I have found what the seller says is a Mohawk fiberglass canoe. I tree limb fell on it. It needs to be repaired. I have built some wood fiberglass canoes in the past. This thing really needs help. Should I tackle this or run? I feel I have the skills and am looking for a project. Looks like the gel coat has cracked and separated from the woven roving. Thoughts?
All you need to know…
http://scooter-bangortoportland.blogspot.com/2011/01/rebuild-of-mad-river-courier.html
Doug just finished restoring a Mad River Courier.
I fixed a malecite
that I think had been wrapped. The method is to sand the jellcoat completely away in the patch area which should extend two or three inches from the breaks. You will need a gentle touch with the disc sander. Put two layers of cloth on each inside and outside with polyester resin. It is at the auto parts store or hardware store. lap the patches one inch and two inches minimum beyond the break.
I would take a look at how much I could get out of a resurected Mohawk before buying it. They dont have much market value.
which is a royalex boat
It depends
on what model it is. Mohawk did build some sophisticated fiberglass boats. I have a Jensen WWIII built by them. Putting effort into on of these kinds of designs is well worth it. Might not be the case if the boat was a run of the mill cheap glass boat.
Patched Both
I too have a Malecite that I've laid patches on and need to add some skid plates to due to just plain old age. From my rebuild of the Courier I really did not find a whole lot of difference in working with cloth and resin on RX vs F/G. Both need a lot of prep work which is where I think the key is. Unlike a poly boat I didn't to run a torch to make things stick just a quick sanding as I did on the F/G.
I did use West System slow drying to add to working time which made a difference and used quite a bit of G-flex. This is much different stuff then you will buy in the hardware store and is specifically made for this type of project.
I'm not certain there really is a big difference between working with resin/cloth on F/G and RX but I'm just a guy who dubs on canoes and certainly isn't an expert.
dougd
Lokks lie FG to me. The Courier was
built in both composite and Royalex. The Guide/Freedom Solo was once offered in Kevlar as well as Royalex. Mad River changes offerings more often than, say, Wenonah.
Correction. That particular Courier is Royalex.
help
Give us a call, I would be glad to help
Victor
423 774 0246
CLASSFIVE Boats