I was recently able to acquire a few canoes at a low price for the youth groups that I lead. I was able to get two of them repaired and one of them was repaired when I got it. A one of them has a little access epoxy here and there and one of them has quite a bit. How picky should I be as far as a smoothness in the bottom of the canoe and for the one that has quite a bit of excess epoxy what’s the best way to deal with that?

If it bugs you too much sand it down with a palm sander is what I would suggest.

Depends on what your concerns are. If the one has so much epoxy that you're worried about added weight then you could go at it with an orbital sander, but be careful not to sand into the kevlar fibers as that can cause bigger issues down the road. It's also going to be a lot of work for a pretty minimal payoff.

If you're worried about a rough/uneven surface I would say it's just cosmetic and leave it alone personally it's not going to be slower or anything (at least not noticeably so)

keth0601: "Depends on what your concerns are. If the one has so much epoxy that you're worried about added weight then you could go at it with an orbital sander, but be careful not to sand into the kevlar fibers as that can cause bigger issues down the road. It's also going to be a lot of work for a pretty minimal payoff.


If you're worried about a rough/uneven surface I would say it's just cosmetic and leave it alone personally it's not going to be slower or anything (at least not noticeably so)"

Yes, the Canoe that I’m more seriously trying to see if I can make it look better has what it looks like an extra 1 to 3 pounds of epoxy pooled in certain areas

CanoeViking: "

keth0601: "Depends on what your concerns are. If the one has so much epoxy that you're worried about added weight then you could go at it with an orbital sander, but be careful not to sand into the kevlar fibers as that can cause bigger issues down the road. It's also going to be a lot of work for a pretty minimal payoff.



If you're worried about a rough/uneven surface I would say it's just cosmetic and leave it alone personally it's not going to be slower or anything (at least not noticeably so)"

Yes, the Canoe that I’m more seriously trying to see if I can make it look better has what it looks like an extra 1 to 3 pounds of epoxy pooled in certain areas"

Do you happen to have any pictures? Even an ounce of resin looks like a lot when applied over a large flat surface. I can't imagine actually getting a full pound anywhere on it.

Tim

Pictures would help. I also think it sounds like the issue may be more cosmetic than weight. I would worry more about the weight in terms of upsetting the balance of the canoe when portaging. Unless you paddle REALLY fast or shoot rapids, only a ragged, large, offset bump would impact paddling. Having said that, if you feel a need to sand I would wet hand sand it. The problem with using an orbital sander is you risk damaging the Kevlar fibers underneath. Wet sanding keeps the dust down.