Esquif Royalex

[Jim Lyon]

I have an Esquif Zoom and recently every other time I have it out it comes home with a gouge out of the purple outer layer down to the green inner layer of the Royalex. Other Royalex boats that I have don't seem to scar so easy. I have a Spark and that is holding up well as are my Bell boats. Has anyone experienced similar problems with Esquif Royalex boats? The hard chines on the Zoom seem to be very vulnerable. What would you recommend to repair these gouges? I have been using JB Weld but I don't know how that is going to hold up.

[Big Al]

Can't say I've had any such problem with my Zoom and I've done a fair bit of creekin' bouncing off rocks and such to make that quick turn. the only issue I had last year was to replace the wooden outwale that had rotted under the plastic bow cap.

[OC1er]

Bell has a product called Super Bond, it seems to work really well as a dent filler. I filled some horrible dents on my Ocoee's chines, then covered the fills with 2 layers of kevlar cloth. Patch seems strong so far. If you issue is only vinyl deep I don't know what to use, most important thing is probably to get paint on the exposed ABS, UV rays will break that stuff down.

[Jim Lyon]

Big Al and oc1er thanks for the input. I guess I will just have to be more careful and look out for the sharp rocks. I love the boat but at this rate it will be nothing but patches by the end of next season. I don't remember hitting anything that would cause that type of damage. I have no patches in my other boats and they have seen as much or more abuse than the Zoom.

[Jim P]

chines tend to become the main wear area. Think about this, in a round hull you tend to present a more even hull surface in the water. With chines you tend paddle on one or the other edge, thus presenting a smaller area deeper into the water. A smaller surface, deeper in will tend to hit more and have more weight focused on the area.

Assuming the bottom is the right margin of this page:

Round ) Chine >

You can see how the wear would be more focused.

Also I would think the sharp bend in the royalex sheet puts more stress on the plastic making it more prone to wear.

Anyway - thats where I see most damage on boats like Zooms, Ocoees etc.

[greybear]

I have a Nitro it does the same thing on the chine I don't believe you need to worry much, the out side layer in more does that and your concern should the UV layer, sems vinyl paint which you can get at an auto store will help protect that. Mine is white around the whole chine, but I am hard on my boats and it doesnt seem to have hurt the structure of the boat.
Kevin

[bushpaddler]

Jim

How old is your boat? New boats of nearly all manufacturers sometimes show this due to soft Royalex.

[Jim Lyon]

The boat is about three years old but I have had it for only a few months. I have use it at least once or twice a week since I got it and was surprised at how easy it was to peel the purple off. I understand the part about the hard chine really taking a beating so I guess it is normal. The first scrape was up high on the side but again near a sharp edge where it bends in below the gunwale. For what it's worth, I searched high and wide to find paint to match the purple. I found Tamiya Color X-16 purple in a hobby shop that is a pretty good match. I put that on top of the J B weld after the repair so it doesn't look so obvious.

[AJ]

My one year old Bell Ocoee also seems like it has a weak vinyl layer. This boat was a replacement for my first Bell Ocoee that was really bad. I let the current boat set for about 9 months before outfitting and using it to let the Royalex cure.

I have decided to use a shorter plastic boat for creeky stuff, so no more creeky runs for my Ocoee, only deeper water runs.

A buddy of mine uses a car bumber repair product for gouge repairs that he gets from Sherman Williams auto paint store. It seems to be holding pretty well. I will be trying it this season too!

[Open Gate]

Do you guys keep your boats stored in a covered area or not ?

I was told to leave new Royalex boats out in the sun for a few weeks at first. Kinda cooks the vinyl a bit and hardens it. Done it with a few boats, not sure if it works but the shell is holding pretty good on my Detonator for example.

There in my garage after 1 month of UV exposure or so.

[Jim Lyon]

My boat was stored outside before I got it. When I bought it from the original owner it had no damage to speak of just the normal surface scratches. I think it had plenty of time to cure and I have put all the big digs in it.

[cbcboat]

Supposedly RX boats molded in the winter come out stiffer than boats in the summer, so I was told by a Former Bell employee. Maybe has something to do with temperature and humidity levels. Has anyone else heard this? As far as gouges I use a product by 3M called 3532, I think those are the numbers. The local shop here carries it. It is a 2 part adhesive that is paintable and sandable after it dries. The NW Wenonah Rep told us about it. I got an Ocoee produced in the winter months a couple years ago and it seems to bee holding up pretty well, the outer vinyl has some peeling, due to sharp rocks, I usually just use spray paint over it, works fine for me. Don't know if any of this helps but I was bored so I figured I'd Blah Blah Blah
B

[slick]

[quote="Jim Lyon"]I have an Esquif Zoom and recently every other time I have it out it comes home with a gouge out of the purple outer layer down to the green inner layer of the Royalex. ...[snip]...Has anyone experienced similar problems with Esquif Royalex boats?

I've noticed that, too. The Paradigm's outermost vinyl is like onion skin. On other other hand, the ABS beneath it seems thicker than on other rx boats. I got a six pack of those small single-serve West resin packs...I've been dabbing that on the gouges because it's clear (until scuffed anyway). Once the boat has gotten a little longer in the tooth, I'll probably use dissolved ABS. McMaster Carr sells different colors of ABS. --tw

[NZMatt]

HIya Jim,

I have an Esquif Zoom and paddle a lot of rocky creeks and rivers. I also noticed lots of wear early on when I ahd it and assumed I'd wear it out really quickly. I've had it 3seasons or so now and it's still going strong. I think it's more visible scratches than real damage. I would recommend covering the royalex if possible to reduce UV degradation. That's all the vinyl is there for anyway.

I've got one good chunk I need to patch, but that's understandable from what happened. FOr that do a search here for ABS repair using MEK to dissolve ABS and make a paste to use to make a patch.

Cheers
Matt

[Helly]

I had problems with a Detonator that is now officially retired. Started wearing on the chines...particularly below the right knee. I would recommend inspecting it really well....unfortunately if it is below the knee, and near the saddle, you can't see that it may in fact be delaminating.....that is what happened to the Detonator. It was pretty much my learning boat....so I was a bit hard on it. Still not sure it should have worn that quickly though.
I would definitely lean toward doing the ABS repair on it though....JB weld doesn't hold up that well...maybe because it was in that particularly spot.... but it will crack and let water seep in. I think someone recommended even squirting something into the layer so that it wouldn't continue to rot....then use ABS..
I don't know what you do to be sure it isn't delaminating other than pull up the seat to check it.....if that area is feeling soft or spongy, then there's a good chance that is happening.