I've had this J-200 for a bunch of years. Brought it home in this condition with hopes of learning Kevlar repair. Anyone ever tackle something this far gone? My wife wants to keep it as car-port decor next to the Blue Hole 17A and the other Wenonah. (Kevlar Spirit II) I have to admit it's kind of cool looking and must have stories to tell. Would be fun to see it on the water again. Even had a good name for it all worked out: Single Butt Ugly.
Does the hull bottom feel sound? If so, sure I would think it could be restored. I see one tear near the bow and a hole, both of which can surely be repaired. It needs to be rerailed and the deteriorated foam pad taken off the tractor seat which is otherwise probably fine. Probably also needs a couple of coats of epoxy, at least on the hull bottom.
Whether or not it is worth doing is another question.
Jensen Ouch! Until I saw that huge hole in the hull, I was going to say unequivocally, go for it. Most of the other issues are easily manageable with even a little skill. Still, if you put in a few hundred dollars and a few weekends of work, you have yourself a fine canoe that would have cost you well over two grand new.
Worst case give it a shot, see how it comes out and you will learn from the experience, no matter how it comes out. Worst case you repair it to the point where it is seaworthy, rather than beautiful. If you do, you can still probably sell it for as at least as much as put into it. I’m sometimes shocked by what a “project” Kevlar canoe can sell for on Craigslist around here.
I paddled it for a couple of summers, but it wasn’t the boat for me, so I passed it on to Jack. The boat was in better shape than yours, but still needed a lot of work. I’m pretty sure Jack fixed it up and paddles it.
J-200 Restoration Thanks guys - I may give it a shot - if for no other reason that to learn the ropes in case my Spirit ever needs help. I’ll check the bottom, but it seemed solid enough when I re-hung it last weekend. I’ll be sure to record the process if and when I get to it. I’m sure others will want to watch.
Go for it I say you go for it, assuming you have the time. Its not all that bad. Supplies wise, you’re probably only in for $150 for a yard of Kevlar cloth, a yard of S glass cloth, a quart of resin, and a few smaller supplies (chip brush, gloves, tape ect). Time will be the larger investment.
If you have the time, I say go for it. I recently repaired a 14” gash in my J200 to good as new (plus a few Oz). there is some good advice in my thread that will point you in the right direction.
The slit near the end is an easy repair. The gaping hole will be a little trickier. You’ll have to support the cloth somehow for the first coat. Something like overhead projector film or clear packing tape to keep the shape of the hull may work. A few similar ideas are discussed in my thread linked below. Anyways, you have little to lose. I say go for it.
definitely repairable It’s definitely doable. I’ve repaired worse. It’s really more a question of whether it is worth it to you. For me it was about the challenge of seeing if I could bring an old boat back to life and learn a bit along the way.