How to Repair Gelcoat Cracks on a Fiberglass Canoe for Around $30

[@peatmarshnotfound]

I'm restoring my late Great uncle's canoe and this video was incredibly helpful.

[@PinetreeLine]

That’s so awesome to hear Peter! Keeping history alive. Good luck and thank you so much for the kind words. Doug

[@duncanriley7654]

Great video and very informative thank you, I have recently purchased a Coleman canoe for my grandchildren which has age related UV gel coat damage and scraps along the hull, so this video is spot on and even the same colour canoe !! No doubt will be watching again.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Duncan! Congrats on getting the new to you canoe for the grandchildren. I’m happy this will help you bring that Coleman back to life. Appreciate you watching! Doug

[@travislahay4104]

This is exactly the kind of repair I need to do on my canoe. Only gelcoat cracks. Thanks for the video super helpful.

[@PinetreeLine]

Awesome! Happy this will help you out Travis. My repair has been perfect all Summer long. Appreciate you watching. Doug

[@SteveRobReviews]

I have never seen that done before . Awesome job Jamie and for under $30 is incredible. I can do this too now. Thanks 👍👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Jamie did an amazing job on my ‘new to me’ ride 😂. Thanks Buddy! Doug

[@Sportsman101]

My dad needs to patch his canoe in the same manner but didn’t know where to start. Sending him this, thanks! 👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much brother! Hope it helps him!! Doug

[@21Swayzee]

Sweet repair job!!! Hoping I won't ever need to use it... but when that day comes I know where I'll be watching. Hope you guys are having an amazing summer.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Brother! I hope you never need to use it either! Doug

[@Nmiguy]

Really appreciate fine/touch explanations like min-pressure on palm sander & limits of the epoxy skimming repairs. Plus likin’ the spray paint vs marine paint, solution.

[@PinetreeLine]

You’re welcome! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!! Doug

[@bunhead8]

that canoe looks identical to mine upside down in my cottage yard...I am going to do exactly what you showed, excellent vid, thanks!

[@PinetreeLine]

Awesome! Thanks so much for watching! Appreciate it! Doug

[@SK_CrappieCatching]

Nice work and it turned out great... Time to get it wet now......

[@PinetreeLine]

Absolutely SK!! Be safe Brother!! Doug

[@EssayonsFG]

Nice repair work, Jamie! Good as new. Take care and stay safe, Rob

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Rob! Appreciate you watching brother! Stay safe! Doug

[@wallaceviviansadventures2095]

great job Jamie great repair, hope you guys are having a great summer

[@PinetreeLine]

Things are going well here Wallace. Hope you are having a great Summer too brother!

[@preludefpv]

Fantastic and helpful video Jamie! I love a bit of resto work and you totally aced this fix brother 🤩🙌🙌 she will sail smoothly now! 😃👊👊 take care you guys - have a nice weekend!

[@PinetreeLine]

Jamie killed it during this project and I’m so happy with the results! Have a great weekend brother!!! Doug

[@marilynscull4585]

Awesome information Jamie. Awesome video.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Marilyn! Appreciate it my friend! Doug

[@WyeExplorer]

Good going Jamie - you're right never put off tomorrow what you can today. Should work a treat. Mark

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Mark! Appreciate it brother! Doug

[@WyeExplorer]

@@PinetreeLine Hey Doug - a pleasure. That was a neat job.

[@BeCCaWhere2GoNext]

wow! it was awesome to watch your talented skills! Great share!👍😊

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much for watching!! Doug

[@shinypackage8789]

Well done! Made that look easy. Turned out great my friends

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Brother! Appreciate it! Doug

[@ReadinessReviews]

Looked pretty easy. Nice job dude!

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching brother! Doug

[@dubc3615]

Looked brand new excellent work. As well as very cost effective.

[@PinetreeLine]

Now eventually Jamie will do the rest of the canoe and it will look like new. Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@wildsuburbiauk152]

Very good repair job. Many thanks.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Andy! Appreciate it brother! Doug

[@seanbyrne1906]

Can you make a video on how to do a fibreglass repair? Your easy to follow

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Sean. Unfortunately I don’t have a canoe in need of a fibreglass repair. There are a lot of great options on KZbin. Appreciate you watching Brother!! 👊🏻👍🏻

[@danielk6105]

wow that colour matched perfectely.

