New to the group - greetings to all!

I have an old clipper square stern canoe that is somewhat worse for
wear. I want to fix it myself, pretty sure that it is doable, as most of
the damage is cracked / missing fibreglass. I've spent the last hour
googling fibreglass repair, but cant find much in the way of
comprehensive DIY fibreglass repair.

It's and old boat, but quite stable and very useable, I'd like to fix it
myself but if I have to I'll take it to a repair shop.

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.

Is it adviseable to tackle this myself, if so, does anyone here know a
good online resource that can get me started with DIY fibreglass repair?

Or should I just take it in and get it done professionaly? (there are no
boat shops within 220 kms of me)


thanks in advance!

Glen wrote:
New to the group - greetings to all!

I have an old clipper square stern canoe that is somewhat worse for
wear. I want to fix it myself, pretty sure that it is doable, as most of
the damage is cracked / missing fibreglass. I've spent the last hour
googling fibreglass repair, but cant find much in the way of
comprehensive DIY fibreglass repair.

It's and old boat, but quite stable and very useable, I'd like to fix it
myself but if I have to I'll take it to a repair shop.

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.

Is it adviseable to tackle this myself, if so, does anyone here know a
good online resource that can get me started with DIY fibreglass repair?

Or should I just take it in and get it done professionaly? (there are no
boat shops within 220 kms of me)

A lot depends on how much time you have. If you're in a hurry, you'd
probably be better off to have it done professionally. If you have the
time to learn as you go, do it yourself. I've got a couple of albums on
fiberglass and gelcoat repair on Webshots that should be enough to get
you started. They're at:

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

Brian Nystrom wrote:
Glen wrote:

New to the group - greetings to all!

I have an old clipper square stern canoe that is somewhat worse for
wear. I want to fix it myself, pretty sure that it is doable, as most
of the damage is cracked / missing fibreglass. I've spent the last
hour googling fibreglass repair, but cant find much in the way of
comprehensive DIY fibreglass repair.

It's and old boat, but quite stable and very useable, I'd like to fix
it myself but if I have to I'll take it to a repair shop.

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.

Is it adviseable to tackle this myself, if so, does anyone here know a
good online resource that can get me started with DIY fibreglass repair?

Or should I just take it in and get it done professionaly? (there are
no boat shops within 220 kms of me)


A lot depends on how much time you have. If you're in a hurry, you'd
probably be better off to have it done professionally. If you have the
time to learn as you go, do it yourself. I've got a couple of albums on
fiberglass and gelcoat repair on Webshots that should be enough to get
you started. They're at:

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

thanks! I'll check them out..

Glen wrote:

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.

I'm with Brian on this - you can do it if you have the time and want to learn how.

It isn't clear in the photos how much damage is done to the wood. If it's
seriously rotted under the fiberglass, it should be replaced and that
complicates things. Ditto the transom where the plywood is currently exposed.

I'd think of removing and replacing the seats, thwarts and gunwales.

If there is serious rot in the wood and the hull is glass laminated wood, it may
not be worth the effort to repair. Your time would be better spent making a new
canoe. I'm guessing it's an old chopped strand hull with wood reinforcement.
That would be easier to fix.

Mike

Start here for info re glass repair. http://www.gougeon.com/

You can fix what's broken pretty easily. A pro would end up costing you
more than the boat is worth. Don't bother trying to fix the thwart,
just relace it with a piece of wood.

Steve

Glen wrote:
New to the group - greetings to all!

I have an old clipper square stern canoe that is somewhat worse for
wear. I want to fix it myself, pretty sure that it is doable, as most of
the damage is cracked / missing fibreglass.

Michael Daly wrote:
Glen wrote:

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.


I'm with Brian on this - you can do it if you have the time and want to
learn how.

It isn't clear in the photos how much damage is done to the wood. If
it's seriously rotted under the fiberglass, it should be replaced and
that complicates things. Ditto the transom where the plywood is
currently exposed.

I'd think of removing and replacing the seats, thwarts and gunwales.

If there is serious rot in the wood and the hull is glass laminated
wood, it may not be worth the effort to repair. Your time would be
better spent making a new canoe. I'm guessing it's an old chopped
strand hull with wood reinforcement. That would be easier to fix.

