Kayak damage

The previous post is much worse than my problem.  My Shearwater Sport Hybrid got blown over, from it's saw horses, onto pavement.  At fhe bow, there was a little damage, and one spot along the shear.  I sanded and removed the loosened glass, and sanded back to form an area of no varnish, but the glass and epoxy are sound.  I was looking for thoughts about not laying on glass at these two points.  The bow section has glass on the inside, plus and end pour.  Damage extends back about 2-3".  The shear damage is about 4 " long.  Down to clean wood.  I am tempted to just epoxy and varnish rather than lay on glass and feather it back in. Not sure how compromised the boat would be.


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RE: Kayak damage

a small repair can be done without glass (just epoxy) and it will probably be fine.

that said, my preference and practice with my repairs is to use glass.  it really doesn't add that much time once you have the technique down and i am more comfortable with glass that i will ensure i have encapsulated the wood with a minimum thickness of epoxy.  knowing that you have a proper thickness of epoxy  without the thickness of the glass as a reference point is difficult to assess.  this is more important for ensuring no water intrusion than strength per se.

the quick approach i use would be to prep the area as you have already done.

paint the repair area with epoxy (only the repair area) and than gently lay on a piece of glass.  continue to wet out the glass but do not apply epoxy beyond the repair area (as you will only sand it off later).

once this cures (but before fully hardened), i use a razor scraper to quickly get rid of the excess glass).  then a quick hit after further curing with a sanding block to fair it in.  it may need a final coat of epoxy for a final fill depending on how your first round went. 

honestly....it's just as fast as trying to 'paint the epoxy on'  and is a good technique to have in your bag of tricks.

 

 

 

 

 

RE: Kayak damage

 I did replace the glass with just a little over lap.  Used a scraper to feather the glass.  First fill coat I extended past the glass a small amount, sanded and feathered, then the second fill coat went a little further and was able to sand and feather it all out.  I am a bit surprised how well it came out.  Just touched up varnish as whole boat is due for a couple of coats.  After using and enjoying, you decide you built it to use it, so some wear and tear needs to be expected.

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