Read Potty Paddlers review of the repair he carried out on a Minuet canoe using J-B Weld’s Water Weld putty.

 

The Canoe Clubs 'new' Minuet canoe had stainless eyes at each end...(see pictures 1 & 2, scroll down page, pictures go from left to right I was worried what might happen if someone was to nose into a rock at a bit of speed...and we'd be banned if we took the Minuet to a Swimming Pool like that...think what might happen to their lovely tiles...the eyes had to go...but how?

 

Out came the screws (see picture 3)

 

Inside was a plug of fibreglass filler or similar, sealing and retaining the nuts for the screws...careful bashing on the outside of the hull with a rubber mallet eventually released these plugs.

 

The holes were cleaned up with a file, (see picture 4) a touch of sandpaper cleaned/roughened the inner and outer surface and a final de-grease was done with meths and a rag...

 

Now to the WaterWeld Putty, (see picture 5) it's like a stick of rock (but softer) in a tube. Instead of saying "Brighton" through the middle it has a central core, the core (or the outside) contains the hardener, one is white, the other slightly grey...they have to be kneaded together to a uniform colour to activate and use...then the clock is ticking

 

The WeldWeld and other bits and pieces I thought I'd need...note dispo gloves are really useful, I'd used the last of mine fixing the tub, I thought I might get away with plastic bags instead...doesn't work ...I ended up using my fingers...works but difficult to clean off the thin layer that adheres to your fingers afterwards, Swarfega works...but Health & Safety would have a fit...use gloves

Take the little label/seal off one end of the stick, note this isn't a full stick...I'd already used some... cut sufficient to use off with a knife (see picture 6), the knife then cleans easily with tissue or a rag (unlike fingers).

 

Place the seal back on the end of your remaining stick and put it away (see picture 7)

...peel of the outer clear plastic wrap and knead the putty to a uniform colour...(see picture 8)

I'd planned to push the putty into place through the holes that needed filling, over-tape with electrician's tape and fillet the inside, the tape stopping it pushing back through...but the putty is still enough that this wasn't a problem so I didn't use the tape.(see picture 9)...and at the other end of the canoe...(see picture 10)

 

Internally...I pushed a fillet of putty into place at both ends...(see picture 11)

45 mins after I'd started it was sandpaper time again...to smooth off the putty (see picture 12)

An hour after I'd started and the canoe was on the car roof and off to the lake for a coaching session (see picture 13)

 

Brill...and I'm now wondering if a wax crayon would match the sanded putty to the rest of the canoe. A stick of WaterWeld is now also in my "take paddling" emergency kit.