Painted Royalex

[Jamie]

Any thoughts on buying a painted royalex canoe? This one is for sale locally, described as in great shape with minimal use. Looks to be a 16' NC Prospector. I'd normally jump all over this considering royalex's demise but the paint causes me concern.

​It was red and likely painted to use for duck hunting.

 

[Alan Gage]

As long as I didn't think it was painted to cover up damage I wouldn't be too worried about it. Worst than can happen is that it starts to flake off.

Alan

 

[Robin]

It looks clean inside.The rails look good from what I can see, no wrinkles in the royalex. If you can live with the paint it looks decent. I went and looked at some royalex canoes last year that spent their life in the sun. They were faded white and very brittle, and a rough surface like sandpaper. I have bought lightly faded royalex canoes and they were fine. Ask where this canoe was stored and for how long.

 

[Muskrat]

From the pictures it looks in really good shape. I'm the type to think anyone who puts in minicell pads and a kneeling thwart won't do you wrong.

 

[Chip]

I've had several royalex boats that either were painted or that I painted. The only issue is that the scratches will show through in the underlying color (red), and after a while the boat can get ratty looking. I would not hesitate to buy a boat with paint on it, although I would try to use it as leverage in getting a better price.

 

[yellowcanoe]

As long as you can handle the added weight, paint is not a deal breaker

 

[snapper]

For what it's worth, I painted a Mad River "Explorer" to look like a birch bark canoe about 8 years ago. The boat had sat outside its entire life so the hull was definitely faded. Other than some scratches on the bottom, the paint has remained in place and it still looks good. No flaking or chipping at all. My guess is if you're OK with the paint job, it should be just fine.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Jamie]

Bought the canoe this morning, think I got it at a fair price, The paint is not all that bad and can easily be touched up if desired.

I have a MR Explorer in much better condition I'll try to sell or trade for a flat water tripper if I can so i'll have a canoe for rivers and one for lake trips.

 

[Guest]

Jamie, which model Nova Craft is it?

Towards the end of the Royalex era Nova Craft and Esquif had the best (beefiest) RX in the business.

 

[Jamie]

It's a 16' NC Prospector Mike, great quality canoe. I had one in the past as well. Not sure if it's the heavier royalex or the r-light but for my use either will do. They're not much fun solo on a lake when the wind picks up but hopefully I'll find a better suited flat water canoe for those trips.

 

[JoeO]

just make sure there are no soft spots Paint will help protect from UV

 

[Guest]

The boat appears to be in nice condition. I doubt that I would go to the trouble of painting it; unless the color was extremely faded.

That being said, I have painted a canoe that was extremely faded. It looks a lot better now than before the paint job.
I made sure the hull was squeaky clean, and spray painted it with 3 coats of Krylon. I allowed each coat to dry for 3 or 4 hours before applying another coat. I was pretty meticulous about taping off any area I did not want painted. I painted on a day when there was no wind(I painted outside), and the temp was 75 to 78 degrees. If it gets scratched up some, and that bothers you; just touch it up/ no big deal............

Photos aren't the best, but should give an idea of

BOB

 

[CanoeTerry]

Hey Joker,
I picked up a MR Explorer recently. I'm fixing some cold cracks and probably filling in some deeper gouges. Curious what color you used? Looks pretty close to the original. Did you tape around the decals, or apply new?
Thanks.