Hi Mark,

welcome.

the approach to repair is very much based on the material of the boat.  so first thing we need to sort out, when you say it is 'plastic'.  do you mean fibreglass (glass cloth in a resin), or plastic like the same kind of material a tupperware container is made of.

also, taking a picture of what you are trying to fix can also be very useful to the folks on this forum to help you out.

if you can provide that kind of information, we should be able to help you out.

   i am sorry. the canoe is plastic. the hard plastic like what some kayaks are build from. it does have cracks and a couple of small holes. it has some fiberglass cloth on it at the front and back i guess to strengthen it when it hits the bank. i would like to know should i only fix what needs to be fixed or the whole thing. if i do the whole thing will it be to heavy to paddle and mess with the bouancy? i will get a picture up as soon as i get off of work.lol

   Gflex, with some alcohol and flame treatment of the edges first -do some research before proceeding.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2a5RlcP-4JE

   If it were I, I would patch the cracks.  I think glassing the whole hull would add too much weight.

Forget the idea of covering it with fibeglass, that won't work.

First you need to figure out what kind of plastic the canoe is made of.  Do you know the make and model of the canoe? There are two types of plastic used to make canoes, Polyethelene (HDPE) and Royalex (ABS). 

If it is poly, the only way to repair the cracks and holes is welding the plastic because epoxy will not stick to poly, at least not for very long. Here is a link to a video showing how to  weld poly. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKUKCcRZy0  

If the canoe is made of Royalex (ABS plastic) you can use West System G/flex epoxy to repair the cracks as shown below. Here is a link that shows how to do it.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/Uploads/RepairingRoyalexcanoe.pdf

ditto instructions above.

any past fibreglass you are seeing on your boat is most likely a poorly executed repair by the prior owner.  sort out the the type of plastic you are dealing with and proceed accordingly.

not sure if there is a an easy-to-perform test to sort out test of ABS vs HPDE if you can't find out from the manufacturer.

perhaps the prior poster would know.

It is kind of hard to tell the diffeence between ABS and Poly becasue they look similar.

If the canoe has an aluminum frame inside to support the Hull or an aluminum rod running along the keel it is definately single layer poly.  

If it is three layer poly or Royalex it won't have the framework or the rod.. The best way to tell is find the serial number and contact the manufacturer (if they are still in business) and ask them what it is made of.  

If it was made by Coleman it is definately single layer poly, Rouge River single layer poly.   If it is an Old Town, Wenonah, or Mad River it could be either Royalex or three layer poly depending on the model.  If it has plastic seats probably poly if, it has wood gunnels it is almost certainly Royalex.

��I think you should consider a new canoe from clc...good luck!

Buzzy probably has the best idea.  Put that leaky old tub on Craigslist and sell it for a couple hundred bucks to someone who thinks he can fix it and put the $$$ toward a CLC Canoe kit.