Your emergency canoe repair kit?

[Idiot Savant]

My club, and some rivers I paddle, require you take a repair kit on overnight trips.
There are a couple really good, extra wide, waterproof tapes, put out by the Flex Seal and Gorilla Glue people.
I can't imagine ever needing more than that to repair a damaged hull, but I'm not running rocky class III rivers.
I managed to put a pretty bad crack in my blacklite Northwind 17, when I hit a rock while taking a photo, but luckily it didn't leak.
On the recommendation of, I believe, Cliff Jacobson, I took a nail and wire on one trip. The idea being I'd make holes in the Royalex hull, with the nail, and use the wire to sew a big tear, then cover it with tape.
I've taken a patch of fiberglass, epoxy and a spreader on other trips.
I also take a spare bolt for thwarts and yoke and a longer seat hanger bolt.
What do you take on trips?

 

[Gamma1214]

I carry one roll of Duct tape. Usually a small roll but I did run out one trip.

 

[Rubbaboo]

On an overnight trip, not much, duct tape.
On a remote trip the kit is extensive.
West Systems makes a repair kit with epoxy and cloth that’s pretty handy, wire, small hand drill and bits, zip ties , small screws and driver, seat drop bolts, multi tool, blue skin patches (cut to fit the diameter of the bottom of a barrel so they don’t get folded), and of course duct tape.

 

[Alan Gage]

I keep my repair kit in a 48 oz nalgene bottle. Epoxy in syringes. Some pieces of fiberglass. A little peel ply. Small pair of scissors. Sandpaper. Nitrile gloves. Small bottle of alcohol. Wire. Zip ties. Gorilla tape is wrapped around the outside of the bottle.

Alan

 

[MrPoling]

I kept a role of duct tape in my repair kit. A year or so ago I knocked a hole in my Royalex canoe on a cool rainy day. I dried it as best as I could, but I couldn't get duct tape to stick.

I've replaced it with some gorilla patch and seal tape, which claims it can be applied to wet surfaces. I haven't tested it yet though.

 

[MrPoling]

I tested the gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape on a water can tonight. I wet the can inside and out, then dried the section with a hole using one paper towel. There was no standing water on it, but it was still damp, much like the hull of my Royalex canoe in the rain. The tape stuck fine, and stopped the leak in the water can.

It was very stretchy though, and much harder to work with than duct tape. It would probably be all right in most places. I'd definitely have a knife or scissors handy when applying it.

 

[Tsuga8]

Good testing, thanks for sharing the results.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I tested the gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape on a water can tonight. I wet the can inside and out, then dried the section with a hole using one paper towel. There was no standing water on it, but it was still damp, much like the hull of my Royalex canoe in the rain. The tape stuck fine, and stopped the leak in the water can.

It was very stretchy though, and much harder to work with than duct tape. It would probably be all right in most places. I'd definitely have a knife or scissors handy when applying it.

I just went and checked to see which one I actually bought. It says Gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape. 4" wide and clear. Is that what you have?
If I see a deal on the Flex tape I might get a roll. Supposedly you can do a repair underwater. Like, without unloading the canoe and taking it out of the water, you could reach under and stick a patch on. I'm skeptical but, if true, that would be a game changer.

 

[MrPoling]

I just went and checked to see which one I actually bought. It says Gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape. 4" wide and clear. Is that what you have?
If I see a deal on the Flex tape I might get a roll. Supposedly you can do a repair underwater. Like, without unloading the canoe and taking it out of the water, you could reach under and stick a patch on. I'm skeptical but, if true, that would be a game changer.

The stuff I have isn't labeled very well, but Amazon shows I bought gorilla waterproof patch and seal tape.

 

[Alien Legs]

I just have flex tape. Knock on wood i have not used it yet.

 

[Tsuga8]

I managed to put a pretty bad crack in my blacklite Northwind 17, when I hit a rock while taking a photo, but luckily it didn't leak.

I'd be curious to hear more about what it takes to crack a Blacklite hull. Moving water? Fast or slow? Loaded boat? Hit straight on the bow, or somewhere along the side or bottom?

 

[Idiot Savant]

I'd be curious to hear more about what it takes to crack a Blacklite hull. Moving water? Fast or slow? Loaded boat? Hit straight on the bow, or somewhere along the side or bottom?

I was on an overnight trip with a new club member. Colorado River, not in a rapid, but moving along. I stopped paddling, to take a photo, and we ended up turned sideways to the current. Never saw the rock under the surface. I couln't believe how hard we hit. Loud bang. We hit near the bow, so I asked my partner if water was coming in and she said no. But it was bad enough I had to do some glass work when I got home.