[@PinetreeLine]

Not quite perfect but close enough for me. Thanks so much for watching friend! Doug

[@danielk6105]

@@PinetreeLine I just bought a 16ft canoe off kijiji and there are a few areas that are going to need fixing similar to your video here. Is there an epoxy product that comes in a larger form factor? Or do I just buy multiple lapage marine kits? Thanks

[@PinetreeLine]

@@danielk6105 I’ve only ever seen the 25ml lapage marine epoxy kits so I’d just use multiple kits. One kit covers a pretty substantial area. Just an update, I used my canoe for 2 Summers now and zero issues with the repair. Good luck with yours!

[@DonJoyce]

Great job, Jamie! Now get on with the rest of the canoe! LOL. Nicely done how-to video! In an era before KZbin (gasp) I repaired a puncture in a fibreglass canoe...made a mess of it, but it floated!

[@PinetreeLine]

I’m hoping Jamie can actually do the whole canoe in the fall Don so I have to be really nice to him 😂. Doug

[@kevingunning8927]

This is helpful! Just enough info. Thanks!

[@PinetreeLine]

Perfect Kevin! Happy it was helpful to you! Doug

[@tracyphillips3325]

Great job Jamie. I have done repairs similar to that on water tanks, if they are to rusted out to weld on, then I will epoxy or fiberglass it. Your repair looks great compared to mine. Excellent video buddy 👌

[@PinetreeLine]

I’m sure your repairs are excellent Tracy! Appreciate you watching brother! Doug

[@tracyphillips3325]

@@PinetreeLine thanks Doug!

[@ForeignMRE]

Great repair Jamie.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Art & Nina!!! Doug

[@AllenOutdoors868]

I have had to do that also! Nice work!!

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks brother!! Doug

[@CanoehoundAdventures]

looks good Jamie... this was a great toutorial... Dennis

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks Dennis! A cheap and effective repair for a problem for any boats with gelcoat. Jamie did an excellent job. Appreciate you watching Brother! Doug

[@adamsons2890]

Good video. Learned a lot from this. Is that sander adequate for the whole boat. Black and Decker

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much! The sander was perfect for this size job perhaps something bigger/better to do an entire canoe. Entirely up to you. 👍🏻

[@ProdigiousReturn]

Do you have a video on how to do the structural repairs with fibreglass?

[@PinetreeLine]

Sorry Jay but this is an outdoors channel and this repair job was more about an affordable way of repairing a canoe than working with fibreglass. Appreciate you watching though. 👍🏻👊🏻

[@ProdigiousReturn]

@@PinetreeLine that’s what I mean. A structural repair on a canoe that has a punch through hole. From the writes ups I’ve seen on nova craft and Souris River you use fibrecloth and expoxy for big holes and aqua mend for small punch throughs. Was wondering if you had anything that addressed that. Thanks though. Enjoyed this video anyways.

[@putzik1]

Even small jobs you need to wear a respirator when spray painting

[@PinetreeLine]

Absolutely. It was an oversight that others shouldn’t make. Appreciate your comment. Doug

[@Jimborock207]

Everything your doing there requires a mask.

[@jamesshepard9457]

Thank you for sharing this video

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much for watching James! Doug

[@KayakFishing2021]

We love your videos. Keep up the great work! 👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much! Doug

[@davidAblake1]

He cooks, he cleans, he repairs boats, Jamie can do it all.

[@PinetreeLine]

Good thing he can’t run a camera to good or edit cause I’d be out of a terribly paying ‘job’ 😂. Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@OpenAirOutdoors]

Looks good and ready👌 tell Doug he can now do class 3’s with confidence 😝

[@PinetreeLine]

I don’t think so Marc 😂. Appreciate you watching Brother! Doug

[@bobcutlip9448]

nice video. I would recommend a respirator whenever sanding. Also wipe down your work area with soap and water and then with acetone before applying gelcoat. If you are only going to apply a final coat of gelcoat use the wax one. For multiple layers use laminating gelcoat (unwaxed) with final coat of wax gelcoat.

[@PinetreeLine]

Hey Bob thanks for sharing your thoughts. Appreciate it! Doug

[@davehaggerty3405]

I wax every coat and clean off the wax between coats with acetone. Then sand too. It’s better than saran wrap or whatever to make it air tight so the gel coat can set up.

