Buffalo canoe royalex repair needed?

[mpen]

Looking to pick up up a used royalex buffalo canoe. This would be my first royalex canoe. Has some patches and skid plates already installed, but has a crack in front of the bow seat.

Is this something that needs repair? Will be used for river tripping in Texas. Rocky rivers, may encounter class 1/2 rapids.

I've repaired kevlar/fiberglass canoes before, but not royalex.

 

[recped]

If that crack is only on the inner layer it's an easy fix. Gflex and a small patch of fabric (4oz s-glass for example) is pretty much all it needs. There appears to be a patch in front of the stern seat that was given this type of treatment.

One of my royalex boats has a multitude of similar cracks that have been patched as above, I'm heading out for a trip next week and have no worries whatsoever about them. You might want to create a bit of a stopper hole at the very ends of the crack to prevent it from getting any longer (prior to applying the patch.)

I use this product, it's very easy to work with and perfect for small patches.

G/flex 655 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive | WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

WEST SYSTEM's G/flex 655 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive bonds with Plastics, Metals, Glass, Masonry, and Fiberglass.

www.westsystem.com

You could also get some Release Fabric so you can apply pressure to fill the crack and compress the patch to endure good absorption of the epoxy into the fabric and a smooth finish to the patch.

 

[ArizonaPaddler]

Maybe helpful, but for larger surfaces @recped is right on with G-Flex and fabric.

 

[pblanc]

If you have a split in the interior vinyl layer of Royalex it often is covering a more serious crack in the interior ABS layer. The crack may extend past the split and there can also be parallel cracks in the ABS covered by apparently undamaged vinyl. The vinyl is much more elastic than solid ABS and will sometimes split only after the ABS has suffered damage more severe than the damage of the vinyl layer would suggest.

There really isn't any way to know without removing at least some of the vinyl overlying and adjacent to the split area. You will soon see if there is more extensive damage to the ABS. If there is, try to remove the vinyl overlying this damage if possible. I have used a narrow wood chisel to carefully shave off the interior vinyl if the concavity of the interior of the hull is not too great to allow it. Otherwise you can sand off the vinyl but it can be a somewhat laborious process.

If you find cracks you should gutter them out at a 45 degree angle to each side to increase the bonding area for your epoxy. Thickened G Flex is best for filling cracks but if you are going to bond a fabric patch over damaged ABS you are better off using un-thickened G Flex. I just buy the un-thickened variety of G Flex and mix in some silica powder to thicken it as much as I want to fill in cracks. After filling the cracks sand the cured epoxy smooth and flush before applying a patch, if you are going to. Paint over the end result to protect the epoxy from UV degradation.