I picked up my first Royalex boat this year, and while I'm happy to have it, now I'm stuck 800 miles from home with two canoes. The other is a skin-on-frame, and so I'm wondering which canoe will fare better being left in an unheated garage up in Vermont while I truck the other one back to VA, where I've got a bunch of options in terms of winter storage. I know Royalex degrades in various ways; will leaving it unprotected through a Vermont winter kill the inner core of the material and reduce the lifespan of the boat, or otherwise degrade what I hope will be a lifelong canoe?
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Can Royalex safely freeze?
- Thread starter MyKneesHurt
- Start date
Wood gunnels or vinyl? (on the Royalex boat).
If they are vinyl there should be no problem, if they are wood then it is often recommended that the gunnel screws be loosened to prevent "cold cracks" because of the difference in expansion/contraction for each material.
If they are vinyl there should be no problem, if they are wood then it is often recommended that the gunnel screws be loosened to prevent "cold cracks" because of the difference in expansion/contraction for each material.
^^This. Though I'd also loosen the thwarts just as an extra, probably unnecessary, precaution.
From the Swift website (long ago):
Cold Weather Care for Royalex Canoes with Wood Gunnels
Both Royalex and wood will shrink as the temperature cools, however Royalex contracts at a much higher rate than wood. As the temperature reaches extreme cold (-20 Celsius and lower), this creates stress and may crack the wood gunnels and/or the Royalex canoe hull around the gunnel screws.
To Prevent Damage:
There are 6 to 8 screws (3 to 4 in outer gunnel and 3-4 in inner gunnel) at each end of your canoe, on both and left and right gunnels. These screws need to be completely removed. After this is done, lift up the pair of gunnels (with the deck) at one end and wedge a piece of wood between the gunnels with the deck and the top of the Royalex hull; do this at both ends of the canoe. Loosen all other inside screws 3 complete turns. The canoe can then be stored upside down on work horses or suspended from the ceiling of your garage/porch by slings.
In the spring, simply reverse the above procedure by replacing and tightening all screws.
I have followed this advice - my royalex Raven has had no issues for 25 years of Alberta winters, where -20 is not unusual.
-wjmc
Cold Weather Care for Royalex Canoes with Wood Gunnels
Both Royalex and wood will shrink as the temperature cools, however Royalex contracts at a much higher rate than wood. As the temperature reaches extreme cold (-20 Celsius and lower), this creates stress and may crack the wood gunnels and/or the Royalex canoe hull around the gunnel screws.
To Prevent Damage:
There are 6 to 8 screws (3 to 4 in outer gunnel and 3-4 in inner gunnel) at each end of your canoe, on both and left and right gunnels. These screws need to be completely removed. After this is done, lift up the pair of gunnels (with the deck) at one end and wedge a piece of wood between the gunnels with the deck and the top of the Royalex hull; do this at both ends of the canoe. Loosen all other inside screws 3 complete turns. The canoe can then be stored upside down on work horses or suspended from the ceiling of your garage/porch by slings.
In the spring, simply reverse the above procedure by replacing and tightening all screws.
I have followed this advice - my royalex Raven has had no issues for 25 years of Alberta winters, where -20 is not unusual.
-wjmc
Thanks fellas. This is a little Pack I got for a song, and I would be loathe to lose it due to ignorance. Sounds like she'll be fine stuck up in the rafters somewhere. (Vinyl gunwales.)
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You might find my story interesting and informative.
Our Mad River Explorer canoe had wooden gunwales, and a Royalex, plastic hull. Plastic and wood expand and contract at different rates during times of warming and cooling. That didn’t make much difference when Kathleen and I lived on the west coast, where temperatures didn’t get all that cold. In Preeceville, however, winter temperatures usually fell, at least on some of the days, to -40 degrees. That’s cold. One has to be aware of differential expansion and contraction rates.
To prepare for cold winters, one is supposed to loosen the screws that attach the wooden gunwales to the plastic hull. That way, the hull and gunwales can expand and contract at their own rates. Otherwise, severe cracks in the hull will almost certainly greet the once-proud canoe owner in the spring.
