I have a crack in the outer skin on an Old Town 169. I was told it could be welded, but nobody in the area does that, not even the dealers. Then I was told it could be epoxied, but someone else said the epoxy would crack and I should fill the crack with silicone because it flexes. ANY input would be appreciated,
Thank you
Epoxy will not stick to that stuff.
If the crack is narrow and the material has not moved a lot, you can get some repair sticks from ski supply stores. It isn’t going to last long if it is in a high stress area.
This is the problem with foam core and plain poly when used for canoes. There aren’t any wonderful ways to make the repair.
Poly Repair
Go here: https://crab.secure-host.com/extrasport/oldtowncanoe/catalog.php?fr_sw=0§ion_id=9 and see the 3rd item - polyethelene/royalex repair kit.
I have only repaired one poly canoe - a hole above the waterline which I fixed with bathroom caulk. However, I have repaired many royalex. I have used epoxy & fiberglass. You need to sand the area being repaired and then clean it throughly with acetane.
If you can get some epoxy into the crack, that is all it will probably take. Otherwise repair both inside and outside with the epoxy/fiberglass.
I know many folks say the epoxy won’t stick to the poly but either the poly and epoxy weren’t told that or they’ve tried it without sanding.
I had an engineer/inventor from 3M stop by the other day. He watched me put skid plates on a royalex. He said, “You know that won’t work. Epoxy won’t stick to royalex.” I told him I do it all the time. I’ve done dozens of canoes. I never had a problem.
He just shook his head, and chuckled. I did the same. I guess we both knew we were right. However, I really am right.
Royales repair
I talked to a guy today that said the best to use on royalex is 3M Scotch - Weld Urethane Adhesive 3532. He swears this stuff should be taken with on every trip. I’ll have to check it out, anybody ever use this stuff?
Epoxy repair
I’ve had epoxy stick to the hull for a few months, then start to peel off at the edges. If the repair materal is flexable it should work OK but if it does not flex along with the hull it won’t stick for long.
KenE… Either you’re confused, or
you’re trying to confuse us. Everyone knows that epoxy sticks pretty well to the vinyl skin on ABS, or even better to the underlying ABS, if you scrape the vinyl off first.
Everyone knows that epoxy does not stick well to poly boats like the 169. Sand it, flame it, do what you want… epoxy will not stick well.
The other suggestion about a 3M polyurethane is promising. Polyurethane is quite sticky and more flexible than epoxy. Nevertheless, even urethane is not going to produce the kind of bond to poly that epoxy gives when applied to ABS.
When anyone buys a poly boat, they are buying a very difficult-to-repair product. Hard to break, very hard to fix.
But we’re not talking about poly …
He said it was an OT Discovery 169 which is the "Crosslink " material with the foam core. If it were a pure poly boat, like the Colemans, then I would agree. A Coleman canoe can not be repaired, at least not easily.
He has an Old Town boat. Old Town sells a Polyethylene Repair kit for $46 (epoxy, fiberglass, sand paper, etc.). Again, I have not fixed a Crosslink boat (only royalex) with fiberglass and epoxy, but my assumption is if Old Town sells it as a Polyethylene repair kit that it will repair their polyethylene (crosslink).
Royalex Repair
The 169 I have is made of royalex, a multi-laminate composed of ABS, ABS foam and crosslinked vinyl. The newer 169 models are SuperLink3, a layer of closed cell foam sandwiched by layers of high-density polyethylene. I’m finding out that there is a difference in what will bond to these materials.
Thanks, I was not aware that earlier
boats in that series were made of ABS.
Neither did I
until I started researching the materials, no wonder there is conflicting information. The 3M Scotch-Weld sounds promising but I can’t find it in the small individual size, only the 6 at a time carton. I’ve still got a couple of places to check though.
Try glue stick
https://shop.wildnet.com/products.asp?pline=OUTFIT
They sell glue gun sticks for polyethylene boat repairs. It may not stick to your xlined PE, but it’s cheap to try.
Call Old Town
My old 169 had cracks …I used the OT repair kit and followed the instructions, actually read them through before I started. The kit worked in the areas with the cracks and is still adhered several years later. (you gotta paint it though , looks awful until you so) OT was very helpful on the phone.
RE: the my 169 is Royalex. OT changed the material a few yewars back or more correctly the outer surface has a much smoother appearance and I thought they had used Royalex also as it looke just like my friend’s Tripper. NOPE! OT told me still poly
Old Town
I emailed Old Town, told them when it was purchased, the crack problem, and some of the repair ideas. Hopefully they will respond with some answers to my problem.
Old Town email
Here’s the reply I got back from Old Town
Epoxy and silicone will not stay adhered on a permanent basis. The only adhesive we’ve had any luck with for filling cracks is called MA300. It’s a two part adhesive that although resembles an epoxy, is not one. Some hardware stores and marinas carry it. We sell it online at oldtowncanoe.com for $9.95 under the name Repair Putty.
Thank you
Jessica L. LaBree
Repair Putty
Thought I’d give the repair putty a try and see how it held on a Poly-link kayak but both it and the $50 repair kit are listed as back ordered on the Old Town website. Would like to hear from anyone who has tested the OT repair putty or 3M Scotch weld urethane adhesive mentioned above. I’ve seen repaired poly kayaks so there is something out there that will stick to them.
I have a OT Disco made out of
cross linked poly, and I repaired a crack in it ten years ago using a plastic stick that I purchased in a hardware store which was made specifically for repairing polyethyelene items.
You light the end of the stick and then let the melting material drip into the crack.
The repair is as good today as it was when I first did it, and the canoe has been used in WW over and over.
I have heard that you can use just about any type of plastic, (such as a milk jug) to complish the same repair, but I have never tried it.
Cheers,
JackL
milk jug
I think I’ll pass on the milk jug.
Repair Putty
They are still listed as back ordered on the Old Town website
Glue Stick
The glue stick idea is starting to look better all the time