We will fix just about any kind of canoe or boat, and another fiberglass canoe came in a little worse for wear. Ground against the rocks, it had 3 large areas of the keel missing entirely. A Scott canoe from Mid Canada Fiberglass in New Liskeard, it was molded with an aluminum tube in the keel to act as a stiffener.
The missing glass needed to be filled in and rounded to the same shape as remaining keel , as there is an air void around the tube between in and the fiberglass. Urethane foam was injected into the void, and after it had cured, trimmed with a knife roughly to shape.
Once shaped, the boat is taped off over its length, the fiberglass prepped to allow epoxy to adhere, and the keel is covered with unthickened epoxy.
Fiberglass tape was then laid over the keel, one strip up each side overlapping at the top, and a final layer over both, providing 3 layers of cloth for strength.
The repair will be sanded and faired into the hull, and the rest of the hull prepped and primed to get it ready for paint.
Epifanes green #72 was chosen, a nice shade to minimize scratches and update the faded and scratched gel coat. A good quality high build primer is applied after the gel coat is fully sanded to provide some bite for the new finish.
With half the hull painted the results of the rebuild can be seen.
After 3 coats the boat has its new lease on life, in time to get caught in the snow while outside curing.
Ready for delivery to the owner, they have a great 14' go anywhere canoe to rejoin their fleet of vintage wood canoes.