We moved to Preeceville in the fall of 2008. I loosened the gunwale screws at the beginning of winter in 2008. I loosened the gunwale screws at the beginning of winter in 2009. In the fall of 2010, I put the Mad River Explorer in the storage shed, and said to myself that I would loosen the screws later. I don’t know why I said that. It only takes about five minutes. But I would have had to walk a couple hundred metres (yards) each way to get my portable drill. I didn’t want to take the time right then. I would do it later.
Well, later never came. I got busy doing something else. I didn’t loosen the gunwale screws. In the spring of 2011, I slid back the door to the canoe storage shed, and literally staggered from the horrific sight. I started counting. Thirty-seven cracks all the way through the hull of my beloved Mad River Explorer. You might not think this possible, but I loved my Mad River Explorer even more than I loved my Ford Econoline van. I loved my Mad River Explorer only a little less than I loved Kathleen. And I loved Kathleen a lot.
This was truly horrible, and I was responsible. Perhaps the worst mistake of my entire life. I had to rectify this situation. I sent away for a bunch of Kevlar cloth and Cold Cure, a two-part epoxy. I spent most of a day affixing the Kevlar cloth, inside and out, to all 37 cracks in the hull. In my opinion, the Mad River Explorer, although not as good as new, was just as seaworthy, lake-worthy or river-worthy as before. [Note: Seaworthy is an actual word, as recognized by my spell checker. The checker, however, did not accept lakeworthy or riverworthy. That’s why I had to hyphenate those two words. I would have much preferred, though, to be consistent with seaworthy.]
So, after the job was completed, I returned to the house to boast of my success to Kathleen, knowing that she would be very impressed. “I can’t trust that boat anymore Michael. You say it had thirty-seven cracks all the way through the hull. What if it breaks while we’re on a wilderness canoe trip?”
“But it won’t break. It’s just as strong as before. Maybe even stronger. I put Kevlar cloth on the inside and the outside of every crack.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t want to take a chance.”
There you have it. Kathleen wasn’t happy. I had no choice. I had to buy another canoe. I called up the primary canoe store in Saskatchewan, Fresh Air Experience, with outlets in both Saskatoon and Regina. “I’d like to buy a sixteen foot Royalex Mad River Explorer, with wooden gunwales.”
“We don’t carry Mad River canoes anymore.”
“Well, I need a sixteen foot canoe. What do you have?”
“We have a sixteen foot Royalex Wenonah Prospector in stock. Would you like that?”
I hemmed and hawed for a moment. I loved Mad River Explorers. I’ve owned two in my life. I couldn’t be changing brands now. But I needed a canoe, and soon. We were planning to paddle to Grey Owl’s cabin, in Prince Albert National Park in July, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I needed a canoe. “OK, I’ll be out tomorrow to get it.”
This new royalex canoe had vinyl gunwales. Never had a problem with cold cracks again.
Our Mad River Explorer canoe had wooden gunwales, and a Royalex, plastic hull. Plastic and wood expand and contract at different rates during times of warming and cooling. That didn’t make much difference when Kathleen and I lived on the west coast, where temperatures didn’t get all that cold. In Preeceville, however, winter temperatures usually fell, at least on some of the days, to -40 degrees. That’s cold. One has to be aware of differential expansion and contraction rates.
To prepare for cold winters, one is supposed to loosen the screws that attach the wooden gunwales to the plastic hull. That way, the hull and gunwales can expand and contract at their own rates. Otherwise, severe cracks in the hull will almost certainly greet the once-proud canoe owner in the spring.
We moved to Preeceville in the fall of 2008. I loosened the gunwale screws at the beginning of winter in 2008. I loosened the gunwale screws at the beginning of winter in 2009. In the fall of 2010, I put the Mad River Explorer in the storage shed, and said to myself that I would loosen the screws later. I don’t know why I said that. It only takes about five minutes. But I would have had to walk a couple hundred metres (yards) each way to get my portable drill. I didn’t want to take the time right then. I would do it later.
Well, later never came. I got busy doing something else. I didn’t loosen the gunwale screws. In the spring of 2011, I slid back the door to the canoe storage shed, and literally staggered from the horrific sight. I started counting. Thirty-seven cracks all the way through the hull of my beloved Mad River Explorer. You might not think this possible, but I loved my Mad River Explorer even more than I loved my Ford Econoline van. I loved my Mad River Explorer only a little less than I loved Kathleen. And I loved Kathleen a lot.
