How to Restore/Repair Mad River Eclipse Royalex Canoe, Part 1
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- čas přidán 30. 11. 2022
- New restoration project. A 2004 Mad River Eclipse Canoe that will primarily be used as a solo canoe in regions of rocky rivers and streams. The restoration will require all new wooden gunwales, decks and canoe carrying handles. Three cold cracks will be repaired using G-Flex epoxy. This video will demonstrate how I strip the canoe down to the hull and prepare the hull for paint and for epoxy repair. Please follow along on with this series and subscribe to the channel to see the progress as each video is released. This will be my first Royalex canoe restoration. Feel free to watch my cedar strip canoe build series and my short video which captures the chestnut chum canoe restoration. I enjoy working in my shop and I truly enjoy bringing an old canoe back to life. Thanks for watching.
It’s going to look great. Around Bend Oregon out!
Great videos! I have a similar repair to do. I think I’m going to start today.
Glad you enjoyed the videos. Hopefully you find them useful and helpful. Best of luck with your project!
I put new gunwales on a Dagger Venture 17 that was lying dead on a beach in Vermont with a FREE sign on it. Gunwales actually looked worse than yours, cane webbing seats all torn and hull ends scratched and chipped through to the core.
I’ve patched the hull scrapes and cold cracks with Legos dissolved in acetone on top of stainless steel screen or fiberglass cloth. Forums discuss this.
Nice video… can’t wait to see what’s next.
I am intrigued by the aceton/Lego method. I am tempted to experiment with similar plastics in acetone to observe the consistency of the plastic afterwards. How did your finished repairs look aesthetically after you were done? Also how is the integrity of the repair holding up? Since I already have product on hand I will proceed with the G/Flex repair method for the Eclipse. Great work on bringing your Dagger Venture 17 back to life. Another canoe that didn’t end up in a dumpster 👍
@@mainetripper It does the job, but epoxy is probably better. Cold cracks reappeared when I first patched them with just Lego paste, no mesh underneath, although that could just be because I store the canoe outdoors all year. And I have covered the ends with skid plates because I kept having to repatch them (I hit a lot of rocks, and my bow partner insists on beaching head on). So it seems to work, but might not be as durable. Appearance is good if I carefully sand the area and paint with a matching color. The best application seems to be using autobody fiberglass with not too thick or thin Lego-acetone paste, the latest version I have used, before I finally reverted to kevlar skid plates. Wetting the canoe body with acetone first helps. I believe Legos are the same ABS used in Royalex, so it's like a weld. A lot cheaper than epoxy systems if you have kids or grandkids.
@@mainetripper I've read that cold cracks can be prevented by widening the screw holes in the hull near the ends, making them horizontally oval shaped, so the hull can move a little forward and back. Then loosen those screws slightly each winter and retighten in spring. Never tried this but I think I will.
@@michaelpaul9236 The most
Common practice, if storing Royalex canoe outdoors all year long, is to loosen the gunwale screws to allow for different rates of expansion and contraction. I believe the mistake some make is that the screws are not backed out enough. The absolute fix for this common issue is to install vinyl gunwales so that the materials move together in synch. I prefer the look of wood.
Very cool ! Years ago I owned an Old Town Tripper, with a similar make up. We used do a lot of whitewater canoeing. Theses canoes can take a lot of abuse ! I was offered a similar canoe as yours from a youtube friend lately. I will go get it in March . I have been looking for another canoe like this to tinker with and use on outings that I know will have lots of rocks or low water, looking forward to the rest of your series !
As you know Maine rivers and streams can be unforgiving. The canoe you will be acquiring in March will be a great addition to your fleet. The Placid probably shouldn’t be bouncing off rocks. As always thanks for watching Craig and supporting. Be well man! 👍
Oh a beater. well you can use it in rocky rivers where other fine boats dare not travel. Will you put the center seat back or just a carrying thwart? I doing a test on an old Old Town Hunter with wood rails I installed in this past summer, so it won't get quick temp changes this winter like it can in the full sun. it will be in an unheated shed off my mill building. Ah you are going to remove the center seat, good call. Some cracks. I wonder if a V grove in a router would channel those cracks well?
Yes this is ultimately a sacrificial beater boat that will take me to some interesting less traveled areas. The center seat will be replaced with a carrying yoke. I hope to make this canoe look as fine as I possibly can, but in the end I am ok with this boat taking some bumps, beatings and bruises. The router idea is decent but I wouldn’t want it to get away from me and for that not to happen I would need to build a jig. I think I will use the good ole trusty hardworking method this time around.
With the topside paint, have you had any problems. I read on the can that it is not for below the waterline. Also are you using the marine coatings primer?
I have used the Rustoleum Marine Topside coatings on four canoes now with no issues. Not being used below the waterline would apply to motor
Boats or sailboats in the water all season long. No need to worry about “not to be used below the waterline” because a canoe is in and out of the water frequently. Hope this helps and yes I also use the marine coatings primer.
Interesting situation with the single big cold crack on the bow vs two smaller ones on the stern for a symmetrical boat like this. After proper repair with g-flex is the structural integrity of one end better than the other? I’m thinking about it from the perspective of dragging the canoe from the grab loop - not just in boney/shallow water - but also a situation like dragging over a beaver dam, where the boat is loaded and you have to give it some mustard. Is one end going to be stronger than the other or is it immaterial if properly repaired with g-flex?
I have plenty of practice with epoxy resins but this is the first time using G/Flex epoxy so I am reliant on the reviews of the strength that this repair provides. Strength will also be re-established when the new gunwales and decks are installed. Gunwale screw placement near the damaged areas will also be important to provide reinforcement. This is my theoretical approach. Lots of success stories using the West Systems G/Flex so time will certainly tell.
@@mainetripper Certainly makes sense. What I was curious about is whether you considered reorienting the bow/stern based on the repairs, but that's probably overthinking it. Timely video as I'm pulling in my T-Formex canoe from the yard this weekend and hanging it in the garage with my composite canoes. Spring ice-out can't come soon enough. Well done and good luck on giving new life to an old workhorse boat. I look forward to the next installment.
Dusty to be honest I haven’t even considered changing the bow and stern seating orientation until you mentioned it. I think this may be something to mull over as I continue with the restoration. We’ll have to see exactly what type of strength the G/Flex provides. I appreciate your comments and following along with this canoe restoration series.
@MarineTripper what angle did you used for the kerf on the gunnels?
Scarf joints for the gunwales is roughly 8:1 or 9:1 and the angle cuts on the end of the gunwales at each stem were free hand cut and that angle was transferred to the other gunwale ends by using a sliding bevel.