Rib Patching

[Gord K]

Hi all, I picked up a used kevlar canoe from Portage Outfitters (Ontario) last fall. It has some cracked ribs I need to repair. Although I understand the basics of doing this I am wondering about aesthetics. In a perfect world when I'm paddling an empty canoe I would prefer not to see the cracks in the ribs that I have patched. Does anyone have experience with this? Is fiberglass or kevlar going to be a better cover from a viewing standpoint (I appreciate kevlar is stronger); should I consider a double layer? Anyone other than www.rayplex.ca that I should consider for materials if I am ordering from Ontario Can?

 

[dogbrain]

I have repaired cracked ribs in Wenonah canoes. I used Kevlar since it is stronger than fiberglass under tension. Ribs I've seen that were repaired with fiberglass have mostly failed. Double 5oz overlapping layers and peel ply on top to smooth out the edges. The Kevlar will cover and hide the cracks, but the Kevlar will be new, and bright yellow instead of the brownish tone of an older UV affected canoe. I don't know about getting kevlar in canada.

Mark

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Gord, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar, as this is a geographic sport. Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

I have not personally done repairs on cracked ribs in Kevlar canoes, but as THIS THREAD documents, S glass (but not E glass) actually has more tensile strength than Kevlar. Therefore, S glass may be a better choice than Kevlar for small interior PATCHES in terms of both tensile strength and aesthetic transparency.

Kevlar is used rather than S glass when laying up the ENTIRE interior blanket of a composite canoe if light weight is desired because Kevlar has a greater tensile strength/weight ratio.