 

[scoutergriz]

my kit is a little more advanced than most by the sounds of it, But over the years I've used every item-
20ga stainless wire- for everything from lashing a broken thwart to stitching up a split keel.
2" gorilla tape- patches, blister covers, even restrung the webbing in a rotted seat
cable ties- reattaching thwarts, gunnels, seats, etc
a West 105 repair kit- glassing over that split keel or puncture at camp.
1.8mm static cord- everything from new shoelaces to stitching a shoe sole or pack
swiss army knife- the awl is actually pretty good for sewing- there's even a hole for thread in the tip. I've used the pliers and wirecutters on everything from fixing cranky stoves to tightening seat risers, and the wirecutters come in handy for cutting and tying the 20ga wire above.
It all fits in a small pocket sized stuffsack in my pocket or ditch kit...

 

[Idiot Savant]

my kit is a little more advanced than most by the sounds of it, But over the years I've used every item-
20ga stainless wire- for everything from lashing a broken thwart to stitching up a split keel.
2" gorilla tape- patches, blister covers, even restrung the webbing in a rotted seat
cable ties- reattaching thwarts, gunnels, seats, etc
a West 105 repair kit- glassing over that split keel or puncture at camp.
1.8mm static cord- everything from new shoelaces to stitching a shoe sole or pack
swiss army knife- the awl is actually pretty good for sewing- there's even a hole for thread in the tip. I've used the pliers and wirecutters on everything from fixing cranky stoves to tightening seat risers, and the wirecutters come in handy for cutting and tying the 20ga wire above.
It all fits in a small pocket sized stuffsack in my pocket or ditch kit...

That's pretty much in line with what I take on a club trip.
What I take depends on what my boat is made of.
If I'm in a composite boat, I take my home made glass repair kit but leave out the baling wire and wire cutter.
If I'm in a plastic boat, I take the baling wire and cutter, but leave out the composite repair kit.
Instead of an awl, I take a nail. I figure I can heat that up with a stove or lighter for poking through a plastic hull.
I don't necessarily take paracord in my repair kit because I have a ton of it elsewhere.
I go a step farther and take extra bolts, nuts, washers, etc. for thwarts and seats.
I take waterproof tape for any kind of boat.
The only time I ever had to make an actual on the river repair was on the Niobrara. I was in a Kevlar solo and I hit a steel fence post just under the surface. It cut through the Kevlar like butter. There was a gash that went all the way through the hull. I pulled over and put boat repair tape on both sides and made it through the rest of the weekend like that.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I used to take just duct tape until a gator put holes in my composite outrigger canoe in a Florida lake. I couldn't fix the holes with the tape, as I stood in the scary water in the middle of the shallow lake, because it wouldn't stick to the wet hull. So, make sure you have some kind of tape that will stick to a wet and underwater hull. In fact, does anyone have recommendations for such a tape?

After that incident, I always also carry epoxy putty.

This is in addition to my knives and Leatherman tool. In my SRT I also carry extra wingnuts and washers, to fit my seat and thwart bolts, inside the tubular Wenonah foot bar.

 

[sailsman63]

does anyone have recommendations for such a tape?

I've used Gorilla Tape a bit. Once it adheres, it really does stay put in the water. I used it on an unfilled (rough) dacron cloth, and it didn't like that. It's much happier on smooth surfaces.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I used to take just duct tape until a gator put holes in my composite outrigger canoe in a Florida lake. I couldn't fix the holes with the tape, as I stood in the scary water in the middle of the shallow lake, because it wouldn't stick to the wet hull. So, make sure you have some kind of tape that will stick to a wet and underwater hull. In fact, does anyone have recommendations for such a tape?

After that incident, I always also carry epoxy putty.

This is in addition to my knives and Leatherman tool. In my SRT I also carry extra wingnuts and washers, to fit my seat and thwart bolts, inside the tubular Wenonah foot bar.

According to the Flex Seal people, their Flex tape can be applied under water.
Your incident is why I won't paddle in Florida or any other state with gators. And don't get me started on the Burmese Pythons. My club sometimes has winter trips to such places. Not for me. I'll stick with bears, mountain lions, wolves and rattlesnakes.

 

[scoutergriz]

it's been so long since I've used it, I totally forgot about the epoxy ribbon- I have the type that works on gas, oil or water so it'll fix a holed gas tank or oil pan too.
I find the gorilla tape is so thick that you need to warm it a bit with a lighter to make it follow the contours of pebbled surfaces, then you need to squeegee it hard with a dry sponge to force the adhesive into the voids.

 

[Black_Fly]

I'd be curious to hear more about what it takes to crack a Blacklite hull. Moving water? Fast or slow? Loaded boat? Hit straight on the bow, or somewhere along the side or bottom?

Yeah, me too, since I have a new one. Still not sure its limitations.

 

[Idiot Savant]

Yeah, me too, since I have a new one. Still not sure its limitations.

There are a few factors to consider.
I don't have the internal skid plate option on this boat. I wanted it, but ended up buying a boat he already had in the warehouse.
I was sideways to the current, so I had the force of the river pushing against the whole length of the boat. Normally you'd hit a rock head on or a glancing blow.
If you have the internal skid plate option, I think you are good for an occasional easy class II. If you don't, I'd be careful to watch for rocks.
If I were to do a lot of that sort of stuff, I'd want the IXP layup.
Hope this helps.