It really is an easy repair. And you do need to stiffen the hull in that spot where the rib cracked.

Bondo polyester and hardware store cloth works great. You don't really even need to paint over it. Keep it simple, but fix it right and you'll be happier in the long run!

Brian

ayudell: "I have an older (1987) Wenonah that I bought with 2 cracked ribs. The boat would oilcan. Those ribs are there to maintain the structural integrity and shape of the hull. Based on that crack location, the rib is unable to do its job locally, and will stress the hull, not to mention hull efficiency loss.


It should be repaired with a fiberglass patch. If you are cheap like me you can get away with the Bondo polyester resin and fiberglass from the hardware store. Make sure to paint over it or the UV will wreck it in short order.


This is about a 10 minute, beginner level repair to do it the right way. I agree with Brian's approach. If you just goop some epoxy over the crack, the hull will flex and crack again.


Good luck!"

Also a good idea. Thanks for steering me straight!

Everyone is pointing you the right direction by doing fiberglass and resin repair.

I had an old We-no-nah canoe that was outfitters special. The way I fix the cracks was to first clean up the damaged area.

Take your dremel tool with sanding drum on it. Extend the sanding drum a little beyond the rubber holder. Now using a putty knife to protect the good edge of the crack you can carefully use sanding drum cut away the damaged area.

To repair just layer on pieces of fiberglass to built up the damaged area.

Out of curiosity, why is it suggested to fix with a fibreglass cloth if it’s a Kevlar canoe? Is it wrong to patch with the original material ? Just curious. I’ve seen some people patch with Kevlar that’s why I ask.

ProdigiousN00b: "Out of curiosity, why is it suggested to fix with a fibreglass cloth if it’s a Kevlar canoe? Is it wrong to patch with the original material ? Just curious. I’ve seen some people patch with Kevlar that’s why I ask. "

Kevlar and fiberglass have very similar properties. Kevlar has an advantage in strength to weight ratio, which is why it is used in ultralight canoes. Fiberglass gets used in repairs because it is much easier to work with and more available. Also, fiberglass can be sanded, and kevlar cannot. The fiberglass repair will be just as strong as kevlar, it just requires an extra layer. The weight disadvantage for a little repair like this is obviously negligible.

ayudell: "

ProdigiousN00b: "Out of curiosity, why is it suggested to fix with a fibreglass cloth if it’s a Kevlar canoe? Is it wrong to patch with the original material ? Just curious. I’ve seen some people patch with Kevlar that’s why I ask. "

Kevlar and fiberglass have very similar properties. Kevlar has an advantage in strength to weight ratio, which is why it is used in ultralight canoes. Fiberglass gets used in repairs because it is much easier to work with and more available. Also, fiberglass can be sanded, and kevlar cannot. The fiberglass repair will be just as strong as kevlar, it just requires an extra layer. The weight disadvantage for a little repair like this is obviously negligible. "

This is exactly correct.

Brian

Here is the update:

I actually found another cracked rib— maybe from when my fiancé moved it recently.

Anyways, I repaired them both today. The tough part is knowing how far to sand into the material. I had trouble with that I think, but erred on the side of being as thorough as possible. I reposted the entire hull last summer after buying it and just felt like I was sanding forever.

Anyways, it seems like the bondi has set up nicely after 2 hrs. Gonna leave it another 1.5 just to be on the safe side.

Nice job!
Brian, great advice.
Now you can beat the tar out of your canoe, and know that you can fix 'er up afterwards. Just kidding!
It is nice to know that they can be fixed so easily though, isn't it?

It is… and now I have a ton of the cloth.