A friend needs recommendations as to what material or product will effectively repair scratches and very small punctures on an Angler 14 Mad River canoe. The canoe has a foam cored Royalex hull-vinyl skin. Al
look up the archives
this subject is discussed weekly. ABS slurry, g-flex, shoe goop yadayada.
Is it definitely Royalex and not
the “Triple Tough” or TT 3 layer poly/foam/poly?
If it is Royalex, then dig into the West Epoxy tech writings (online, free) on use of G-flex epoxy.
Madriver Angler 14 canoe repair
The canoe needing repair is a Madriver Angler 14 whose material is described by the company as “Royalex® by Spartech® is a vacuum-formed sheet laminate consisting of external vinyl layers enclosing multiple ABS plastic layers and a foam core.”
Just did it
I just posted a thread asking about Royalex repair. Actually, it was about Royalite, but the repair procedure is the same. Got lots of great advice on a number of different ways to fix it. The easiest thing for me was to patch with JB Weld and a little spray paint to match the hull color. That’s what I did and it came out great.
My damage was on the ends and I could have covered it with a skid plate, if I wanted. I’m forgoing skid plates for now. But if I decide to put one on later, Keel Eazy looks like the way to go. It looks like it doesn’t impact hull performance as much as the kevlar skid plates and is a lot easier to put on than s-glass.
I would recommend just using the JB Weld if the area is relatively small and doesn’t impact the integrity of the hull. If you have some acetone and a source of free or cheap ABS stock, like Legos, you could make the ABS slurry and do the same thing. If the puncture goes down to the foam, you’ll have to fill it up to the ABS layer with Gorilla Glue and then patch it up to the surface with JB Weld or ABS slurry. Not sure why, that’s just what I’ve read. If the area is really big and/or it DOES impact the structure integrity (like long cracks, etc), you’ll need to patch with fiberglass and/or epoxy. I’ve never done THAT, but there are like a bizzillion threads on here about how to do it.
“scratchs and small punctures”
– Last Updated: Jun-04-12 3:57 PM EST –
should have read more closely before posting the Summa Theologica there. So I'm gonna write more... ;)
Scratches are no big deal, unless they go through the vinyl layer. Do you see the creamy colored ABS? If not, leave it alone. Sand it flush and spray paint if you really want to. If so, patch as per above. If its a large abraded area, you might want to go with a fiberglass patch and/or a skid plate.
Punctures, same thing. If its down to the foam - Gorilla Glue, then JB Weld. If its not down to the foam, just JB Weld is fine. Spray paint to match, as desired.
abs/acetone slurry
will dissolve the foam layer. Gorilla glue’s chemical properties create a barrier between the acetone and foam, which is why it’s applied in gouges down to foam.
Thanks for taking the time to
provide recommendations and advice. Al
TY
Thank YOu
JB Weld & Gorilla glue advice- TY
THANK YOU