Need advice on canoe repair

I recently acquired a new Langford kevlar Prospector 16.5 which sustained major damage when it fell off a trailer (the retailer must have figured it wasn/t worth repairing and just left it at the local dump). I am going to repair it and could use some advice on how to repair a hole about 10 inches diameter and a 12 inch crack. I have used bar clamps to restore the hull to near original shape and am now ready to start patching.

Any good websites or other info would be appreciated.

The Hole - Shape a piece of sheet metal to the hull in the hole area from the inside or out side (it must fit the contour very well) Wax the side that is against the hull with mold release wax and secure to the hull with tape or clamps (what ever works, not screws etc.. ) Try to determine how many layers are in the lay up of the hull, Cut as many patches the size of the hole as layers in the hull then two 1' larger and two 2'larger. lay up the patches in the hole, then the !' larger followed by the 2' patch. When that is cured remove the sheetmetal clean (to remove wax - use acetone) and again lay up the 1' then the 2' larger patch. The Crack - Remove any loose material and make small patches to fill the voids. Us about a 3-4' wide strip followed by a 5-6', do this for the inside and outside of the hull. Be sure the use a good quality Epoxy and you might want to use fibreglass cloth for the top layers/ply's

Good luck and any more questions just ask Also places like Noah's boats Toronto) and Fiberglass factory (Mississauga) are a wealth of knowledge and supplies

J Dors

Canoe and Kayak magazine had a repair article in the last issue that covers this problem.

jp

If you get stuck and you are in the Ottawa area, Ottawa Valley Canoe (if memory serves me well) at Kinburn does a good job with kevlar canoe