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"Canoe Repair and Kayak Repair Department"

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Canoe Repair and Kayak Repair Department

"Repair A Canoe or Kayak!"

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This page should guide and provide you with enough information to do repairs on your canoe or kayak. This method and materials suggested work great for Polyethelyne and Royalex Canoes and Kayaks, as well as quick field repairs of Fiberglass or Kevlar, and works great for filler and sealer, as well as canoe or kayak hole or gash repairs.

Table of contents below:

• Canoe Repair and Kayak Repair Materials

• Suggested Canoe Repair or Kayak Repair Method

ORC Suggested Materials available at ORC - 417-778-2400 - We accept MC, Visa, and Discover

• Clear Marine Goop: 3.7 Ounce Tube: toothpaste style, for small repairs: Quantity 1: $6.99; Qty, 4 or more: 5.99

• Clear Marine Goop: 10.2 Ounce (Caulk Gun Style) Cartridge: Quantity, 1: $9.99; Quantity 4 or more: 6.99

• Old Town Green or Red Pigment: Small dispenser, use sparingly: $7.99 each, recommend 1 per tube or 2 - 3 per cartridge.

ORC Suggested Canoe Repair Method and Kayak Repair Method:

Preface:

We are distributors of Marine Goop, a sealant material that works on most modern canoe and kayak materials such as polyethylene, royalex, fiberglass, and kevlar to name a few. Fiberglass and Kevlar can always be fixed with fiberglass and kevlar, but this works as a temporary solution on those boats. It is excellent for polylink (Polyethelyne) or ABS repairs! This material is dispensed by either a 3.7 oz tooth paste style tube for smaller repairs, or caulk gun tube for larger or canoe rental fleet repairs.

The creation of using Marine Goop in combination with the Old Town Resin based pigment has resulted in discussions among ORC and our paddling industry friends at dealer conferences as well as our own extensive field testing. Hearing of the success of this repair material in the Marine Industry provoked our research. After our own field testing at a cooperative outfitter (Eleven Point Canoe Rental) with their fleet of damaged canoes and kayaks from rental use, Brian tested several tubes of the material on their fleet of rental canoes. They had used the plastic welding method for years, and with the hard and raised bead that the plastic welding leaves, the welds were frequently getting knocked off going through the rocky shoals of the rivers. Having many boats that were taken out of service, they graciously and excitedly started the canoe repairs and putting these boats back in service. With the first tube as a sample, they soon came back and got several tubes and continued their rental fleet canoe repairs. We were extremely happy with the results, especially since it is not expensive!

We also had a couple of rarely damaged boats from shipping at Ozark River Company, and with holes punched in the sides of two canoes, we too wanted to be able to put these canoes in service with a long lasting repair. One of these boats was a Royalex Osprey 155 by Old Town Canoe, and the seat was driven through the side of the canoe by fork truck pressure during an abusive shipment, punching a hole out the side of the canoe! This is a $1249 dollar boat, and with a small area but substantial damage to that area, with a good repair, would handle the same as any other Osprey 155! Retire her? Forget it! With this very happy success of the above materials, we gained the membrane integrety of the boat in the damaged area, as well as a repair preventing any possibility of leaks. This material has great and effective moisture sealing characteristics.

We also liked the adhesion, meaning it "sticks like a bad dog!" With rock scrapes, it keeps the renewed scrape damage to the scraped area surface of the repair material, only to the area that was scraped! Not only did it not effect the surrounding area with the scrape over the repair, it only took the top layer of the material off with the exposed rock. The underlying material stayed in tact, still filled and sealed! Lastly we decided to try and hide the underlying damage by blending a little Canoe color pigment, Old Town providing a resin based pigment in both Red and Green. We hope to work towards supplying other colors in the future. We hope to have pictures soon as we photo document a repair. Materials are available now, while in stock. We will try to have plenty on hand.

To order the Canoe or Kayak repair material above and get shipping amount, call Ozark River Company during our regular hours posted at the bottom of our web site pages. Order by phone 417-778-2400. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Shipping is not much more for multiple tubes, so it is advised to ask your friends if they need any! Great stocking stuffers or birthday presents, surprise your paddling buddy and get "his or her" boat fixed too! Great for clubs, outfitters, scout troops, bulk priced above for fleet repairs.

We also can provide OEM / Old Town Canoe kevlar skid plate kits too. Just ask when you call! We can get your boat back in service with a short phone call, and your materials will be on the way! We reserve the right to be out of stock, but will work to keep it on the shelf.

Method: Pictures will be provided soon showing a repair. This is actually very easy! We will try to be clear.

Preparation - Use this step if your boat hull is also deformed or disfigured and is too stiff to go back in shape. If not, skip this step and go on to the Materials.

Not in all cases, but some cases the boat hull will be stiffly deformed. It is best to reform your boat to the hull shape if this is the case. Royalex is stiff if deformed as it is made from a harder substrate, ABS plastic, so it might be required to get a professional heat gun with temperature control and dual air speed. Carefully increase temperature not to get the surface too hot. It will make the vinyl skin of the Royalex material bubble, but material must be thoroughly warmed throughout in order for it to be flexible and then acquire a new memory position after cooling. Warm the material slowly, then form in shape with any tools or materials you have on hand. The material should not be so hot to the touch that it burns you, yet with prolonged contact with skin will warm significantly. You will see the material become pliable and know as you do this step that you can reform to your satisfaction. In most cases, this step is not necessary. Exercise caution not to burn the surface of the boat, as well as yourself! Use industrial heat guns with caution. Temp control and moving up in temperature will help not damage the boat as a heating method. thoroughly warm, but not burning to touch.

Materials including the Marine Goop and Pigment if used.

1. First, have a small paper clip to poke open the pigment syringe with

2. Several business cards (that you were going to pitch anyway) for disposable material "spreaders"

3. Sheets of copy paper for mixing pallet.

4. Old newspaper to work over (pigment stains! Do this at your own risk!)

5. Plastic knife or spoon to mix pigment with.

These are disposable items to be wrapped and thrown away after they see any mess at all. It makes for a cleaner repair. For the cosmetically conscious and smooth repairs, each business card will be disposed of after each layer of application, so several business cards would be recommended. The plastic mixing spoon or knife can be reused throughout the repair and will be disposed of after the repair is completed. Straighten the paperclip and poke the pigment syringe and you are done with that.

Time to fix your Canoe or Kayak!

If Adding Pigment, Follow These Steps:

Caution: Well Ventilated Area Required! Do not breath materials! Use common sense. Warning labels are on the products.

Try smaller repairs or smaller areas first. Squeeze a small ball about the "size of a nickel" on the "mixing pallet sheet of copy paper", over the newspaper. This amount can be adjusted and will be based on your repair size "per application", but is good to do repairs in layers or phases.

Open the pigment syringe by poking it with the smaller paperclip, leaving a perfect size of hole for dispensing. Do not cut off the tip! The hole will be too large and messy. The pigment is dark, so can be sparingly applied to keep the color lighter, with the effort too to hide the damage, and to match your canoe or kayak color. The pigment is provided in a syringe, so press the plunger and only add an eighth of an inch of materiel at first until you see how dark the color is when mixing with the blob of Marine Goop. Rub the excretion of the syringe over the goop to get it on there.

For non-pigmented repairs such as canoe repairs by outfitters that are not as concerned about cosmetics, skip the pigment colorization process. You can even skip the sheet of paper and apply the ball of Marine Goop to the business card directly, keeping the ball on the flat surface, yet close to the long edge of the business card. Spread the material directly from there.

Now you must work fast. This material sets up quick! It also skins over real quick! Stir the color with the Marine goop until you see the color you want. One can't afford to be perfect if it takes very long. Once quickly stirred with the plastic spoon, set the spoon somewhere on the newspaper, safe for reuse. With the business card, scrape all of the colored Marine goop off the copy paper with the business card to get it all on one flat side of the card, all ready to spread being along the edge. Scrape with a scooping action to pick up the material.

In advance, have your canoe repair area level using any furniture, paint buckets, two by fours, walls, or saw horses you might have, set the canoe or kayak in position so that the the area that you are going to work on. A level repair area prevents this thick and heavy material from running. It also allows it to level and fill the deep places. With the area to repair on the canoe and kayak being level, clean, and dry, use the business card as a spreader and while curving the card a little with your grip to concentrate the material in the center area, spread over the damaged area very smoothly and carefully using the angle of the card to get all the material correctly spread over the damaged area. Try to get fill in the bottom areas and pushed down effectively in the foam core of the multi layer canoe or kayak hull types. If there is a hole, you must put something underneath to prevent drip. Even tape will work on smaller holes. Something that sticks tight to the bottom edges will prevent spilling through the bottom of the damaged area. You will attend to the other side in the next step. Once you make a quick single swipe and get the material on the boat, STOP! Now do not touch your first layer. If you have a little porosity, or air bubbles or areas that are not perfectly smooth, do not touch it! Wait until this material completely dries before you apply the second layer. You can add as many layers as you like until you get the desired results. A little thicker is fine, but prevent extrusions or areas that stick out in damage prone areas of the bottom of the boat. Thin is good. Repeated repairs will then be easy. Prevent areas that will "catch things" while you are using your boat. Repeat all steps with each layer that is applied, allowing each layer to go on quickly, and dry thoroughly.

Once the exterior repair is done then you can flip the boat over to do the inside, once again making the repair area level with your bracing ingenuity, and do the inside of the boat.

The result is not a perfect boat by any means. What you will have though, is a repair on a canoe or kayak that will allow your boat to be put back in service for additional use, until the next requirement for attention or the time when it is not repairable any longer. With maintenance of your canoe or kayak by sealing the small punctures and scrapes, it will help make your boat last longer, sealing out the moisture from the foam core found in many multi layer boats. It will also help prevent further damage by covering the damaged area with a durable layer of material.

Call to order your repair materials! We are open Wednesday through Friday, 10-5, and Saturday 10-2! Phone: 417-778-2400 Thanks, and Happy Paddling! Ozark River Company (please read on for your safety. Safe is good.)

Please Read - Be Safe: These are normal consumer products but are indeed hazardous with misuse. Read all consumer labels including safety instructions that come with the products. Please use your judgment and be responsible for all activities including the care and safety not limited to but including the application of the materials. A safe repair should be evaluated upon completion based on the canoe or kayak condition, and a responsible self judgment that the hull that the boat has a strong general integrity. Please do not put yourself in risky situations or use an unsafe boat. You must be responsible and use good judgment and retire a boat that is not safe. Then it is time to get a new boat from us! Thanks for your safety! We need each and every one of ya'!

Canoe Repair and Kayak Repair, brought to you by, ORC