[@truckermre]

Looks good Jamie!!! 👊🏻

[@PinetreeLine]

He did a great job for my new ride Mike! Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@JohnAmes]

Some great information my friend 👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching John! Appreciate it brother! Doug

[@LadyStrzygaDiscoversThePast]

Cool! Great job. Support and greetings from Poland :)

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much!! Hi Poland! Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦!! Doug

[@williambranham6249]

Beautiful job man

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much William!! Doug

[@Woodswalker1965]

Nice how to vid !

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks brother!! Appreciate you watching Wade! Doug

[@marymotherofgod1]

Nice job....I've done that on my Prospector

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much! Jamie did an excellent job on the canoe. Appreciate you watching this one. Doug

[@WWG1-WGA]

Awesome job 👏🏻💪🏼

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Arnold! Hope it was helpful. 👍🏻

[@GrampiesWorkshop]

Hello there Jamie!!! That was a nice step by step guide on how to make a repair to the gelcoat. Turned out nice too!!! Mixing the resin and hardener has always been an issue for me. I never seem to get it mixed right and it doesn't set up the best for me. Your's turned out great!!! Thanks for posting and take care!!

[@PinetreeLine]

It’s great Mike that this epoxy came in a syringe type applicator that makes sure you mix it perfectly. Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@ezequielortiz2461]

Great video really helped me out alot

[@PinetreeLine]

Awesome!! Thanks for watching my friend! Doug

[@AllenOxendine]

Nice job. Never know when you'll need to repair something. Full view and Like. .

[@PinetreeLine]

My thoughts exactly Allen! Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@elsuperpollo2273]

Would it easy not to hard to add a console to a canoe with coosaboard and fiberglass, if like I wanted to add a center console to house a vhf marine radio, am/fm radio, marine compass.

[@PinetreeLine]

I’m not sure how that would affect your boat but it would be an interesting idea. Thanks so much for watching Friend! 👍🏻

[@YourOldPalFernbark]

Nice job on the repair. Other than taping the aluminum on the gunnel, I am not sure why you taped and papered the rest of the boat. Unless you didn't want to sand it to make the paint stick?

[@PinetreeLine]

I wanted a clean job in the one area of my ‘new to me’ ride so I didn’t want overspray outside of that repair area. Perhaps not necessary but I wanted this done with the precision of a surgeon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts brother! Doug

[@YourOldPalFernbark]

@@PinetreeLine I sold marine supplies for 17 years. You do not want a surgeon painting your boat. LOL I know you were using a metaphor, It just happens that I have personal experience with doctors and boats.

[@evergreenmean6136]

@Pinetree Line how much did that rustoleum paint fade over the years before you sold ur canoe?

[@PinetreeLine]

Like I mentioned in my other comment to you. It hadn’t faded at all. I would do it exactly the same way again using the rustoleum paint over marine paint. Doug

[@stayinthemoment18]

Nicely done. Do you use shellac or polyurethane after painting?

[@PinetreeLine]

Used neither. Just the paint. Rust paint acts the same as marine paint. No polyurethane needed. Thanks for watching! Doug

[@robertkee7534]

Good instructions. Missing a pair of ear defenders. Good to set an example.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thank you Robert. It definitely wasn’t perfect in terms of safety but the instructions were there. Definitely a learning experience. Appreciate your feedback. Doug

[@ty-ler14]

Hey thanks for the great and informative video! I have the same canoe as the one you worked on, but I have a chip in the gel coat on the keel of the canoe, would this process be fine to repair that as well?

[@PinetreeLine]

You’re welcome Ty! Yes you can use this process to repair the gel coat on the keel of your canoe. Good luck!! Doug

[@Lawman-196]

May want to use a respirator.....spray with gel coat? Not paint...?

[@PinetreeLine]

If we were doing a huge repair or many repairs than sure on a respirator. If you want to do this repair on the cheap than no gel coat and yes after using marine epoxy you can use rust protection paint. If you want to spend more use gel coat. The whole point was doing a cheap repair. Thanks for your comment. Doug

[@wessamnajim6642]

Thank you very helpful

[@PinetreeLine]

Awesome!! Glad we could help! Have a great day! Doug

[@mdmelbourne6076]

Hello Jamie I've done a few projects just like that on my boat, thank God it's gone now, I'm liking the Personal protection covid mask LOL, take care guys ATB Jim 👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Lol...I’m guessing the boat was more work than fun Jim. The covid mask doubles for a dust mask in a pinch 😂. Thanks for watching brother! Doug

[@livefreeordie5534]

Anyone, please ? If a crack high up the hull goes completely through, but quite superficial on both sides, can epoxy be used on both sides ? It looks like a softball hit it, several cracks around a circle, but quite flat inside and out. The canoe is only to be used in calm, shallow pond waters.🤷‍♂️ SUBSCRIBED.

