Will it effect it?

[Gman98]

I am new to canoeing and have a question. This summer I bought a 20' old town tripper. We were going down a river with low water and got hung up on a rock. It scratched the bottom of the canoe. One scratch is maybe 2 feet and is right on the bottom seam. It is showing a yellowish insulation or plastic where it is scratched. Will it effect it?

thanks, Alex

 

[yellowcanoe]

Tripper XL. what a beast! You are a strong guy. Yes, its showing the middle layer of ABS and needs to be fixed; that model is only offered in Royales. ( Its not insulation but is a foam core). Get a repair kit from Old Town. I recommend talking to them directly.

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/support/repair/

Welcome! Tell us the backstory! Its getting to be winter and we need stories. They need not be true exactly.

 

[pblanc]

Maybe not. If you could post a picture it would help. Royalex is a 5 layer sandwich consisting primarily of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene syrene) plastic with a thin layer of colored vinyl bonded to the ABS on both the inside and outside of the hull. The outer vinyl layer is pigmented and gives the canoe its color. The inner vinyl layer is typically flat grey, tan, or flat green. The ABS which is the backbone of the material itself has three layers. There is an inner and an outer solid layer surrounding a foam core. The foam core contributes both stiffness and buoyancy to the material. It is quite possible that you have simply scraped the outer vinyl layer off exposing some of the outer solid ABS layer. The ABS is usually pigmented as well and it can be white, black, green, or more recently yellow. Take a close look at the scratch. If the damage goes through the outer solid ABS lamina into the foam core the exposed core will sort of resemble an off-white Swiss cheese. If so, you should repair that area. If the foam core is not exposed I would simply get some spray paint or automotive touch up paint that approximates the hull color and cover the exposed ABS to protect it from photo-degradation.

If you need to repair the Royalex to cover exposed foam core there are a number of alternatives. I like to use West System G Flex epoxy thickened with silica powder like this: http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...Thickened+Epoxy+Adhesive+Resin+&+Hardener+Kit

But I have heard of people having good luck using Gorilla Glue, JB Weld, and a variety of quick bonding epoxies that are probably available at your local hardware store. You can also use Plexus methacrylate adhesives. Devcon Plastic Welder is a methacrylate adhesive that is commonly available at most hardware or home improvement stores. After covering the exposed foam core wet sand it down flush with the adjacent hull and paint over it as before.