$25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

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BlueHoleArkansas
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$25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by BlueHoleArkansas »

Hi, I was hoping to get yall's opinion on this.
I recently bought a 16' Buffalo canoe for twenty-five dollars. I don't own another canoe and don't have enough money to buy one that I would want so I thought what the heck. ;)
I really love the classic Blue Hole OCA look so I thought it would be awesome if I could put $100-200 in it and maybe ride it for a couple years till I could afford something better.

I would love some input on how you guys would fix this.

Can she see the river Again?

What would be a cheap fix and what would be the more do it right longer lasting fix?
Any info or opinion would be appreciated.


She's pretty rough to look at.
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The good is that the inside abs and vinyl have not been worn through and is in good shape
The gunwhales are straight and also the bow and stern are in good condition as well as the sides, also the inner oval on the bottom floor is in good shape
The bad is that the whole outer part of the bottom is in real rough shapes.
There are plenty of cracks, and chunks through the first layer of abs, and the foam in these areas are in rough shape.

The canoe was made in 97 and has been beaten to hades.
Looks like they patched it maybe 10 years ago and just kept running and running it.
Also the bottom is depressed into the boat about an inch due to the degradation of Royalex on the outer bottom rim.

My current plan to sand then fill and seal with GFlex epoxy then come over that with a layer of ABS magic Slurry, then on top of that run E-glass around the outer oval.
I was also considered adding some fiberglass supporting braces on the outside and inside.

What are your thoughts on this?

I would love some input on what you would do?

I was thinking about contacting buffalo canoes and seeing what their opinion was on this.

Can she see the river Again?

What would be a cheap fix and what would be the more do it right longer lasting fix?

Heres a link to the whole album. There are more photos here.

http://imgur.com/a/YUPiX" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks
Roy
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Location: Greenville, ME

Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by Roy »

To me, she looks not only worn out, but brittle. If that is the case, forget any high-end repair options. Go cheap.

Rather than Gflex and fiberglass, I would buy System 3 epoxy from Merton's Fiberglass and polyester cloth from Sweet Composites. That combination results in a cheap, flexible, hard-to-delaminate patch.

I would replace the exposed worn foam with either Gorilla Glue or epoxy/micro-ballons. In areas where the foam is smashed flat, but the skin in intact...live with it.

Good to have a hobby.

Roy
BlueHoleArkansas
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by BlueHoleArkansas »

Thanks for your advice.
I will definitely look into that.
Thats what I was thinking.
After this I will know a little bit about boat repairs.
wildwaterc2
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by wildwaterc2 »

Where are you hoping to paddle it? That is about as beat a hull outside as I have seen.

I'd be tempted to try something simple and cheap, like 20mm pipe wrap tape, such as
http://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-50-ft ... /100179778" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We used to use pipe wrap all the time on our wildwater race boats to protect the hull, and it was more durable than you would think. We used PASCO branded tape but I imagine it is all fairly similar. It gives a smooth, tough surface, would likely seal off those cracks, and has good abrasion resistance - it will tear but it takes a lot of load to do so.

For $200 you should be able to find a canoe in much better shape than that one. I'd really not spend much money on it unless you just enjoy experimenting with repairs or really like that specific boat.
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sbroam
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by sbroam »

Another approach might be Gorilla Glue as a filler and ABS sheet + ABS cement as the repair. Getting ABS to take compound curves with heat and/or solvent is not something I've gotten good at, though others have.

I've had good luck with making skid plates with gFlex and dynel (thanks Peter Blanc) - personally, I'd similar approach to the repair along the rails. Number one tip I ever received (and I've received many useful tips) - cut cloth on the bias (diagonal to the weave).

Good luck with getting some more life out of an old boat - i've done a lot of that, too :-)
BlueHoleArkansas
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by BlueHoleArkansas »

I'm planning on running mild whitwater.
Class 1-2 and a couple 2+ rapids in there.
I am starting to lean towards a cheaper more temporary repair.

If I put $100 into it and a lot of hours and I get a year out of it I would feel satisfied.

I'm starting to think

18 Oz gorrila glue- $18.48
1 1/2 Qt system three epoxy- $48.50
And hobby lobby has 100% polyester fabric that with the 40% off coupon I could get around 3.00 a yard at 44" wide. Can this be used?

I should be able to buy all this for around a hundred and maybe a bit more if I make some Abs Slurry
I know it's a lot of work
but I'm a broke college student.

If I sand down and gutter out the worst spots,
fill as much as I can with gorrilla glue and epoxy
then go over with the abs slurry and then epoxy and polyester fabric.
Could this last me a year?
I know it's a hard question to answer but is it possible? or am I totally delusional in thinking it will.
Last edited by BlueHoleArkansas on Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2opnboat1
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by 2opnboat1 »

Anything can be fixed. The real question is it worth it. So you are $25 in already, you have some room to play. Myself I would scrap it and find a beat boat for a couple of hundred and call it good. But enough G-flex and proper planing it can be done.
Richard Guin
Lazy good for nothing slacker
Roy
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by Roy »

BlueHoleArkansas wrote: And hobby lobby has 100% polyester fabric that with the 40% off coupon I could get around 3.00 a yard at 44" wide.

.

The PE fabric at Sweet's is only 12 bucks a yard, and is woven for composites work:

http://sweetcomposites.com/Polyester.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Roy
ian123
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by ian123 »

Cut your losses and throw it out.
...
cheajack
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Re: $25 Buffalo Canoe Project. Can I fix it?

Post by cheajack »

Flower pot. Repair materials will kill your budget for a real boat that floats.
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