Submitted: 09-14-2005 by ak76wrench
Last year I purchased a RamX 15' that had a hole dead center of the keel. The hole was approximately 1/2 inch wide by 2 1/2 long. I agree that repairing it with various plastics, marinetex, etc. is fruitless. But they are repairable. What I did has worked extremely well with absolutely no problems while heavily paddling Alaska all season. I drilled multiple 1/4 holes around the existing hole. Used a 3" wire wheel on an electric drill to rough the area surrounding on both the outside and inside of the canoe. Then I used the 'Walmart' fiberglass kit and fiberglassed from both sides. With the roughed surface the glass was able to adhere and it made it even stronger by bonding to itself through the holes. 2 layers of glass on the inside and 4 layers on the outside. The glass tapered down nicely and adds no drag. I've seen patches people have done with soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles, plastic sheet, etc. It all looks crazy to me and adds lots of drag. Oh by the way, I was given the canoe for free because the previous owner couldn't figure out how to patch it. It cost me $12.00 and 1 hour of labor. This has been a fantastic canoe for me!! |