canvas patch?

[Craig Johnson]

I have a rip in the canvas on an Old Town sport boat. This boat has a motor and the rip is about 6" long, ragged and perpendicular to the flow of water, and about 2" from the transom, so will be under lots of stress. Can anyone recommend source material on how to patch canvas, and does anybody sell patch kits with all the materials needed? I just want to be able to use the boat the rest of the season until I can re-canvas it this winter. Thanks

 

[pat chapman]

Particularly if you're just trying to get through this season, good quality duct tape is the quickest, easiest way to go. In my younger days I used to run whitewater with a friend whose C-1 (closed deck whitewater canoe) was more duct tape than fiberglass. He used that boat for years and simply re-taped it as needed.

 

[MGC]

good quality duct tape is the quickest, easiest way to go.

Don't leave home without it!

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Duct tape, at times, can be pretty hard to beat. For historical reference though, this is the traditional method for patching canvas (and it's fairly entertaining to read as well).

http://www.ottertooth.com/Canoe_pages/fieldrepairs.htm

The glue used is good old Ambroid Cement, which is still available from some canoe people and many hobby shops.

http://ottertooth.net/Canoe_pages/ambroid.htm

also available at:
http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200301640

 

[Craig Johnson]

Thanks for the reference to the article. It was entertaining and confirmed pretty much what I expected. It took me a couple of days and a 2 hour drive to get ambroid cement. I was wondering whether the patch had to be filled and painted but it sounds like the ambroid cement put on the outside of the patch is the substitute for filler. Thanks again ,I'll let you know if it stands up to the stress on a motor boat.