Just sold my canoe on ebay and have not looked at it in over 6 mos.
Last time was when I took it off of the car top. I turned it over bottom side up and
Good lord! there were a hundred scratches and I thought I read you could wet sand them out or use a flame from a torch very carefully. I wet sanded and there are scuff marks now from the wet sanding.
Is there any way I can lighten them or reduce the scuffed up look?
Thanks for any help.
someone told me scratches on a royalex canoe mean nothing as it has about 11 or 15 layers of resin coated whatever?
any help would be appreciated.
Really?
I thought Royalex canoes came with scratches. 
Are you really trying to remove “sand” scratches? I’ve bought quite a few Royalex boats over the years. The only one I ever owned that didn’t have scratches was new. It remained scratch-free for about a day. What’s the point of having a Royalex canoe if you have to baby it?
sux
I have a 3-ply poly canoe. Doesnt scratch quite as easy as Royalex, but I get a new scratch every time i use it.
Think of it like a car. Wash & wax once a week, drive it slow, change oil every month, and along comes some idiot smashing into you totally out ur car. On the other hand, drive fast, take it the mud, change oil like never, and it’ll last for 30 years.
Scratch issues come from trolls.
Most of my fine scratches are caused by
wet sand.
Vinyl protectant
I would just soak it in some 303 or armor-all vinyl protectant and be done with it. I find that about three applications about 20 minutes apart (allow time for penetration and drying) gives the hull a nice smooth appearance.
Yeah, like TV skin surgeon snake oil,
it makes the vinyl puff up and smooth out.
Maybe Boat Tox instead.
scuffmarks
I did apply a few coats of armor-all and it does seem to tone it down a bit.
maybe a couple more coats. IT’s still a great looking canoe and stable as a rock. I just don’t use it anymore with my son-I bought a 36’ trojan boat and keep it down at the mouth of the genesee river where it meets the lake. Difference between the two is remarkable.
The canoe you can take anywhere and run all day on a tank of gas.
The Trojan I am restricted to where I am mostly lake ontario and the gas when I am running at cruising speed is 1 gallon every 1/2 mile with twin chrysler 440 engines. Plus it very expensive to keep at the dock $2400 and store in the winter$1700.
Armor all washes right off
another petroleum product in the water.
Save your time and money and the lake
sand ?
sanding royalex ? why remove outer hull skin ?
no further comment on threats from the moderator.
Aerospace 303 works gud but in transit or on strapping.
On a black nosed Ford truck, the shine wears off but outside rainy areas eg Oregon/WA…a protective surface is there for 4-6 months.
I agree
Leave it. Why remove more?
wet sanding Royalex
You can wet sand the outer vinyl layer of Royalex, and I have done so to remove grimy, black discoloration that would not come off with any detergent, bleach, or organic solvent that I tried.
Since the vinyl is somewhat glossy, sanding will dull the gloss but you can perhaps remove sanding marks by wet sanding in stages down to 1500 or 2000 grit paper. You would have to wet sand for about 3 years to remove the outer vinyl of Royalex using fine grit wet or dry paper.
To restore gloss as much as possible you can use a product such as NuVinyl or 303 Protectant, allow it to pretty well dry, then go over it with an automotive buffer.
scuff marks
thanks -I will do that.
david