I recently bought a used Wenonah Rendezvous made out of tuf-weave and I noticed it seems to have small gel-coat chips on the bottom, should I worry about repairing them or they only a cosmetic issue? I’m personally not bothered by them cosmetic wise. the picture below is what they look like
Seeing as the fabric is exposed, I would repair them. If you are not concerned with appearance and color matching, it’s an easy repair. Use epoxy resin and finish with gelcoat if desired.
Gotta ask, since I don’t have any experience in this area. Are those chips actually from impacts, or are they from manufacturer defects in the layup?
I bought the canoe used so I have no idea how it was used by the previous owner. It’s an older canoe (about 25 years old according to the serial number) so there is good chance it took some impacts, but I don’t know exactly what caused the chips.
Most of them look like impacts. There are numerous crescent shaped cracks around a couple, so they are definitely worth repairing. If it were my boat, I’d sand the chips and cracks that are around them, and fill the chips and skim the cracks with either epoxy or gelcoat, and sand smooth after it dries. I don’t bother using coloring below the waterline.
Check the inside of the layup for cracks or discoloration where the chips are also. If there is either one, a glass patch over the area would be a good idea, too.
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The damage looks like rock hits, and it suggests that your boat is somewhat old and brittle. Otherwise it would it probably would not look like that.
I would fill the dings with marine epoxy thickened with a small amount of microballoons, (silica).
I have used JB Weld on a tuff weave canoe or use JB Weld 8272 MarIne Weld Epoxy Putty/Adhesive. I don’t know how well it will fill hairline cracks. For that you might try Capt. Tolley’s.
Yeah I did check the inside of the canoe and thankfully there is no cracking. The canoe is actually in pretty good shape besides the gelcoat chips.
Your dings go much deeper than gelcoat.
They are into the structure holding your boat together. Into the resin and fiberglass.
That is why it is so important to use the right materials. Epoxy resin.
Forget the handy repairs from Home Depot.
I just wanted to thank everyone for all the repair advice they’ve given here. I think I’ve found the best way to go about fixing the gelcoat chips and it should be a pretty easy repair.