A fiberglass canoe washed up on a friends beach a couple years ago. He
tossed it over to one side. Since no one has claimed it, I think repairing
it will make a good project for my son this summer. He is actually eager to
do it.

It has two holes, one in the bow and one in the stern. It looks like
someone dragged it over a driveway and simply ground holes. The previous
owner patched it with what seems to be asphaltic tape. He also painted the
inside and outside.

I am planning on putting one layer of fiberglass over the holes, and then a
larger layer over the entire bottom. The construction is awfully flimsy and
can use some strengthening.

First thing is to get the paint off. I have tried simply scraping and that
gets a little off. A heat gun and scraping gets most of it off, but not
all. And I am not not sure how good a heat gun is for fiberglass.
I don't want to sand (except of course where I will be putting new
fiberglass) because the fiberglass is so thin, and I have doubts about the
safety of a chemical stripper on fiberglass; someone warned me it will
soften the resin.

So, any suggestions?

Well, before starting the repairs and maybe refurbishing?

Who originally made the canoe and the design plays a major role in your
decision.
Attention should be given to the type of bottom flat or rounded and the
length.
A cost and value analyse should be done versus buying a new one.
The cost should not be more then a third of buying a new canoe.
Are the punched holes been openned and exposed to water allowing the water
to wicked into the fibreglass weakening its structure. The fibreglass could
be rotten maybe it is only a small area or the old canoe, then no repairs
can be done. Are the airtight chambers located at each end intact. Is there
any spider webs (surface cracks) visible on the fibreglass?
Are the gunwales made of aluminums or wood. Do you need new seats.
At the end of the day it would a good project for your son to hone his
financial skill by finding out if it is worth repairing. Then to establish
a budget and time table to accomplish his project.

"Toller" wrote in message
...
A fiberglass canoe washed up on a friends beach a couple years ago. He
tossed it over to one side. Since no one has claimed it, I think repairing
it will make a good project for my son this summer. He is actually eager
to do it.

It has two holes, one in the bow and one in the stern. It looks like
someone dragged it over a driveway and simply ground holes. The previous
owner patched it with what seems to be asphaltic tape. He also painted
the inside and outside.

I am planning on putting one layer of fiberglass over the holes, and then
a larger layer over the entire bottom. The construction is awfully flimsy
and can use some strengthening.

First thing is to get the paint off. I have tried simply scraping and
that gets a little off. A heat gun and scraping gets most of it off, but
not all. And I am not not sure how good a heat gun is for fiberglass.
I don't want to sand (except of course where I will be putting new
fiberglass) because the fiberglass is so thin, and I have doubts about the
safety of a chemical stripper on fiberglass; someone warned me it will
soften the resin.

So, any suggestions?

Toller wrote:
A fiberglass canoe washed up on a friends beach a couple years ago. He
tossed it over to one side. Since no one has claimed it, I think repairing
it will make a good project for my son this summer. He is actually eager to
do it.

I hope he's as eager when he discovers how much work it's going to be.

It has two holes, one in the bow and one in the stern. It looks like
someone dragged it over a driveway and simply ground holes. The previous
owner patched it with what seems to be asphaltic tape. He also painted the
inside and outside.

I am planning on putting one layer of fiberglass over the holes, and then a
larger layer over the entire bottom. The construction is awfully flimsy and
can use some strengthening.

I have pics of fiberglass and gelcoat repair for kayaks on Webshots at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg

The same techniques can be used on canoes, which have similarly thin
skins compared to most fiberglass craft.

First thing is to get the paint off. I have tried simply scraping and that
gets a little off. A heat gun and scraping gets most of it off, but not
all. And I am not not sure how good a heat gun is for fiberglass.

If you overheat the resin, you'll ruin the boat. I would not suggest
using heat to remove the paint.

I don't want to sand (except of course where I will be putting new
fiberglass) because the fiberglass is so thin, and I have doubts about the
safety of a chemical stripper on fiberglass; someone warned me it will
soften the resin.

If you sand with 80 grit, you can remove the paint without removing the
resin or cutting into the fiberglass beneath it. DO NOT use the 36 grit
and similarly coarse methods recommended for larger boats with thicker
hulls.

Toller wrote:

A fiberglass canoe washed up on a friends beach a couple years ago. He
tossed it over to one side. Since no one has claimed it, I think repairing
it will make a good project for my son this summer. He is actually eager to
do it.

It has two holes, one in the bow and one in the stern. It looks like
someone dragged it over a driveway and simply ground holes. The previous
owner patched it with what seems to be asphaltic tape. He also painted the
inside and outside.

I am planning on putting one layer of fiberglass over the holes, and then a
larger layer over the entire bottom. The construction is awfully flimsy and
can use some strengthening.

First thing is to get the paint off. I have tried simply scraping and that
gets a little off. A heat gun and scraping gets most of it off, but not
all. And I am not not sure how good a heat gun is for fiberglass.
I don't want to sand (except of course where I will be putting new
fiberglass) because the fiberglass is so thin, and I have doubts about the
safety of a chemical stripper on fiberglass; someone warned me it will
soften the resin.

So, any suggestions?


It sounds like a great father/son project. You don't mention the
make/model of the canoe. I would check and confirm the construction
materials. Expoxy resin and polyester resins will not bond well
togehter so if the canoe is fiberglass, you should know which resin was
used. If it is a fiberglass canoe, it may have a balsa core between
layers - check for water wicking/damage.

Is it possible that the canoe is actually made out of ABS or
polyethylene instead of fiberglass? You said it was flimsy construction
- ABS feels very flimsy and "rubbery" in a sense. ABS and poly can only
be repaired with special materials, but it probably can be done.

Assuming fiberglass, if it were me, I'd make the spot repairs, feather
them in, and sand the old paint down with 80 grit as another poster
suggested, then smooth sand and prime/paint the boat with a good marine
paint. I would not add another layer of fiberglass which will add
weight and not much structure.

You don't mention your son's age but sanding, feathering, painting, are
more likely within his skill sets than reglassing the whole hull.
Instead of more glass, I'd put that time into inwales, tharts, seats,
and appearance items.

Hope this helps - HH

On 2006-06-17 23:03:26 -0400, "H.Hatcher" said:

It sounds like a great father/son project. You don't mention the
make/model of the canoe. I would check and confirm the construction
materials. Expoxy resin and polyester resins will not bond well
togehter so if the canoe is fiberglass, you should know which resin was
used. If it is a fiberglass canoe, it may have a balsa core between
layers - check for water wicking/damage.

Two little points... No manufacturer of canoes that I've ever seen has
done a cored hull for their canoes. It just isn't cost-effective for
them, or even structurally necessary.

Second, epoxy does not have problem bonding to polyester or vinylester
resins, provided the surface is properly cleaned and sanded.

HH seems to be a fount of misinformation.