This was truly horrible, and I was responsible. Perhaps the worst mistake of my entire life. I had to rectify this situation. I sent away for a bunch of Kevlar cloth and Cold Cure, a two-part epoxy. I spent most of a day affixing the Kevlar cloth, inside and out, to all 37 cracks in the hull. In my opinion, the Mad River Explorer, although not as good as new, was just as seaworthy, lake-worthy or river-worthy as before. [Note: Seaworthy is an actual word, as recognized by my spell checker. The checker, however, did not accept lakeworthy or riverworthy. That’s why I had to hyphenate those two words. I would have much preferred, though, to be consistent with seaworthy.]
So, after the job was completed, I returned to the house to boast of my success to Kathleen, knowing that she would be very impressed. “I can’t trust that boat anymore Michael. You say it had thirty-seven cracks all the way through the hull. What if it breaks while we’re on a wilderness canoe trip?”
“But it won’t break. It’s just as strong as before. Maybe even stronger. I put Kevlar cloth on the inside and the outside of every crack.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t want to take a chance.”
There you have it. Kathleen wasn’t happy. I had no choice. I had to buy another canoe. I called up the primary canoe store in Saskatchewan, Fresh Air Experience, with outlets in both Saskatoon and Regina. “I’d like to buy a sixteen foot Royalex Mad River Explorer, with wooden gunwales.”
“We don’t carry Mad River canoes anymore.”
“Well, I need a sixteen foot canoe. What do you have?”
“We have a sixteen foot Royalex Wenonah Prospector in stock. Would you like that?”
I hemmed and hawed for a moment. I loved Mad River Explorers. I’ve owned two in my life. I couldn’t be changing brands now. But I needed a canoe, and soon. We were planning to paddle to Grey Owl’s cabin, in Prince Albert National Park in July, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I needed a canoe. “OK, I’ll be out tomorrow to get it.”
This new royalex canoe had vinyl gunwales. Never had a problem with cold cracks again.
I purchased my Rockstar, used it twice and it's been in the garage ever since. I backed of the screws and put it away. I don't use it, and with screws backed out I didn't think there would be an issue, but I kept checking the gunnels every spring for the first five years. Never had an issue.
I hate to bear bad news, but I have seen a Royalex Bell Yellowstone solo with vinyl gunnels and a cold crack. A friend of mine bought it last spring. The prior owner was from Steamboat Springs (NW Colorado) and we don't know how it was stored. The crack extends down about 5" from a rivet near the stern and looks just like the cold cracks I have gotten in a couple of my ash gunnel canoes. I wonder if aluminum rivets and Royalex have different expansion rates or if there is another explanation.
many vinyl gunwales have either an aluminium core or stiffener added for rigidity which alters the expansion rate closer to that of the aluminium, the issue is that royalex in particular has a high rate of contraction compared to wood, aluminium, or most other materials so cold cracks can be an issue no matter what material is used for the gunwales, some mfr's used to just drive the screws directly through the hull creating a tight fit but also creating a fair bit of stress at that point, a permanent fix is to remove the gunwales, drill out the holes 1/8" bigger to leave clearance around the screws and reattach the gunwales (1/4" for the average #8 screw), that extra clearance gives the royalex room to expand or contract with temperature changes.
or you could do like me and just ditch your royalex boats for some of the modern, lighter, more durable composites
I owned an OT Tripper with vinyl gunwales for 23 years and it was stored in an unheated detached garage throughout that time with no problems. Our temps range from some days each summer in the 90’s and an occasional 100 and winter temps a few times below zero. The local nature center has several OT Penobscot canoes in Royalex with vinyl gunwales that have spent their entire lives stored uncovered outdoors with no problems.
I know of one royalex Penobscot that cold cracked during an especially harsh eastern Idaho winter. It was exposed to the wind in an open-sided barn. I do believe that the aluminum core in the vinyl gunwales was the culprit. Extreme sudden changes in temperature - as is typical for Idaho - also seem to be a problem. I think as long as the canoe with vinyl gunwales is inside even an unheated building, it should be safe.
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