I recently bought a Old Town Northern Light 168 in kevlar. Thanks to Old Town I know it was made in '94. I would like to refinish the hull to make it look nicer. The condition is decent now but there are two spiderwebbed cracks which don’t show on the inside and some other little damage. The spiderwebbing and some spots on the bottom are slightly darker than the rest of the natural kevlar color. I don’t remember any of this darker color before using the canoe so I think it is moisture.
What would be the best way to shine her up without adding much if any weight? Perhaps sanding and some varnish? How should I address the cracks and the darker spots? Should I do anything to the inside to help protect against UV or just some 303?
Thanks for any help.
If exterior gelcoated
You may not need to do anything but use something like Nu Finish from auto store to remove oxidation and make it look nearly new. I will leave repair of cracks to those more knowledgable in that area. Caution: 303 will mke interior slippery. Not necessary unless you expose it to LOT’S of UV.
Get in touch with Old Town.
It might not be Kevlar through and through, but might have one or two outer layers of glass for better wear and no fuzzing. Most expert canoe builders use Kevlar for only the inner layers, but some like Wenonah and Mad River often use Kevlar only, protected against fuzzing by clear gelcoat.
Don’t sand into Kevlar. It will not sand smooth, but will fuzz annoyingly.
I would not bother about spider cracks in the gelcoat. They usually never cause a problem. Certain companies like Bell used an extra flexible clear gelcoat to cut down on spider cracks, but they usually do not detract from strength, and water will not soak into the laminate (contrary to certain suburban legends.)