How to repair a deep scratch in Kevlar?

Good day,

While working on a wall rack in the garage today I had the canoe on the ground and knocked over a roll of wire fencing into it. Wire struck the side of the bow and left a scratch which appears to have got through the gelcoat into the cloth. Looks and feels rough.

Had it just been the gelcoat I would leave it but as it appears the kevlar cloth has exposed I'm inclined to remedy it somehow. Having never dealt with composite boats can someone suggest what the course of action should be. Doesn't need to be invisible after. Layup is Swifts Expedition Kevlar.


An inch seems to be the worst, the rest seems to be light to medium depth but in the gelcoat only.

Lay in a fillet of epoxy and send it. Chamfer the edges if you want to be fussy. Be careful with snagging more fibers. A syringe will help "re-wet" the fuzzed cloth and push epoxy into any voids created to the side of the damage.

Sorry about the scratch, I know the feeling!

Turn the canoe on its side so the scratch is horizontal. Then you won't need any filler. Use a small amount of marine epoxy to fill the scratch. It will wet out the scratch and help make it disappear. A syringe is a good idea.

I have never owned a new canoe and don't know the feeling. Scratches are part of paddling. Learn to be good at making repairs.

I'd use DEVCON 5 minute epoxy because I know it's clear. With the boat on it's side and a hairdryer plugged in and ready I'd mix a tiny batch and put a little bit in the crack using a toothpick and then hit it with the hairdryer from about 1 foot away since that will make the epoxy flow and smooth out. You want to apply the epoxy within a minute or two of mixing.

If you want to try to make the scratch disappear get some clear gelcoat and mix a small batch and overfill the scratch a little then tape off the area, sand it down using progressively fine sandpaper until you get to 1500 then polish with a polishing compound (like 3M Marine Cleaner/Polish).

You could also just stick a piece of clear Gorilla tape on since that would keep it waterproof forever.

I think I'd definitely get some epoxy into that one inch(ish) area where you penetrated to the weave and the rest of the scratch as much as possible but I don't think there's any real structural damage. Just like us, the scars tell a story and not all can be hard won in the heat of battle; some are destined to be of the "oops" variety (sometimes, those are even the best stories).

On the upside: Once scratched, I tend to relax and just enjoy it without the worry of keeping it pristine. Let us know how you go about repairs.

Well can't say the aesthetics of the repair are to the desired standard but should be sufficient.

I wasn't able to get a clear marine epoxy locally so had to go with white. This one had a 15 minute set up time but it took much longer even though it was mixed well in even parts. I did do the toothpick and hairdryer approach.

My royalex boats are covered in battle scars and I have no concern of running over a rock or scuffing on a launch. This is my first composite boat and since getting it a few years back I do not have the same confidence in it and likely mistakenly view it as fragile.