I guess I should say, "Hi!" first. First post. Tripped over this canoe and decided to buy it. Discovered its heritage and thought it'd be neat to try and restore it sufficiently that it'd be useful again.

Sawyer Cruiser 17'-9". Believe it must be the "light kevlar" version. Definitely lighter than 54lbs. Aluminum gunwales and interesting looking kevlar deck covers riveted on fore and aft.

Could fall apart at any moment based on lack of resin over fabric exterior and exposure to sun and atmospheric fallout for say, decades?

It'll be good resto/maintenance training anyway. I hope it survives. It'd be a blessing, a real blessing.

Here's a photo or two below the signature.... Right now, just have to get it clean and then disassemble for repairs.



and when I discovered that I would need advice on cleaning/prep/cleaning, etc. :)

Welcome.
It looks like it sat outside for a long long time.
Yup, you need new epoxy or vinyl resin over the outside.
I am very familiar with epoxy but not vinyl ester.

TSP cleaner will get all that stuff off the outside. I’m sure there is plenty of life left in the canoe once the outside is repaired.
Tom

tumblehome: "Welcome.
It looks like it sat outside for a long long time.
Yup, you need new epoxy or vinyl resin over the outside.
I am very familiar with epoxy but not vinyl ester.

TSP cleaner will get all that stuff off the outside. I’m sure there is plenty of life left in the canoe once the outside is repaired.
Tom"

Yes, I am going to use epoxy rather than the vinyl ester used originally. Just need to get it clean down to something not oxidized. So I ordered a selection of nylon rotary brushes, both with and without various grades of abrasive. Going to try and use abrasives as little as possible.

I'm hoping my exposure to composites in helicopters and rocketry will be transferable to some degree on "marine" stuff.

Thanks for the pointer to TSP... I'll give it a test shot.

Thank you very much for the response!

Be well!

I'm not familiar with how those canoes were layed up. If the outermost layer is Kevlar, be careful not to abrade the surface. Stop right away if the kevlar starts to fuzz. You might consider putting down a layer of 4oz s-glass below the waterline if the surface isn't smooth, or if you think the canoe needs a little more abrasion resistance. It would add a couple pounds but might be worth it.

mkdixon: "I'm not familiar with how those canoes were layed up. If the outermost layer is Kevlar, be careful not to abrade the surface. Stop right away if the kevlar starts to fuzz. You might consider putting down a layer of 4oz s-glass below the waterline if the surface isn't smooth, or if you think the canoe needs a little more abrasion resistance. It would add a couple pounds but might be worth it."

Yes sir. I have some experience dealing with aramid fabrics, cords, etc. Hence, my desire to use as little abrasive action as possible. My quandary is trying to get the "dead" layer of resin out of the dimples between warp and weft on the outer layer of "Kevlar". I am concerned that I will not get an adequate chemical bond between the old vinyl-ester resin (remains) and the new (West Systems) epoxy.

What I am trying to do is remove the contamination with cleaners and nylon brushes, Oxiclean, tsp, tsp-pf, or similar. Then, with minimal or no abrasion with the "right" chemical "wash", get a "clean" layer of fabric/resin to bond to.... then get it dry... like really dry. THEN, work on the re-coat.

Yes, I am in fact considering a sacrificial/protective fiberglass "finish" coat on top. We'll see.

My wife and I are getting older. I want to keep the weight down so I can still comfortably portage the thing.

This canoe appears to be 100% kevlar inside and out. Looks like the "light" version of the 17'-9" Cruiser model.

Thanks for the response!

You've been forewarned of the Fuzz.
Be very careful not to use a cleaner, that will leave any residue ! I have always used Acetone.

If the hull seems stiff ? Yeah, just epoxy. If the foam core is in good shape, again just epoxy.
4 oz S-glass is a great outer layer. Maybe just up to the 3 or 4" water line.
Great project !

Jim

1JimD: " You've been forewarned of the Fuzz.
Be very careful not to use a cleaner, that will leave any residue ! I have always used Acetone. If the hull seems stiff ? Yeah, just epoxy. If the foam core is in good shape, again just epoxy. 4 oz S-glass is a great outer layer. Maybe just up to the 3 or 4" water line.

Great project !
Jim"

Thank you for the response.

Yes sir, I am familiar with Kevlar's idiosyncratic behavior under abrasive action.

I am OCD about cleaning, no residues, et al. Acetone and 99.9% ISO, et al. will definitely be used to make sure no organic compounds remain.

I'll weigh the craft once I have it "clean" and decide on the fiberglass veil with that bit of information in-hand.

Thanks again!