How to make your canoe more durable
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- In this video Alex walks you through the pros and cons to having a skid plate on your canoe. He then walks you through a full step-by-step guide to installing a skid plate on your canoe. A simple way to protect and add durability to your canoe.
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I have an old fiberglass 13ft. anglers kayak. I added skids to the front and rear and they added years onto the life of my kayak. Plus like you said they just look cool. Great DIY Alex. One more thing my neighbor figured out a great way to save wear and tear on the bottom of his canoe,, he leaves it hanging in his garage,,, all the time,,lol. I mess with him about it he's a good sport.
I’ve got skids on our prospecteur, it came pre outfitted. The controversy I’ve heard about buying them with skids is the manufacturer grinds down the surfaces to put them on which you would end up doing with lots of shore run ins. I didn’t have the choice to buy without the skids but I appreciate having them!
You can get pigment to add to the epoxy when mixing. Get the colour that matches your canoe and they will blend in.
Another great video though, thanks for sharing.
That looks like a virgin hull; time to smash some boulders! Good stuff man!
This was from beginning of last season. Got some great seasoning this last year ;) Thanks man
great video, Really good job! looks very even on the hull. one tip I would give (used to work for Clipper, Swift, Scott outfitting canoes) is don't use a traditional paint brush, it does not spread the epoxy, use a small roller, and a foam brush. You can also add a tint to the epoxy if you want to colour match to your hull.
Great tip! I also found the paint brush not to be effective haha. I have seen other canoes with the colour match skid plates. Also good to note! Thanks!
I bought a new Esquif Prospecteur 16 last year and insisted it come with factory installed skid plates. No regrets.
Thanks for the video. As you know there are other fabrics that can be used for skid plates. Kevlar is good but I have been very happy with the dynel cloth that I used on my Wenonah Minn. 2. It has superior impact and abrasion resistance. I applied it with G-Flex epoxy. BTW - I also use dynel cord on the tips of the paddles I build. Good stuff IMHO.
thanks for the video.
I have a 15' grumman aluminum canoe. its beat up but I sprayed flexseal on all the holes and BAM no more leaks.
Good timing. I have three boats to do this winter.
Nice job! Looks great. 👍🏻
Thanks for the simple and great video!! Just about to do mine and I was getting nervous. Your video has definitely put me more at ease! I appreciate it and thank you for the resin tip. I probably would have done the same 😅😂
Thanks for sharing
Well, at least you learned the hard way. That was a how to do a “SS” bud😃 but you made it fun😂. Always love your content.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.....looks good
I haven't put skid plates on my carbon fiber Swift Prospector, yet. I don't ground the stems out on shore at all I always come to the bank off the side. I pole a lot which give great control in rocky water and being just south of you in Maine we have our fair share of glacial till rocky streams the run out of water in the summer or at least get rather low and rocky. I do have an Old Town Tripper with skid plates, the boat is out of the 1980's with much use, I noticed the skid plates were run up the stem similar to you have, but over time the section of the skid plate that runs along the bottom could have been longer or slipped it down off the stem which actually sees very little wear, I did add more kevlar and G-flex to the worn area on the bottom of the boat. Almost got into a new Esquif this summer but funds got redirected maybe this coming season, but the Swift is holding its own.
Dude, you didn't follow my vid. In the end, looks awesome man. Cheers and hope to meet you someday in person. Cheers man
I kinda like the looks of it lol. Yellow on the red canoe looks like pin stripes on a truck haha.
Definitely wish we’d added them at purchase, even if it adds weight (Nova Craft says roughly 10lbs). Looking at adding them this spring.
Hey man, what canoe were you guys using in that video where it got caught up on the rock and bent in half? Impressed that it didnt leak.
Esquif Canyon. Any of the Esquif boats made of T Formex would perform that same way
18 trips in the BWCA, would not do a trip without two on my canoe.
How much epoxy did you use? I ordered 250mL (each part 125 mL). Would that be enough for both ends of the canoe?
I ended up ordering the 950 mL version instead.
Probably a good idea you went with the larger size. Better to be looking at it then for it my friend used to always say.
I keep reading that they create a significant amount of drag in the water and reduce efficiency. Thoughts?
Any amount of drag via skidplates is negligible unless you're using your canoe for racing. They're contoured to the hull nicely and don't really protrude. You'd be looking at a small % at most. Just based off feel at least, skid plates haven't put me hours behind schedule.
I agree with Brad @explorethebackcountry - it would be very little if at all. Racing you want every advantage possible so you likely wouldn't do this. We beat these up, it is important for us. Cheers!
You must be reading a racing magazine! These strips are totally a whitewater thing. You won't be doing it to carbon fiber and lightweight flatwater craft.
I'd say bigger factors in efficiency are hull shape and paddle/paddler, boat loading, wind and current. I would put hull blemishes at the bottom of the list.
where to purchase kit
G-Flex is good for this and available at most marine supply stores
Many of the companies that sell canoes will have a kit for installing a skid plate. I got mine directly from Esquif.
True. And as you paddle more class 3 whitewater, particularly when loaded, you will test these "bang strips". I have personally cracked and blasted off peices.
Your segment was on "how to make your new canoe last longer". Mine would be on "how to keep the old warrior canoe in good service".
Over time you dimple in the bow and stern areas. It mostly recovers with a heat gun. Older Royalex canoes would start to delaminate in the foam core. G-Flex can repair. It is an epoxy that maintains adhesion under flex - just what is going on with the boat hull.
I would guess that the varied opinion would probably be because of the different ways people use them. If you’re always going to nice sandy beaches, or beating it to death on rocks would for sure influence opinion. How much a person can afford could be an issue too. Like for me as an example, a canoe is a big investment. That sucker gotta last me! I don’t care if it looks a little funny to some people.
Big ouch with the epoxy mixing mishap. Bet you won’t de that again. 🙂
Definitely not going to do that again haha!
I think it really depends on your canoeing style. If you RAM your canoe into the portage entry point (rocks/gravel) just to make sure that your feet never touch the water….then get a skid plate. If you have an ancient beater canoe that you want to last a little bit longer….get a skid plate. Good looking…not remotely…like plastic on your couch or a bra on your car!!
Wearing a mask to work with epoxy: It is important to wear a CHEMICAL respirator mask... not a COVID-19 type mask. The danger is in inhaling the epoxy vapors. Therefore, you need a real respirator that keeps the chemical vapors out of your lungs. Epoxy is carcinogenic. Keep it off your skin and out of your lungs. You had an excellent place to do this work... outdoors with plenty of ventilation. Do not do this in your basement or elsewhere with poor ventilation.