Royalex - Epoxy question

Advice
#1

Can you use epoxy on royalex like you can on fiberglass or kevlar?

On a canoe stern that is almost worn through I am thinking of using epoxy. The wound is about four or five inches long and about an inch wide.



thanks in advance.



JackL

#2

Just did that.
Found a small worn area on the stern of my Royalex kayak. Just yesterday, put Marine-Tex White epoxy repair compound on it. It hardened in 24 hours and I was able to carve and then sand it smooth. So adhesion right now doesn’t seem to be a problem. But I have not yet had the kayak in the water, so I’ll have to see if the Marine-Tex will stay on after submersion.



Caveat: advice from local kayak sellers was “can’t be done.” Marine-Tex White directions say “for wood, metal and fiberglass.” No mention of plastics.

#3

Royalex - Epoxy question

– Last Updated: Sep-25-05 3:46 PM EST –

When I bought a royalex repair kit from Bell it came with epoxy. You need to roughen up the area so the epoxy will stick.

#4

works fine
Yes, epoxy will stick to the royalex. For worn down stems, I usually use epoxy and some sort of cloth. I don’t do enough rock bashing to need the thick kevlar matting, so I normally use dynel or something like that.

#5

Royalex Repair
I used an epoxy putty to fix a RX hull after it came off a friend’s roof rack and was dragged. The damage was similar to the needed repair you describe. Being in putty form made it easy to mold into shape and reduced the sanding. The patch is extremely durable, but the kits are expensive ($45 or so). The other drawback was that the kit came in pre-made packets, which are mixed and activated prior to use. As with any epoxy, once you mix the stuff you have to use it all or throw away the unused portion.



I suppose you could use a 2-part liquid resin system and build it up in layers, applying the next layer before the previous one hardened completely. That should give a good bond and would make the shape easier to manage, but would take a lot more time. The other concern I would have is the heat generated during the curing process in a deep repair. Honestly I’m not sure if that would be a problem or not, but obviously RX won’t take too much heat.



In case you’re interested, here is a link to a putty system.



http://www.yuccadune.com/product757.html



JK

#6

JB Weld
Fix the hole with JB Weld. Then install skidplates with epoxy resin. Sticks fine.