Repair of a kevlar hull

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:22 pm

Hello all,

My friend has a kevlar Prospector made by Evergreen. There are a few recent scratches which have exposed (but not penetrated) the weave of the fabric. I want to repair this, and am looking for advice.

I propose to use West #105 epoxy with #205 hardener, and #410 filler. I can get all this from Lee Valley very easily. Any reason to use any other epoxy or filler?

Thanks!

Duncan

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:09 pm

I forgot to say that I have tried to contact Evergreen through their website, but have not got a reply.

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 8:20 pm

I have never worked with Kevlar but apparently it fuzzes terribly when sanded. Anyway, I have found this link that might be of interest to you:

http://www.redrockstore.com/canoes/weno ... repair.htm

Another one:

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboate ... bergls.htm

BTW, I found these links by doing a "google" search for "how to repair a kevlar canoe hull".

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:10 am

Thanks Glen!

After reading through those pages (and taking note of your google search) I am satisfied that I can proceed as planned.

Armed with knowledge, I can say that my original question might have been "does anyone know if epoxy is compatible with gel-coat?"

Thanks again for your time and interest. Hopefully I'll be posting questions on my own build soon!

-Duncan

Tim1 · Post by **Tim1** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:53 pm

the best way i have found to prep kevlar for repair is to sandblast the damaged area. you will be surprized . no fuz. i maintained a rental fleet for about 7 years so there was lots of practise, works great on fiberglass to. the sand will find fractures that the eye can't see. plus it gives you a great surface to bond to. and yes west system will bond to gellcoat

Tim