[@PinetreeLine]

I would suggest cleaning up the affected area with a medium grit sander/sandpaper. If it’s a fiberglass canoe then you have the option of using a fiberglass patch kit on the show side of the canoe if the crack is wider than you suspected once you sand the area. If the crack is like you suspect you can use epoxy on both inside and the outside the canoe. Given the area of where the crack is makes using epoxy possible even though the crack goes right through. I hope this helps!!

[@TheBinoyVudi]

I needed this video because this is exactly what I am planning to do. Thank you brother. Could you tell me if there is a paint I can use on the outside or do I need to use gelcoat?

[@PinetreeLine]

You don’t have to use gelcoat, you can do like we did and use Rust-Oleum or any other rust preventing paint. It provides a waterproof skin of paint and it comes in all kinds of colours. Good luck with your project brother! Doug

[@TheBinoyVudi]

@@PinetreeLine thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your time and input. Will do :)

[@tomharrell1954]

Good repair but I would gel coat it as original

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks Thomas. Yes you can certainly do that but not for $30 Canadian. Appreciate you watching! Doug

[@paddlehooked4687]

I’m in the process of this same repair. I’m ready to paint. Anything needed to seal the paint? Matching might be a challenge as my canoes got some fading on it and I ideally don’t want to repaint the whole thing.

[@PinetreeLine]

Cool stuff! Did not have to seal the paint as it’s made for water and rust protection similarly you wouldn’t have to seal marine paint either. My coat of paint faded a little because of use and the scrapes I put on helped it blend in 😂. Hope that helps. Good luck with yours! Doug

[@mustang774]

Jamie that was a great repair job on the canoe. It will certainly add years of life to a good canoe. I like that it was very easy and inexpensive to do......Take care, Bluefin.

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much Bluefin! Appreciate it brother!!

[@jsteelsadventureandvariety]

nice job👍

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks brother J! Doug

[@kgg9518]

Where did you get that paint? I've got the exact same canoe and will need to paint some cracks over as well and would like to colour match. Thanks for the vid!

[@PinetreeLine]

The paint was purchased at Canadian Tire. Good luck with your repairs. Appreciate you watching! Doug

[@pepsifreak0421]

For non structural gel coat cracking like a railing can I use bondo?

[@PinetreeLine]

Bondo is more of a filler than epoxy so on something non structural like gel coat we recommend epoxy. Thanks for watching! Doug

[@shovelhead8]

Nice repair, Jamie.. When do you think they will open Timmy's to more than drive-thru? Stay safe

[@PinetreeLine]

As long as the drive thru is open we, as a society, will survive 😂. Thanks for watching Brother! Doug

[@leah890]

At first I thought it was a wing of an airplane 😂. Looks good

[@PinetreeLine]

Let’s hope it never flys like an airplane Leah 😂. Thanks for watching my friend! Doug

[@dappawap]

where did you buy marine epoxy?

[@PinetreeLine]

In Canada you can buy it at Canadian Tire. Thanks so much for watching! Doug

[@iainthomson5423]

Hi there, that repair looks great. I have a quick question, how does the paint stand up over time? Unlike a boat, canoes and Kayaks often get scrapped on beaches when you disembark or return to shore if you don’t happen to have a pontoon. I would expect the paint to simply scrape off especially as there was no primer. I’m interested as I am about to refurbish my grp sea kayak which has faded over time and has a fair amount of scrapes and scratches to the underside after a family friend borrowed it, who didn’t look after it as well as I do.

[@PinetreeLine]

Hi Iain. I’m going to be totally honest with you...the repair area looks almost as good as the day we painted it. Although other parts of the canoe have taken a little bit of normal wear and tear the repaired part looks great with just a couple small surface scratches that aren’t deep enough to show the colour of the epoxy. The rust protection spray paint acts differently than just a regular spray paint. That’s the difference. I’ve been on multiple canoe trips since the repair, as you can and will continue to see on my channel. Appreciate you watching! Doug

[@evergreenmean6136]

​@@PinetreeLine how much did that paint fade over the years? Looking to doo this myself but don't want too have to repaint it in two years

[@PinetreeLine]

@@evergreenmean6136 The area painted hadn’t faded at all. I’m extremely happy with it turned out and wouldn’t hesitate to do a canoe repair the same way again. Doug

[@NikolaiRogich]

Tim Hortons posted up in the background in case this video wasn’t Canadian enough.

