OK, I have a twenty year old Mad River Explorer sixteen foot canoe made out of Royalex.  This evening I found rips/tears/cracks in the hull.  There are two of them.  One about eleven inches long and another about two or three inches long.  They are straight line cracks that go all the way through from the outside to inside, like someone cutting paper with a pair of scissors.  I'm thinking the cracks are from the extra cold winter we had here and also the gunwales are made out of wood and I have never oiled them.  

 

 I want to know, how can I repair this?  Is it an easy repair or difficult?  Do I simply slap some fiberglass on it?  Would it be better to find a canoe/kayak shop and see if they repair them?  

 

Thanks! 

You can try fiberglass, but I doubt it would work, even if you used an epoxy resin. 

 

Google "repairing Royalex canoes", and see what you get.  Try below as a last resort.

 

I'd try 3M 5200.  It is available in "toothpaste" tubes or tubes that will fit in caulking guns.  You will also need a flexible plastic spreader.  Home Depot carries 5200.

 

Drill a small hole at the end of each crack.  That will help prevent the crack from "growing.

 

Clean the area around the cracks on the inside and outside.  Scuff the area about an inch on each side and each end of the cracks with sandpaper.  Wash the scuffed area with acetone or lacquer thinner.

 

Then put a 3/8th inch bead of the 5200 over the crack, on the inside and outside of the hull.  Place a piece of wax paper over the bead.  It should be about five or six inches wide, and long enough to extend about three inches past the end of the crack.

 

Use the spreader, and spread the bead evenly on both sides of the crack, and past the ends.  Again, do this on the inside and outside of the hull.  You want it to be a little thicker in the center tapering to a feathered edge.   

 

Then leave it alone until it sets.  It may take a few days, so do this when you aren't planning on using the boat.   

 

To see if the material has cured, gently try to spread the material with a finger tip.  The wax paper should still be in place.  If you cannot move the material, slowly, try to remove the wax paper.  If the 5200 lifts, use the spreader to put it back in place.

 

Once it sets, the wax paper will easily peel off, leaving a fairly smooth surface. 

Here ya go.  Try this.

 

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/repairing-a-royalex-canoe-with-g-flex-epoxy

Thanks for the info. I was looking at a repair kit from Harmony but they want around $70.00 for it.