Will sun damage a GRB Carbon Classic canoe?

[Bjorn]

Hi, I'm from Norway.
I bought a GRB Classic Solo canoe in Carbon.
Does anyone know if it can withstand being left unprotected on the car roof for 1 month?
I'm thinking about the sun rays. I drive around and use it daily in July
regards Bjorn

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Bjorn, 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, because canoeing is a geographic sport, please add your location to the Account Details page in your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar as a clickable map link. 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 know there are members here who have GRB Newman and other carbon canoes, and they may have experience with your question. I don't know GRB's layup schedule for fabric, resin and gel coat. However, on general principles, my understanding is that that carbon fabric itself is UV-resistant but that unprotected epoxy resin is not (if GRB uses epoxy). The epoxy would have to be protected by a UV-resistant gel coat or varnish. Again, it all depends on what GRB's layup is.

I'm not sure one month of UV exposure at a high latitude would do any significant damage to a carbon/epoxy layup with no gel coat, but I'd at least try to protect it with regular applications of 303 Protectant. Some folks protect their composite canoes with a custom made fabric canoe cover from a supplier such as Redleaf Designs.

 

[Bjorn]

Thank you very much for the good answer. I plan to sand down the coating a bit and paint over with 1 component UV boat paint so maybe that will protect the carbon well enough?

 

[Bjorn]

Thank you very much for the good answer.
I plan to sand down the coating a bit and paint over with 1 component UV boat paint so maybe that will protect the carbon well enough?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I plan to sand down the coating a bit and paint over with 1 component UV boat paint so maybe that will protect the carbon well enough?

I suppose that would work to protect epoxy resin from UV damage, but there are other considerations.

First, is your boat in fact made with epoxy resin? If it is made with vinylester resin, the UV risk is minimal. Second, painting the hull will add weight, which purchasers of lightweight canoes such as a GRB Newman usually want to avoid. Third, the paint will eventually scratch and scrape off the bottom unless you are extremely careful never to hit, bump or drag over anything hard. Finally, GRB Newman has been making canoes for over 50 years and I doubt they use a layup that would be ultra-sensitive to sun damage. Perhaps you should email them for their opinion.

Other folks here will hopefully chime in on the topic question.

 

[Bjorn]

Thanks for the reply.
I have sent a message to GRB Newman to ask what coating the canoe has.
The canoe is very light in the first place so I don't want to make it heavier with an extra layer of varnish if I can avoid it.
I am very careful with my canoes so it won't get any scratches or wounds during use.
I will use it as a fishing canoe in the river during fly fishing. I will make myself an anchor system in front and behind

 

[Ripple]

Can't answer, but maybe a canoe sock would block uv's. People use them for protection from uv and road debris. Good luck that's a nice boat. How did it end up in Norway? Welcome to the site

 

[Gamma1214]

Welcome. Always nice to see people from parts of the world that I'm unlikely to paddle (maybe I can live vicariously thru your trip reports / postings).

I think e-mailing GRB is an excellent choice. Nobody better to answer the question than the manufacturer. If you would, please post details of their reply in case someone in the future was questions.

I too am curious how the boat made its way to Norway. If you know any history, please share.

 

[M Clemens]

Hi, I'm from Norway.
I bought a GRB Classic Solo canoe in Carbon.
Does anyone know if it can withstand being left unprotected on the car roof for 1 month?
I'm thinking about the sun rays. I drive around and use it daily in July
regards Bjorn

I have had a couple of all carbon boats, including a GRB Rambler. I do recall several times where I nearly burnt my hand on the hull when unloading after a long drive, but I think it would take more than a month of sun exposure to do any real damage. I also had a carbon Swift that was stored outside for many years in the elements. That hull exhibited severe checking, or micro-fractures in the hull. Why risk it, though, when there are so many products available for UV protection.

