How much will it cost to have work done?

I recently recieved a free 15’ Core Craft canoe. It is fiberglass and gelcoated. Not too long ago I forgot to tye down front rope and it eventually got caught under tire and the tip touched the ground. Needless to say it caused some damage. I have no desire to fix it up myself because I lack the time, tools, and interest and was wondering if anyone knew a ball park figure as to how much I should expect the repairs to cost if done by a professional.

not sure if anyone would touch it
Core Craft refers to a cedar core. Its an old boat.



Pictures?



http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Bemidji



Mostly the company made outboards…but so then did a lot of canoe makers.

pics
https://plus.google.com/photos/115190967419824364029/albums/5829618934373983137

Just go to your local boat repair shop
and have them give an estimate. And its up to you if the estimate is palatable. To me the damage does not look so bad. It looks like some fiberglass cloth will do the trick.



Others with more repair experience will chime in.

"I lack the time, tools, and interest"
You should choose another hobby.



Seriously it looks like you could fix this boat yourself for about $30.

What could I get for $30 to help it?
Called the boat place nearby and this is the message I got back.

Hello,

thank you for visiting our website, currently we do not have anyone to recommend. There were several people

doing just what you are looking for but they are no longer around… Perhaps you may have some luck contacting

a large marina that may have a subcontractor that helps them with these types of repairs? Good luck.

Irene



So I have no choice now. So The cracks there are in the fiberglass as well. I am not handy at all so method would be easiest and least time consuming for me to do.

kayak repair
It’s not logical to ask for a quote in an e-mail post or a phone call. You will have to show it to someone with experience in fiberglass repairs. Some damage is relatively easy to fix, some is complex. If you are not looking for a perfect fix, it’s not really difficult to work with fiberglass.

What are the gunwales made of?
The pictures suggest that the gunwales and thwarts are made of some type of plastic.



G Flex epoxy bonds most plastics well. You can buy a small amount of G Flex (4oz of resin and 4 oz of hardener along with some mixing cups, plastic stir stick/applicators, syringes (handy for getting mixed epoxy down into cracks) and silica powder to thicken the epoxy (advisable for bonding and filling voids) as well as a couple pairs of gloves for $26.75. That would be the 650-K G Flex epoxy repair kit on this page: http://kayak.nrsweb.com/search/?p=Q&w=G%20Flex



If you can figure out a way to approximate the cracks you can fill them in with thickened epoxy. You should also buy a small amount of fiberglass cloth. Ask for 6 ounce per yard E fiberglass cloth. You can probably get some at a local boating store and you just need enough to cut some patches to put on the inside and outside of the breaks, overlapping the fractures by about 2 inches. You can use the G Flex epoxy to wet out the cloth.

what wrong w/the pics link ???
… it has no underline , plus I can’t open it .



I wouldn’t mind taking a look …

Call your local surf shop
and ask them if they have a repair guy that is good.



You might have to call two or three before you get someone who will do it, but it won’t be neurosurgery.

Here’s a Corecraft that chances to be
parked by our MR Synergy in a MacDonalds parking lot south of Starved Rock State Park last summer.



http://flic.kr/p/dbg3qM



From the damage in the OP’s photos, much of the work would be spreading the split in the gunwale a bit, cleaning out any dirt, and then spreading some thickened G-flex into the crack. The crack would then be closed with spring clamps (no need for ultra force, just enough to bring the crack close to closed) and then let the G-flex set. I’m not sure the crack would need any additional reinforcement, but I might cut some narrow strips of 6 oz glass to lay over the top. After smoothing and cleaning, the strips can be wet out with G-flex. Some Glad food wrap over the glass and resin will make for a smoother final result.



I’m not sure if I visualize the damage to the opposite gunwale correctly, but it looks like it may be split crossways. This may require a bit more aggressive a repair. The first step is to clamp some wood pieces below the split to fore the gunwale back into line. Next, some filing and grinding on the outside of the crack will open it for one to work in first some non-thickened, and then some thickened G-flex. Keep the resin off the wood pieces, but don’t take them out yet.



I would put 3 or 4 layers of fiberglass across the top of the split, the largest/longest first and so on with shorter pieces down to the smallest. Glad food wrap and allow to dry.



You know, you could epoxy a longitudinal piece of stiff wood, or white PVC pipe, right under the inside gunwale. That would protect the repair to the cross-split gunwale. If the PVC pipe is the right size, you can slip your fishing rod through it when you’re not using it.

That damage would be no problem to fix

– Last Updated: Jan-05-13 12:43 AM EST –

with a West System Fiberglass boat repair kit. West Marine has them for about $35.00.

I used one to repair a Sunfish sailboat that I rescued from a dumpster that was damaged far worse than that canoe is. The kit comes with everything you need including glass cloth, packets of resin and hardener. It even has instructions. In addition to the kit you will need a sander. If you won't have one a sanding block will work but takes more elbow grease. I you f--- up the first time (I did) just grind it it out with the sander and try again.

Just one tip though the West System fairign compound that comes with the kit is maddening as hell to work with, so I finally gave up on it and used bondo to fair it with. After I finished the repair i primed it with rustoleum topside primer, then painted it with Rustoleum Topside paint and it looks new. My neighbor saw me sailing it and thought it was a brand new boat.

Check out Youtube, there are a number of videos on how to repair fiberglass. That is what I did because I knew nothing about repairing fiberglass, but couldn't bear to see a boat that looked fixable go to the landfill.

I would forget having a professional do it. They generally are not even interested in fooling with jobs that small and will probably want way more to fix it than it would cost you to buy another canoe. If you are determined to have it professionally repaired find out if there are any sailing schools around and call them and ask who repairs their boats. Kids learnign to sail are always ramming the dock or each other and cracking them up.

BEWARE, working on boats is more addictive than meth. Your place will soon look like a boatyard with all the free boats you will drag home to fix up with your newfound fiberglass skills. While looking for parts for my Sunfish I was gifted with two other damaged Sunfishes and a fifty year old wooden Sailfish that I am restoring. I also am in the process of completing a Chesapeake Light Craft kayak kit that I bought dirt cheap off craigslist from a guy who started building it and never got around to finishing it.

Select, copy and paste. It opens.
This forum doesn’t convert long links properly anyway. But I just found that Flickr shortens links in tinyURL style. Very convenient. I put a link to a picture of a Corecraft in my post later in this thread.

thanks g2d , see them now …
… I can’t tell from the photos how much structural damage is involved .



Would need to investigate further , I’d probably try to spread the cracks to see the extent of break through , use under light and such .



In any case it don’t look too bad , but only a personal inspection could reveal damage extent I think .