What do I use????

[DRIFTER]

I've got a 30 year old canoe that has seen alot of sandy/rocky abuse. Its still in good shape, but I'd like to put a little more glass on the bottom and look as though I knew what I was doing. The main problem is, I don't! Any recommendations would be appreciated!

[Lute Hawkins]

Is the canoe fiberglass or aluminum or rolayex or birch bark or kevlar or polylink or canvas over wood?

[Grandpa Paddler]

Try asking here:

http://www.neilbank.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=eeffdd76b902d2cf2408fb82d512ab1d

[DRIFTER]

Is the canoe fiberglass or aluminum or rolayex or birch bark or kevlar or polylink or canvas over wood?

Fiberglass.... I did a few patches over the years and the clear glass I rolled on turned cloudy. I know its the bottom of the canoe and it doesn't show while afloat; However, it makes me look bad on the drive up! Just looking for a little more polished look.......And I've already tried your rib sauce on her, it was a no go!


[Quote=Grandpa Paddler]Try asking here:
http://www.neilbank.com/phpBB2/viewf...fb82d51 2ab1d


Thanks for the link, If I can't get any recommendations, I'll register and give it a try!

[charlie wilson]

Three options. We have done all three over the years.

1. A new fiberglass half bottom This requires marking the waterline, masking the sides, sanding, acetone wipe, laminating glass over the bottom, peel plying the edges, then sanding the result. You can mix colored gel with the resin to conceal the glass. Resin, FG cloth, Rollers, masks, aprons and gloves required, as is lots of time. Most old hulls are not worth this intensive a repair.

2. Re-gel the bottom. Mark, mask, sand and wipe as above. Spray on a 10 mil layer of gel, then sand out. This requires mask, gloves, tyvek suit and a cup gun with air supply. And lots of time to sand out to 1200 grit.

3. Paint the bottom. Mark, mask, light sand, wipe and spray two cans spray enamel. Future repairs are a quick, localized, spray. This is the least helpful of all the options, but often the most appropriate for a well used hull.

To mark the waterline, fine a flat piece of concrete. block the hull upright. Tape a magic marker to the top of a 5" chunk of 2X4; skid it around the hull on the concrete, the felt tip marking your magic line. Turn the hull over, run a tape line along the scribed line. Mask with plastic or newspapers to that tape, proceed with a light sanding.

[DRIFTER]

Thanks again Mr. Wilson, you always supply a wealth of knowledge on these things!
Is the half bottom a precut fiberglass cloth and what exactly is peel plying? Sorry for the stupid questions....I really appreciated your response!!!




*** I know the canoe is 30 yrs old, but it doesn't look a day over 29 and I like it!

[charlie wilson]

sure, one would want to dry cut the fabric roughly to size before laminating; then do a final cut when wet.

Peel ply is a sheer, coated, nylon fabric. Placing peel ply strips along the edge of the wet cloth and wetting it out keeps the fabric down on the hull; eliminating the need for sanding the edge smooth.

[Awetcanoe]

One thing you might want to do is to contact the manufacturer and find out what resin was originally used in the construction of your boat.
In some applications it will make a difference in the finished work.

[DRIFTER]

Thanks all, I'm going to give it a shot as soon as we put some warmer weather together. I'll let you know how it turns out......

[chairrock]

Don't forget to wear a good mask when sanding ,and always sand outside .A disc sander can be used , if you are good with it,we call ours THE SCREAMER, it will cut right thru the hull in a flash if you aren't way careful.(it is really a body grinder with 60-80 grit disc) It is for very coarse/rough work.You really do need a lite touch with it, but it is FAST. GOGGLES TOO!

[charlie wilson]

resin and sanding

Polyester won't stick to VE or epoxy. Some VEs won't stick to epoxy. Then again, doubtful a 30 year old hull is anything but Poly. We use an epoxy based VE that bonds wherever we put it.

Sanding should be done by hand with a foam block. 120 grit prior to lamination.
Then 120, 320, 600, 1000 and 1200; the last 4 wet.

All in all, unless it's an early Mad River in Kevlar, I'd mask and paint. The cost of rebottoming is probably in excess of the hull's value.

[DRIFTER]

When I bought it, the gentleman did mention something about kevlar ?? It's a Great Canadian and is in very servicable condition, no leaks or cracks, just scratches and some wear from the years on the bottom. Would I be best off E-mailing GC to try to find out what they used in making it before I went ahead? I'm probably getting a new canoe this year, but I wanted a solo and I would love to keep this one to camp with my kids......

[WaterRings]

Just paint it

If it were my boat I would not get involved in an extensive fiberglass project unless the hull was compromised in some way. Additional layers of fiberglass will only add unnecessary weight when you only want to make it look presentable again. I would sand down the entire hull with an orbital sander and take it to your local body shop and get it painted. Corvettes are fiberglass and get painted every day. Do the sanding outside. You will never get the deep scratches out but the shallow ones will sand out and the paint will make the boat look brand new. The fiberglass fumes will also kill too many brain cells. The prefered method to kill brain cells is with a good lager. Good luck.

JC

[DRIFTER]

QUOTE; The fiberglass fumes will also kill too many brain cells. The prefered method to kill brain cells is with a good lager. Good luck.

JC


Not to worry, the brain cells deteriorated long ago, but the lager lives on. Try Bluepoint Hopticalillusion, stupid name, great beer. Your probably right, but, I wanted to add a little more glass to the bottom for strength, its getting a little thin from use. I just didn't want it to look all patched up if you know what I mean...The body shop idea was interesting!