 

[Bjorn]

I bought the canoe from my very good fishing buddy Pål Krogvold who has imported many canoes for friends in Norway.
He was a passionate canoeist who competed in many paddling competitions in the USA.
I also have a Wenonah Prism and a self-built wooden canoe in Cedar.
I will post some pictures from some trips when the winter is over here at home

 

[Punkinhead]

Now you've got me all paranoid! I have a 2 month trip across the southern US planned for this summer and will be taking my IXP Northstar. UV damage hadn't occured to me but now I'm wondering if I should. We're in month 3 of camping in Florida with a couple of HDPE rec kayaks on the car and I can see damage to them already. I know, different material but it caught me off guard. As far as covers go, those Redleaf custom covers look nice but I wonder if a generic canoe bag is OK. My worry about a non-custom cover is how it will billow in the wind, possibly tearing apart. I know when people transport bicycles or motorcycles with generic covers they destroy themselves pretty quickly.

 

[Alan Gage]

I had a carbon racing boat with a bag lady cover which looks pretty similar to what Red Leaf is offering now. It worked great. Easy to take on/off and no issues when driving.

Alan

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I had a carbon racing boat with a bag lady cover which looks pretty similar to what Red Leaf is offering now.

Red Leaf is the successor to The Bag Lady. They bought Sue Audette's business and hundreds of canoe patterns in 2019.

https://redleafdesigns.com/blogs/news/the-bag-ladys-legacy-continues

 

[Punkinhead]

Now you've got me all paranoid! I have a 2 month trip across the southern US planned for this summer and will be taking my IXP Northstar. UV damage hadn't occured to me but now I'm wondering if I should.

Quick followup. I emailed Northstar and they said put a coat of 303 on it and don't worry. The UV degradation they've seen is from years of storage outside in the sun and that a couple months shouldn't hurt anything. I'm glad to hear it because I didn't want to deal with the additional hassle of a cover when hauling. I don't know if this advice applies to the layup in Bjorn's boat.

 

[Bjorn]

Thanks for checking with a company about UV damage to Carbon canoes
I have used 303 on a canoe before but I don't know how often you have to lubricate it on the canoe..After every trip?
It is difficult to get 303 in Norway.
Regards Bjørn

 

[clemency]

Boatguard SPF 50 would do the same as 303. May also be hard to source overseas though. I usually treat my boats once in the spring before use and once in the fall before storage. I think it would last for a month easily, but if the boat is in the water every day maybe re-apply after a couple of weeks. Better safe than sorry.

A cover from Redleaf is the real solution though. They can talk you through the measurements and make one custom for your boat. Very straighforward process. Even I could do it!

Amazon.com

 

[Bjorn]

Thanks for the input
Boatguard SPF 50 is hard to come by but I'll do some searching online.
I'll be using the canoe almost daily from mid-May to mid-September so I'll probably have to lubricate it quite often.
It came with a cover for the canoe but I think it's too much work to put the cover on every night when I'm on a trip.
Regards Bjørn

 

[clemency]

Thanks for the input
Boatguard SPF 50 is hard to come by but I'll do some searching online.
I'll be using the canoe almost daily from mid-May to mid-September so I'll probably have to lubricate it quite often.
It came with a cover for the canoe but I think it's too much work to put the cover on every night when I'm on a trip.
Regards Bjørn

Once you get the hang of it, putting on the Redleaf canoe cover (not the coat, I can't speak to that) is really quick and easy. Put the boat in the right place on the cover (that's the only trick), lift the cover over the bow, slide the bow into the end of the cover, then lift the other end of the cover over the stern and tighten. Takes about 2 minutes and you can do it before you put the boat on the car.

The Original Canoe Cover – RedLeaf Designs

Bag Lady premium, double-knit polyester canoe covers have been the standard for over 42 years and have protected the life and appearance of thousands of canoes in that time. Bag Lady covers protect the hull of your canoe from UV damage, fading, bugs, scratches, stone chips, and more when you're...

redleafdesigns.com

 

[Bjorn]

 

[devils son in law]

There's no way I'm going to leave any composite boat on top of my vehicle to bake in the sun for any length of time, especially the month of July. I would go to the fabric store and sew a simple tube out of fabric to slide over it if I didn't have or couldn't afford a custom cover. Looking at the cost of a new carbon canoe, I don't see why you'd take that chance.