Repairing Your Slalom Boat
This page will describes techniques used to perform do-it-yourself repairs to carbon or kevlar slalom canoes or kayaks.
Jump to Boat Repair Document:
Repair Materials
Safety
The first point to note is that the materials used must be handled properly to avoid skin irritation, or breathing in the fine dust and chemical vapours. You should wear a mask when sanding, and thin plastic/rubber gloves when handling fabric or epoxy and work in a well ventilated area.
General Comment
In general the shell of the boat is repaired with fabric (Kevlar, Carbon, or Carbon/Kevlar mix) and a hard tough adhesive(Epoxy). Seams of the boat, or areas which tend to routinely abraid utilize a bias or seam tape made of Kevlar. Emergency repairs are often carried out with duct tape - never leave home without it!
Fabrics - Cloth & Tape
Kevlar is a tough recently developed fiber that resists impact more that carbon and is relatively wear resistant, but is not as stiff. Carbon is much more difficult to flex when cured in epoxy but can be more easily abraded or cracked on impact. As a result it is common to see weaves combining the two in 1 fabric. Note that kevlar is difficult to cut cleanly and may require special scissors and patience. Places where you can purchase Kevlar or Carbon:
Locally you may be able to obtain cloth from iTomco:
Another internet supply house that offers comprehensive selection is Sweet Composites:
Epoxy
The above cloth and tape require a strong adhesive that will easily soak into it, cure in a reasonable time, and not deteriorate over time with water and sun exposure. Special epoxies for boats are preferred as they have been proven over time to work well. Note that good surface preparation to ensure proper bonding of the epoxy is required, including exposing adjacent existing fabric using sandpaper and cleaning using a solvent such as acetone.
One recommended epoxy is made by West System. Typically 105 Resin is used with 205 fast cure hardener. It is important to use the special pumps that premeasure accurately the amount required:
www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx
www.thechandleryonline.com//dept.asp
How Do You Repair a Boat You Ask?
The document attached below shows you how to fix a fairly severe hole in a kevlar carbon boat using the above material and a few standard tools. Cracks are a lot easier to repair but hopefully this gives you the basic idea as there is not much out there on the internet...Tim.Cutts.
Here is a Before Picture:
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Here is an After Picture:
And Here is the Instructions in PDF format: