Making a temporary repair/patch on a holed canoe.

How to make a riverside repair to a holed canoe. Making a temporary repair to get you down the river.
The canoe is a Wenonah Rogue, a fantastic white water trad canoe but sadly no longer made. It really hurt to have this one damaged. Full repair to come.
Thanks to Lina for the filming (as so often).
If you enjoyed this then consider making a small donation to support the channel at: www.buymeacoffee.com/RayGoodwin
Many thanks to www.seakayakoban.com for their advice and help on the electronic devices.
I am paddling the Venture Canoes from www.venturekayaks.com
My gear is from www.NRS.com
Paddles by freebirdpaddles.co.uk
My website is: www.RayGoodwin.com
Signed copies of my illustrated book 'Canoeing', are available direct from me or from Amazon. It covers far more than my KZbin channel. Outside of the UK the cheapest way to get my book is via the Book Depository which does free postage worldwide www.bookdepository.com/Canoei...

[@r00k1200]

Came for the canoe repair and stayed for the doggo.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

😁

[@duncanbrown7160]

Great little video, thank you for taking the time to produce it. It would be interesting to know what you take in your repair kit and how that might vary working in the UK vs a longer trip in Canada (maybe another video on repair kits!)

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Will do. Been meaning to do that for a while and yep there is a difference between my 'home' and Wilderness repair kits. Good suggestion.

[@linapatel4341]

Still think Billy is a star. He make me smile

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Indeed. I think many like his appearances.

[@lucassmith2332]

Loved you last video tried out the S turn you showed. It worked out great going up river. Down river not so much torpedoed in to the bank a couple times but, it was better then going through the mail current. I need alot more practice on the down river side

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Glad to hear that you are playing with these ideas. I will have more on this in future

[@gordonbaker6568]

In Canada, at least, you might have been able to provide a bit of structure over the gap by adding a layer or two of birchbark strips. At the very least, one could feel good about using a traditional material to patch a modern canoe.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

I will keep that one in mind. I would be grinning when doing it.

[@MrMjt888]

This is pure gold. The benefit of your practical experience is unusual situations. More like this please.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Yep the benefit of years of paddling. Repairs become a real thing not something to show on assessments. thank you for that. Cheers.

[@MrMjt888]

@@RayGoodwinCanoe maybe something on the kit that you carry. In BA. In day bag?

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

@@MrMjt888 All on the 'to do' list. It is creating the time and energy to catch up on all of these.

[@Mainepolingguide]

Ray, always enjoy your videos. You can also rub some hand sanitizer (isopropyl alcohol) on the boat and light it.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

I had forgotten that. I always used to carry a small amount of methylated spirit for the same job but it kept rotting the containers. I will try the hand sanitiser because i normally carry that anyway. Thanks Lisa and I do like your videos as well.

[@peterli5624]

We had to do a patch job on a canoe that lost its self bailer on the motorway just before a big 25 mile race, we cut up a bit of Perspex and applied with some gaffer tape it held up for the entire race, day 2 we managed to get a bit of sealant 😂

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Thanks for reposting that Peter. Really useful information for other folk. A really good example of the effectiveness of these temporary repairs. Cheers.

[@frederickwelham3829]

I normally carry a beeswax block in my kit for dry suit zips. That should work for sealing tape edges in place of a candle.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Good tip. Yep that would work

[@martinoutdoors6941]

Good ideas Ray I’ve heard of another tape brand that’s waterproof T-Rex tape looks really good. I like the idea of waxing the edges to seal it and Linda’s idea or warming it to really seal seems sound to me really makes sense. All good things to get in the tool box when on a big trip or even a local one if you’ve distance to go.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Thanks 👍 I will have a look for the T-Rex tape.

[@sakkeraappana]

Thanks again for the video Ray 👏

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

My pleasure!!

[@philschaefer4651]

Great video Ray, though Billy doesn't seem too impressed. ;) I used the duct tape method to repair a cracked aluminum canoe after pinning it. First ever wilderness canoe trip, to say I didn't know what I was doing would be a gross understatement. We used a camp stove to dry the area since all our gear was wet (didn't know about dry bags back then). It held up long enough to get to the takeout. The whole trip is a great story about what not to do.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

We have all done it Phil. It is the ability to survive, learn and move on that is key to experience. Yep good suggestion re using the stove to dry the surface. I did mean to mention it myself (for when on expedition) but forgot. Keep well and again thanks.

[@philschaefer4651]

@@RayGoodwinCanoe Also love the tip on using a piece of the bailing bucket to support the area. I'll be adding a piece of that to my emergency kit. After all, with a hole big enough to need it, I'll likely need an intact bailing bucket too.

[@rosiemackenzie6485]

Thanks so much, Ray - great video and so impressed you managed to fix it!

