Need Some Direction

[Chief Grey Bear]

I have an old town 169 triple liner or whatever they're called.

On the underneath side in the vicinity of where my feet rest, The outside layer has started separating from the inner layer. It has finally got a split in and just the other week I knocked a piece out of it.

What type of patching material do you suggest? I need to cover approximately a 12" x 12" area.

[Bird Watcher]

Chief, I had a mohawk that started to get like that underneath my seat. I just shaved the warped jagged pieces down smooth and put a fiberglass patch on it. I usually had to redo it once a year, or once every two years, but it was still a lot cheaper than buying a new one.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Well my thought would be to trim it up and weld a piece in. It won't be real smooth, but it will probably get you a few more years.

Another option would be to plant flowers in and buy a Buffalo second from the factory. I'm assuming they still offer them from time to time.

It's tough to get anything short of welding to stick to that plastic.

[Al Agnew]

Never tried to repair that Old Town poly, but word is that not much sticks to it and it's difficult to repair. However, Google is your friend. I Googled "repairing old town discovery canoes" and came up with this:

www.oldtowncanoe.com/support/repair/

Apparently Old Town sells a repair kit, which includes nylon cloth and poly resin. However, you also have to "polarize" the hull where you want the patch to stick, which consists of running a handheld propane torch over it just enough to oxidize it, not melt or blacken it. I don't know how big the nylon cloth is in the kit, or the amount of resin provided...might not be enough for a repair the size of yours.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I saw that. Didn't much like the idea of shelling out $100 for it.

I read one time guys were melting milk jugs for patching. But that may have been for the Coleman types. They even said that the milk jugs were better than other types of bottles like laundry and bleach jugs. I have thought about trying that just to see.

[Flysmallie]

The Oldtown kit is way overpriced. A poly resin is ok but an epoxy resin is going to be a little more forgiving. Heating it with a torch or heat gun is just to help bring the mold release agents to the surface. That's the biggest problem in getting a repair to stick. The surface has to be extremely clean. So heating it to bring them to the surface and then using a quality cleaner to remove them is your best option.

Plastic welding is another good option. There are some better products out there than using a milk jug, but I've seen it used on a bumper repair and it turned out nice in the end.

There are also some other products used for bumper repair that would work probably the easiest. It's a two part product that takes a special applicator gun. You still need a clean surface and you will still want to use some cloth to give it strength. I have an applicator gun, enough cloth to do 3 or 4 complete canoes and can probably get my hands on the material you need for an awesome price. You know where to find me.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Get 2 packs of JB Weld. Mix up a big batch and glob it on the area, smoothing it out as best you can. Won't look real pretty, but I bet it does the job. I've used it for some light patching on my poly Old Town 158 and it seems to have held up very well.

[Al Agnew]

I've used JB Weld for big patches like that on Royalex, but it's too hard and brittle. Works as well as anything with smaller patches, but on a big patch it doesn't flex, so it soon cracks all over the place.

The last big patch I did on Royalex was where a large section of the outer vinyl skin delaminated on my old solo canoe. I peeled it off as far as it seemed loose, sanded around the edges and on the inner ABS layer, and coverd the whole thing by mixing two tubes of plastic epoxy from the local big box store. I'd found out the hard way that there are two kinds of plastic epoxy. One of them is more opaque and doesn't dry smooth. The good kind is almost transparent when mixed, and is a little more liquid before curing, so it smooths out very well on its own. The plastic epoxy remains flexible, so it works well for large areas like that, but it isn't a truly permanent fix...it will eventually wear off or peel off.

[Gavin]

I'd send a PM to Justin Spencer or Brian Sloss. They both used to run a bunch of OT Disco's and I'm sure that they still have a few. I'm sure that they know how, or they could direct you to someone who could offer advice about patching one up.

12x12 is a big area...I've patched the hole in the bottom of my royalex Wenonah tandem a couple times..Its only 2x3" and the interior skin cracked the last time. JB weld does not last...seems like the adhesive in the factory skid plate kit is what sticks to it best. Alpine Shop in STL usually has a spring paddling event with some nice deals. Think I got my last patch kit for 25-40% off.

Make sure that you follow the instructions, mask off around the area and put some newspaper over anything that you don't want covered with runs from the epoxy. The epoxy is usually a bit gummy when it is ready to work, but then it relaxes, gets watery, and runs all over the place just before it sets. Mix the epoxy, saturate your patch (usually Kevlar cloth), then apply it. Rub it down good. The patch should be translucent once it is saturated with epoxy. Think you will need some warmer weather for a good result...50-60 degree day. Good luck.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Thanks for all the info fellas.

You are right Gavin that is a big area. The actual area is not that size but I figure I will give it plenty of coverage.

Ronnie, I think I will be giving you a call or text. Sounds like it is worth a try.

And its not like it is the end of the life of this great craft. It still works and operates just fine. She has taken great care of me and we have seen and done a lot together. She is just like a good bird dog. You just can't put her down. And she doesn't want to quit. She waits patiently for the door to open so she can kennel up. We have floated a lot of waters together and we will float a lot more. Although there are others in the garage with her, she knows it is her that will get to go on the trip. She is always ready and never tires.