[@PinetreeLine]

No doubt eh? 😂 Thanks for watching Nikolai...appreciate it! 🇨🇦

[@shanehowe5651]

Great video question at the end you mentioned you have rolled it on, I have to do a large section if I roll it on what kind of roller or mat should I use. Can you roll gel-coat? if so would I have to cover it completely with wax paper afterward? Thanks, great job

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks for watching Shane. You can roll this type of rust paint with a regular paint roller. This particular repair is not a repair using gel-coat so I’m not sure if you can roll gel-coat. Doug

[@carlypeterson4934]

If my canoe is white, do I still need to paint it to seal it?

[@PinetreeLine]

Yes you should paint it to seal it Carly. Rust-Oleum has 3 different kind of whites - Flat, Gloss and Satin so you should be able to match. Appreciate you watching! Doug

[@AlanMcKay]

What kind of tape is that?

[@PinetreeLine]

That is marine tape being used. Thanks for watching! 👍🏻

[@TheBigHeavyKevy]

Would it be same for a Kevlar canoe?

[@PinetreeLine]

Yes you could use the same technique for Kevlar as long as it’s just the top coat, same as the fibreglass canoe. If there is a hole or crack right through you can use fibreglass to make the repair to your Kevlar canoe. Thanks for watching! Doug

[@DerekNaylor]

Awesome repair Job Jamie mate how long will that repair last now ? 👍😀👌

[@PinetreeLine]

The repair should last forever Derek unless the canoe hits another rock in the exact same area, hopefully that doesn’t happen 😂. Thanks for watching brother! Doug

[@thomassun3370]

How do you apply the paint without air bubbles?

[@PinetreeLine]

Why would there be air bubbles?

[@thomassun3370]

When you spray paint, I figured it out thanks tho!

[@joshuafriesen4436]

Serious bob ross vibes in the application part 3:30

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks Joshua! Hell of compliment Brother!! Doug

[@MrMrsregor]

what are gelcoat cracks ? vs fiberglass cracks ?

[@PinetreeLine]

The gelcoat is the coating on top of the fiberglass. A crack of the fiberglass requires a different repair. Thanks for watching! Doug

[@MrMrsregor]

@@PinetreeLine okay makes sense. Now that you explain that and I google a bit, I am starting to understand what I need. I see that I need to fix my small crack and also repair the gelcoat in a few places. Thanks for the help amd videos! I’m just trying to keep an old canoe health

[@PinetreeLine]

@@MrMrsregor Glad to help a little. Get yourself a fiberglass repair kit for the crack then use our method for an easy cheap gelcoat repair.

[@casualcarolinafishing5835]

Looked like new in that spot. Now you need to do the rest so it all looks the same.😜😂

[@PinetreeLine]

Hoping to have Jamie do the whole canoe in the Fall Bill but for right I wanted to get on the water plus whole knows how many scratches I’m going to put on it 🤣. Thanks for watching brother! Doug

[@seanbibby3667]

Would you know a canoe. Company name starts with VA, ua, or vo, up. It's all that's left on tag

[@PinetreeLine]

The only company I can think of is Voyageur Canoe Company out of Millbrook, Ontario. Hope this helps. Doug

[@MomsYummyCooking]

Awesome upload. Stay healthy and stay safe. Good wishes #MomsYummyCooking

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much! Appreciate you watching my friend! Doug

[@roderikrotting]

nice!

[@PinetreeLine]

Thanks so much! Doug

[@Md-md-md-md-md]

I was wondering if it's 30 CAD or USD and then I saw the Tim Hortons cup.

[@PinetreeLine]

Timmies is a dead giveaway Mickey 😂. Appreciate you watching my friend. Doug

[@Pete-eb4ec]

$30 repairs. I hope you will wear your mast next time when sanding. Polyester dust is not that healthy. Thanks for a great video! :D

[@PinetreeLine]

Yes you are right Pieter, always wear a mask. Thanks for watching! Doug

[@rialobran]

Holy smoke did someone leave an ice-axe in the river?! To be fair those sharp rocks you don't notice are a pain in the you know what. That was a great fix though, really splendid and cheap job.

[@PinetreeLine]

Plenty of sharp rocks here in the old Canadian Shield Si. Cheap and good are my favourites! Thanks for watching Brother! Doug