Mike

thanks

as far as I know the only wood on the boat is on the transom, I say this
because iirc there is some flex in the keel when underway, but I'll take
a better look when I get home tonight..

Brians page has an excellent howto on how to repair a hole in the hull,
but I was more concerned about how I was going to fix the missing parts
of the gunwale and transom, and the yoke I was unsure about as well.
I'm not even sure if I can get replacement parts for this boat anymore,
it's quite old as far as I can tell.

If it's the Clipper from Vancouver (Western Boatworks or something like
that) they're still around. Check their website. Also, and fairly
important is to find out whether it's made from epoxy or polyester
resin. Better to keep to the same kind, although you can put epoxy on
poly, but not the reverse.

Marsh

Glen wrote:
Michael Daly wrote:
Glen wrote:

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html
that show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.


I'm with Brian on this - you can do it if you have the time and want
to learn how.

It isn't clear in the photos how much damage is done to the wood. If
it's seriously rotted under the fiberglass, it should be replaced and
that complicates things. Ditto the transom where the plywood is
currently exposed.

I'd think of removing and replacing the seats, thwarts and gunwales.

If there is serious rot in the wood and the hull is glass laminated
wood, it may not be worth the effort to repair. Your time would be
better spent making a new canoe. I'm guessing it's an old chopped
strand hull with wood reinforcement. That would be easier to fix.

Mike

thanks

as far as I know the only wood on the boat is on the transom, I say this
because iirc there is some flex in the keel when underway, but I'll take
a better look when I get home tonight..

Brians page has an excellent howto on how to repair a hole in the hull,
but I was more concerned about how I was going to fix the missing parts
of the gunwale and transom, and the yoke I was unsure about as well.
I'm not even sure if I can get replacement parts for this boat anymore,
it's quite old as far as I can tell.

Marsh Jones wrote:

Also, and fairly
important is to find out whether it's made from epoxy or polyester
resin.

The odds of a canoe like that being made of epoxy is zero. The question is
"vinylester or polyester?". I'd lay odds that it's polyester, as the
construction isn't that great and you only see vinylester in better quality
canoes and kayaks.

Mike

Here's Western Canoeing's link: http://www.clippercanoes.com/

I believe you have a Clipper Ranger. This model would have been built
between 20 and 26 years ago. Epoxy resin and 8 oz. glass cloth is the most
effective way to fix it. After being repaired the boat will at best only be
worth $250 Cdn. -- so you decide if it is worth repairing. In addition since
it is a square stern and the transom is extremely damaged it may be
reasonable to assume that a motor was used on it. If this is the case, the
entire fiberglass hull may be fatigued from wave vibration. You may be
wasting your money repairing this one.
_____________________
Sincerely,
Carey Robson
www.CanoeBC.ca


"Glen" wrote in message
news:K2DLg.5941$0k7.2126@clgrps13...
New to the group - greetings to all!

I have an old clipper square stern canoe that is somewhat worse for wear.
I want to fix it myself, pretty sure that it is doable, as most of the
damage is cracked / missing fibreglass. I've spent the last hour googling
fibreglass repair, but cant find much in the way of comprehensive DIY
fibreglass repair.

It's and old boat, but quite stable and very useable, I'd like to fix it
myself but if I have to I'll take it to a repair shop.

There are some pictures of it on http://howtofixthings.net/canoe.html that
show the areas that need repair and the extent of the damage.

Is it adviseable to tackle this myself, if so, does anyone here know a
good online resource that can get me started with DIY fibreglass repair?

Or should I just take it in and get it done professionaly? (there are no
boat shops within 220 kms of me)


thanks in advance!

Probably cut off the transom and put on a new one.
The old fibreglass can be pulled and sanded off until you get to good
plywood.

You can buy precut gunwale material, or could a number of years ago,
wood or metal. Would be easy to come up with a list of materials and
cost out the job before you decide.

I've found books and videos on fibreglass boat repair from the public
library helpful.
Another good source is library books on auto body repair. They cover
fibreglass technique for beginners and emphasize getting a nice finish.

Looks like eminantly doable and inexpensive job for a first time
repair. Good experience.