Cracked Hull on a Freedom 17

[Bill Robb]

Hi there...

My nephew and I were heading home from a week in Algonquin Park today, and right after the last portage of the adventure, we managed to run over a deadhead (submerged true stump). We were in a Freedom 17, fully loaded with approx 550lbs of people and gear (well, maybe a bit more weight than that).

The deadhead ran about halfway down the hull, then there was a sharp 'crack', then we slid sideways off the stump. There was no water rushing in, in fact no water at all entered the boat, so we continued (and the boat didn't seem to lose any integrity, as we continued to pass other groups.)

At the takeout, we discovered a foot-long crack on the inner glass coat, right in the centre along the keel-line, directly under the yoke. The outer hull is fine, no apparent damage at all to the glass or epoxy. There also appears to be no damage at all to the actual cedar strips themselves. It seems this was a severe case of externally inflicted oil-canning. So, while driving home we discussed the repair that would be required.

We thought - leave the outside glass, and the cedar hull itself alone! On the inner hull, first sand off all the varnish around the cracked glass, and rough up the epoxy coat. Second, apply new epoxy to the cracked area, then put a strip of new glass (maybe three inches wide, couple of inches longer than the crack. Third, another layer of glass - maybe 8 inches wide, foot ball shaped over the crack and the thin piece of glass). The first layer obviously would require a mechanical bond, but the second layer would be applied same day, to get the mechanical bond.

Lastly, feather the repair in, revarnish the inner hull, and voila! Fixed.

Does anyone see any flaws in this approach? We will appreciate any advice anyone could offer.

Thanks...

[BearLeeAlive]

That sounds like a good plan to me. Not having to do repairs yet myself, it would be good to hear what others may say.

[Glen Smith]

When you feather in the repair you risk sanding through because of the narrower pieces underneath. You should place the widest piece first then progressively narrower pieces over top.

If it were my canoe, I would patch on the exterior also for extra strength and peace of mind.

[Bill Robb]

Hi Glen...

Thank you for the advice...

One question comes to mind - if I put a couple of new layers of cloth over the crack (larger oval piece first, then a second smaller oval over it), can I do both layers at the same time? Or, should I let the first oval harden, sand it smooth, then apply the second piece?

Also, I like the suggestion of adding an insurance piece of cloth on the outer hull, but since the canoe is scheduled for a refinish on the outer hull over the winter (or early spring) anyway, I might defer that step till then. (Due to time constants - planning a trip to Temagami in 4 weeks!)

By the way, the original glassing was done with West System 205 / 207 and I plan to use the same epoxy for this repair. Shouldn't be a problem, should it?

Thank you again...

Bill

[Glen Smith]

Since you won't be working with large pieces of fiberglass I would apply epoxy to the inner hull patch area then lay the fiberglass over the epoxy and apply more epoxy, if necessary, to saturate the cloth. Then I would squeegee to remove excess epoxy and apply the next layer and and repeat. Of course you must sand away the varnish first.

When you are ready to apply a patch on the exterior just sand the area with 120 grit and patch as done on the interior. West 105/207 is your best bet for the job.