Spidering Hull of Discovery 158

I just purchased a Old Town Discovery 158 that was manufactured in 1992 (21 years old). The bottom of the Hull has UV damage with dry/spidering of the outer-layer (also deep gouges). No leaks at this time, but afraid of becoming more brittle over time, then possible leaks. Any recommendations to repair spidering ? Kevlar sheeting bonded with epoxy resin maybe ? Spidering runs entire underside of canoe. Any help/direction would be appreciated. Thanks…

It’s done

Just paddle!
I would not add ANY more weight to that particular canoe just to make it feel more structurally sound. Its probably just fine and still tough enough for your needs.

Mine is 20 years old
It weighs 80 pounds. If I added a layer of kevlar and epoxy, I would need a crane to pick it up!

That boat is/was cross linked polyetheylene.

I agree with charlie.



Jack L

Anyway, most epoxies won’t stick well
enough. And Kevlar is a rotten “outside” cloth because it has little compression strength and fuzzes when abraded.



Spider cracks notwithstanding, I doubt that the damage has gone deep enough. UV may have made the outside poly layer brittle, but the inside layer should be OK.



So, I’d just paddle it until it breaks. Just don’t take it on any wilderness expeditions or use it on whitewater. It’s not really much good for those purposes anyway.