Notes on heating Royalex / R-84(Royalite) material: The foam core in Royalex / R-84 canoes has a blowing agent in it that heat will activate. This is the reason dents can be greatly reduced or even eliminated altogether. Many dents will rise on their own, not requiring hand / glove use. Use caution when heating the hull. If too much heat is applied, it can burn or orange peel the hull. Be sure to wave the heat gun over the dented area as this will allow gradual heat build-up and lessen the chance of damaging the hull.

If an outside dent is noticeable from the inside of the hull a heat gun can be used to remove it. On the other hand, if it does not show thru to the inside it might be better to leave it alone. The reason for this is that if the repair is not done with caution you can do more damage than good. Use your discretion as to what dents you'd like to remove. Keep in mind that unless obviously otherwise dents are just cosmetic in nature and are not weakening the structural integrity of your canoe.

You will need a heat gun with a 300 - 500 degree heat range and an oven mitt or welding glove. The glove allows you to push the dent out from the inside without burning your hand – please don’t ignore this part! While heating the dented area, you should alternate from inside to outside, concentrating more on the inside. 1-3 minutes is usually required to heat the material enough to prepare the dent. As noted above, once the material is pliable, push it out from the inside with your gloved hand.

Fixing cosmetic dings & gouges in Royalex and R84 canoes

Most exterior scratches and gouges are simply going to be cosmetic meaning no structural damage will come from these blemishes. But it’s a good idea to periodically inspect for and fix the ones that go through the outer vinyl skin and show the next later of substrate. This first layer of substrate is almost always a creamy color.

There are 2 different patch materials that can be used; JB Weld for any repair of exposed material by impact or abrasion (most of the exterior). LocTite brand 5 minute epoxy is recommended for non critical areas like the interior of the canoe. The advantage of the 5 minute epoxy is a color pigment can be added while mixing, resulting in a matching color patch material, no painting required. The color pigment is usually available at a marine store like West Marine, Boaters World or Boats U.S.

For the JB Weld patch, sand the area thoroughly with 80 or 100 grit sand paper. Clean the area with 409 or rubbing alcohol to remove all dirt, grease or oil. Mix the JB Weld by squeezing an equal amount from each tube and then mix until it’s a solid gray. Support the canoe so the area to be patched is in a horizontal or flat position. JB Weld is a little runny when first mixed, so keeping the area flat allows it to flow smooth throughout the repair area. If you find it too runny you can let it set for a few minutes. Covering with clear tape also prevents running. Keep the fill as low as possible, the closer it is to the height of the original material the less sanding is necessary and the better it will look. After the JB Weld hardens, sand the area smooth and touch up with acrylic enamel spray paint. Spray paints for outdoor furniture work particularly well.

The procedure for patching with the 5 minute epoxy is the same as above accept while mixing the 2 parts you directly add in the color pigment. The other difference will be that while filling the area make all attempts to fill it to an even level with the surrounding area so no sanding is necessary. This allows for a better color match.

If you need to glue something to your Royalex/Royalite canoe we recommend visiting Ace Hardware and getting your hands on some Flexible Vinyl Mender. It comes in a white tube with purple writing.

Repairing Royalex and Royalite canoes

Above we listed the ways to fix minor cuts to the outer skin of your canoe. Below we will go into detail on how to repair more major damage to your boat. It’s unlikely that you will ever have to use this knowledge but if you are here looking for a way to undo the wrong that fate has just dealt you then following the directions below will have your canoe back in the water in a short while.

These are the materials you will need to carry out the following repairs. It’s preferable to use the brand mentioned but others can be substituted as long as they have the same properties:

Epoxy resin ("G-Flex from West Systems" recommended), alcohol  for cleaning, Epoxy Putty, 10 oz. fiberglass cloth, release fabric, old paintbrush, medium and fine grain sandpaper.

These products can usually be found in local hardware or marine stores. If not a few moments on the internet will hook you up with a supplier. Mohawk Canoes do not sell or ship repair materials or kits as of this time.

Steps to repair your Mohawk Canoe

1) It’s not often a Royalex or Royalite boat that’s not a whitewater boat will need serious repair work but the nature of the beast means that your boat will probably encounter a very stubborn rock or sneaky submerged log at some point in its life. This damage could cause a cut, rip, gouge or major abrasion. All would be repaired in about the same manner. Following is a description of a repair that we would do on a Royalex or Royalite hull, (please note that for repair purpsoes both Royalex and Royalite boats are indentical). There are variations, but the basics are as follows:

2) Grind out the outer substrate and outer colored layer at a very shallow angle. These two layers are all that your patching material has to bond to, so it is important to leave as much of this area as possible.

3) Position the canoe so that the area to be filled is horizontal. Thoroughly clean the area with alcohol. When dry, fill the lower part of the void with the epoxy putt, such as JB Weld. Fill it past the foam core but not all the way to the outer colored layer. Now let it cure and harden. NOTE: Some epoxy putty's are very runny when first mixed. It's sometimes a good idea to let it stand for 5-10 minutes to allow it to thicken a bit before applying.

4) The area must now be reground to accept the layers of fiberglass cloth. Try to keep it as smooth and even as possible to avoid air bubbles in the laminate. Also, as mentioned earlier, maintain plenty of material on the outer layers for good bonding of the fiberglass cloth.

5) The cloth patches will be cut and laid up in succession, from smallest to the largest. The smallest patch will be slightly larger than the surface area of the epoxy putty fill. The largest will be big enough to cover the entire repair area. The number of layers is dependent upon the depth of the area to be patched.

6) Before applying the fiberglass be sure to clean the area with alcohol and mask off the area to be repaired with masking tape. Read the directions supplied with the epoxy resin. Mix accordingly and start applying the fiberglass layers. Be sure to remove as many of the air bubbles as possible with the brush. After the epoxy patch has cured, sand the area smooth making sure not to damage the existing colored exterior layer around the patch.

The use of a release fabric (also called Peel Ply) will aid in the removal of air bubbles and should make the repair ready to paint with very little sanding.

7) To use the release fabric you should lay a piece of the fabric approximately 1" larger than the repair area onto the wet epoxy. Lightly dab the fabric with epoxy but only on the repair area. The wet epoxy on the underside will wick thru. After drying for 8 or more hours, rip the release fabric off of the repaired area. Saran Wrap can be substituted, but the results will not be as good.

If you find that you did not use enough layers of fiberglass to bring the patched area up to the same height of the surrounding area, epoxy putty can be used to fill the low spots. Match the color of the exterior skin using an Acrylic spray paint, available at most paint or large hardware chain stores. For smaller areas, it might be easier to spray the paint on a piece of wax paper and brush it on the repair with a small brush.