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Doing the full repair this week. Video to follow.

[@robmackins2111]

Great vid Ray. Useful for my FSRT/aspirant instructor students as well.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@peterleffler2062]

On the drying issue: carry a small nalgeene bottle (or similar) of meths (methylated spirit/denatured alcohol). Being highly volatile it will evaporate and take the water with it. When there is only a little left on the surface flash it off by applying a lighter/flame. The remaining meths will burn off leaving a dry and warm surface (also degreased) to which the tape will happily stuck. Obviously you Don want to overdo the amount you are burning off - you arent looking to melt anything! But meths will flash off quite quickly and relatively cool. Just be aware that the flames can be more or less invisible.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

I used to do that back in the '80s when kayaking. A lot harder to dry than Royalex. I alway found that the meths eventually rotted either the container seal or the container with meths ruining a lot of other stuff in the repair kit. Never found a solution to carrying it that I was happy with. Mind I would agree with you that it was effective when used sparingly and cautiously.

[@JimKayaker]

Good video Ray. These days my repair kit is just a roll of gaffer tape so I would have done exactly the same, but probably without drying the boat enough. Something else to suggest, if anyone is looking for extra stuff to carry that could bridge a massive gash like that, is epoxy putty. I used to carry it in my sea kayak repair kit, and used it quite a few times on my old beater sea kayak. It comes as a couple of different coloured sticks, you simply break equal amounts off each and knead them together a bit like plasticine until the colour is even, and then use it to plug the hole. In desperation, the stuff can even be used to plug underwater holes so a slightly damp canoe is no problem, but note that it will cure rigid so there is a chance it will pop out if the hull flexes over another rock or shingle bank. But don't sit around waiting for it to cure, tape over and carry on. In 2006 my dad parked his Wenonah 16 on the island at Grandtully on the Tay for a few seconds - I was amazed, he threw his weight onto the rock, the boat filled up and then floated off backwards down the left and he paddled it to the side the right way up. He later discovered a leak, not as big as that one, but still not ideal on day 2 of 3. He mended it with epoxy putty to fill the gap, and then for some reason decided to use superglue before a final layer of gaffer tape. That repair didn't only last the trip (to Perth), but stayed on for several years before he got round to dealing with it, I think it was still on when I borrowed his boat for my attempt at Kinlochleven to Perth, and my brothers successful attempt a fortnight later, and I'm sure you know how tough that route is on boats! As for how he ended up on the island, well let's just say he wouldn't take my advice and tried too little too late... Dad's eh?

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Hi, I carry the same epoxy putty but really choose which repairs to use it on because it can impede the permanent repair process later on. There is a video on my channel which shows me using one of these sticks to fill in a hole in the bow of a canoe. I will do a video, at some point, running through my repair kit. Thanks for that and good information for folk.

[@JimKayaker]

@@RayGoodwinCanoe that's true, but I figure with a repair of that size I am going to need a flap disk on the angle grinder to prep for the repair anyway, so any amine residue is going to be blitzed off then!

[@wolfoutdoorscanada]

Good to know !

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Thank you.

[@nigelgregory4777]

Another great information video Ray, many thanks, keep them coming mate 👍👍👍looking forward to seeing the full repair job on royalex, Take care, ☕☕❤

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Thanks 👍 Doing the full repair this week and will video it.

[@jeanyves8585]

I’m wondering: could it be, in your opinion, and I think Paul Kirtley is likely to have an opinion too, possible to fill the gap with the famous recipe of charcoal and pine pitch mix to secure the hole, and that way get something for the tape to stick too? Thanks for the videos, it is always a pleasure to watch!

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

I think that would only be my solution if i were in the wilderness and I had lost all other kit. It is good to keep these traditional methods in the back of the mind when all else is gone. PS I have heard of folk doing similar with a kevlar canoe when they had no repair kit.

[@jeanyves8585]

@@RayGoodwinCanoe thanks a lot!

[@alantaylor688]

Another really useful video... just hope I don't need to do myself!

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Fingers crossed but be prepared just in case. Thanks

[@grahamrowe6278]

I have tape of course, but I still keep a fold of flash band and inveriably have a stove on board, so...? Not sure the flash band was big enough for that gash Ray.

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

Its was a big one. Not overly keen on flash band (I do carry some on occasion) it would be a mess to clean out of the cracks for the full repair.

[@crabtrap]

Ray, what is the best way to add afew floor d-rings/tiedown points on a royalex canoe(OT Tripper). these will be used only for pannier type bag stability (i use mountain bike panniers on internal walls, the bags have gunwale hooks but the bottom could use down force that a bike rack would normally give via a spring or bungee)

[@RayGoodwinCanoe]

An expensive solution but I use G-flex epoxy as the glue. It includes full instructions and is my preferred choice. Prep the surfaces as they say