Cracked Canoe, Need Advice

[eric1978]

So this past weekend on JF we were barreling through this boulder field at warp speed and this rock jumped up out of nowhere and I came down HARD on it. I had my tackle box tightly squeezed under my seat thwarts, so when I hit that boulder at the exact wrong spot, the hull couldn't flex and that rock just about went all the way through. It left a dent about the size of half a plum in the bottom, and about an 8 inch crack on the inside. Anyone know how I should go about fixing it? It's not leaking yet but I'm sure after I bounce off a few more boulders it will be. It's an OT with the superlinear material.

[fishinwrench]

What's with this "half a plum" reference ? Who eats plums ?

[Chief Grey Bear]

I like plums. Very delicious. Now prunes, not so much.

I have read that you can melt gallon milk cartons into cracks. I will look this evening and see if I can find that again.

[RSBreth]

Ouch! I'll remember this the next time I think about putting the little cooler under my seat.

[Njardar]

You may want to give Old Town a call, I'm sure the've delt with this before.

http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/contact_us.html

- Charlie

[bobber]

west systems has a product called G-FLEX.. they call it an epoxy adhesive .2 part component you have 45 minutes to work your magic! first if it's an old town you will need to heat it with a few passes of a plumbers torch, not to melt it but to break down the molecules to except the patch materials then a good rough sanding to the areas to be patched. use duct tape to out line the repair, and mix and patch! this material dries clear but very glossy.... and will look milky if the humidity is high while it drys.....or you could bring it by BUFFALO RIVER CANOES on hwy 7 south of harrison @floatthebuffalo.com and i can fix it for you for about $90 dollars... the g-flex is about $75 for the kit.

[ollie]

I use something called the Hippo Patch and it has been on my yak now for 3-4 years and I have never had it leak again. Simple to use and very inexpensive. They sell it through Cabelas or you can order it direct. Tough stuff and easy to apply as well.

[eric1978]

west systems has a product called G-FLEX.. they call it an epoxy adhesive .2 part component you have 45 minutes to work your magic! first if it's an old town you will need to heat it with a few passes of a plumbers torch, not to melt it but to break down the molecules to except the patch materials then a good rough sanding to the areas to be patched. use duct tape to out line the repair, and mix and patch! this material dries clear but very glossy.... and will look milky if the humidity is high while it drys.....or you could bring it by BUFFALO RIVER CANOES on hwy 7 south of harrison @floatthebuffalo.com and i can fix it for you for about $90 dollars... the g-flex is about $75 for the kit.

Do I patch both sides, top and bottom? And also, should I try to heat up the problem area enough to smooth out the dent, or is it just going to be that way from now on? I'll look into that g-flex stuff...thanks for the tip.

[Guest]

I know that some people use a 2 part epoxy like JB weld, although it won't be the best looking patch.

[bobber]

set it out in the sun that should do the trick... if not add some weight on the popped-up part and let the sun take over............and yes if the out side layer is damaged at all, you will need to patch both inside and out. other wise you might get away with only the inside.the g-flex is very sand-able if you make a mess!! just don't get in a hurry. make your duct tape out line on the repair, heat it with the flame. sand it good, make it a rough spot with 60 or 80 gritt sandpaper. mix part a to part b equally and apply, i use a bondo spatula to spread out the mix about a 1/4 inch deep remove the tape before it sets up and gets hard. other wise you will need to cut along the taped edge to remove it... simple fix!! you can also use the left over to make skid plates with if you want. just do the same way and you'll have a good looking repair