Wenonah Kevlar Canoe Restoration
 

After minimal deliberation I have decided to document the restoration of my 2001 Wenonah Escape Kevlar canoe. This model has been a wonderful platform for my wife and I for the past two years, but 19 years of use and sun exposure have slowly degraded this otherwise well-treated boat. As with everything in life, this canoe is a compromise. I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with exploring the Everglades backcountry in search of tarpon, small and large. This canoe gets me where I need to be quickly and efficiently, but lacks maneuverability and stability. Other Wenonah models may suite my needs better, such as the Boundary Waters or the Kingfisher, but I’m just not ready to give up on this gem. The Escape is a delight to paddle and it deserves to be graced with the slime of countless more tarpon and snook in the backcountry.

I figured this forum would be full of outdoorsman, canoe enthusiasts, and flyfisherman. This thread will provide me with entertainment, but it will also provide a resource for folks with similar goals.

https://i.ibb.co/pzJz2Ty/IMG-5468.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/4SdsfZy/IMG-9054.jpg


My main reason for restoring this boat is to replace the original gelcoat in order to preserve the underlying Kevlar fabric. This boat was stored in the sun by the previous owner, so the gelcoat is oxidized and there are numerous spider cracks in areas with inherent flex. I want to reseal the hull to preserve the fabric so I can get another twenty years out of this boat.

I recently added Kevlar skid plates to the hull since I had deep gauges on the bow of the boat. Oyster bars, fallen mangrove branches, and years of landings have taken their toll.

Before:

https://i.ibb.co/phF8vXY/IMG-9204.jpg

I started off by removing the gunwhales, seats, foot braces, and end caps from the canoe. Wenonah uses 3/16” diameter rivets (mostly 1/4” length), some with a large diameter head.

I sanded the old gelcoat with 40 grit pads and an orbital sander. The scratches on this boat were primarily superficial, so the sanding resulted in a smooth hull almost free of imperfections. The areas around the spider cracks took a little extra care; I ultimately sanded these areas almost to the fabric. After sanding the entire hull with the 40 grit I did a once-over with 80 grit. I also sanded the interior of the boat so I could recoat it with polyester resin. Once sanding was complete, I thoroughly cleaned the hull with a mild soap. After naturally drying, I gave it a final wipe-down with acetone to remove any remaining wax or contaminants.

After sanding:

https://i.ibb.co/d6xK2pZ/IMG-9217.jpg

My wife and I applied a dark grey polyester gelcoat using a 1/8” nap roller. We worked in 32 oz. batches and catalyzed the gelcoat with 17 mL MEKP. We did this on an 80 degree day and had roughly 25 minutes before the gelcoat kicked. We coated the canoe two times before adding a final coat with 1 oz. of sanding aid mixed in.

The final coat dried tack-free within three hours. The gelcoat had a slight orange peel texture due to the rollers, but it still looked fairly uniform.

New gelcoat:

https://i.ibb.co/4Kv75yp/IMG-9222.jpg

As you would expect, I spent roughly 8 hours wetsanding the canoe to remove the slight texture from applying the gelcoat with a roller. I started off with a few passes using 240 grit, then I moved on to 320 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, and finished with 800 grit. I waxed the hull with Meguiar's Premium Marine Wax to protect the new gelcoat. The finish is not completely smooth and it does not have a mirror-like shine, but that is fine with me. I quit wetsanding a little earlty in order to preserve as much of the new gelcoat as possible. I do not expect Wenonah to ask for it back so they can put it in their showroom, but it looks goods, it's durable, and it's ready for the Everglades. Cheers!

After:

https://i.ibb.co/cgvgGq4/IMG-9327.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/cTLn8KD/IMG-9330.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/VVyk5gX/IMG-9337.jpg

Cool project.

I grew up on the NC coast and for a long time wanted to build a cold molded skiff. Life got in the way and I'm now living in the middle of KY. There are a bunch of lakes and rivers around here, and a canoe seems like it'd be a great way to get back out on the water.

I'm sure I wouldn't be willing to fork out enough cash for a new kevlar canoe, but I'd love to find an older used one in need of some TLC like yours was.

Post more pics!

I really admire people who can do work like this. I hope you have many more hours out on the water :).

The cost of a new kevlar canoe is definitely a tough pill to swallow. I got lucky and found this one on Craigslist for a decent price, so maybe you can have similar luck with a little patience. I wanted to get a used one before throwing down on a new one to make sure it is worth the price, and so far it seems worth every penny. They are awesome to paddle, very capable, and super durable.

I bet there are some cool places to paddle up there.

We made a trip to the Everglades this weekend but lost a lot of pictures after a phone took a swim in Turner River. We had the canoe loaded with camping gear and it performed flawlessly after the restoration.

https://i.ibb.co/WGRrXfG/Canoe-1.png

https://i.ibb.co/4gwv1G7/DSC-0240.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/GFPv0S9/IMG-9361.jpg

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Thanks for reading and appreciating the post!

Do they use epoxy resin for the kevlar fabric then the usual (polyester?) gelcoat normally used for fiberglass?

I believe Wenonah uses a polyester resin during the lay-up process as they advise against epoxy resins for repairs. However, I am no expert when it comes to composite terminology, so my understanding may be misled.

I can confirm that the gelcoat is indeed standard polyester gelcoat.

I would suggest, if you want to find a good versatile canoe to use on both lakes AND rivers, look for a Royalex boat.

It's an old discontinued material, but it handles the rocky rivers better than Kevlar and is well behaved on flatwater too, depending on hull design.

Keep your eyes peeled for a Mad River Explorer, Old Town Appalachian, Nova Craft Prospector, etc etc..

The wife has Blue Hole Prowler that we tandem from time to time but is her solo boat. I have a 40 plus year old Mad River Explorer in white with ash trim and I recently picked up a younger Mad River Explorer in green to restore and add to our fleet.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out, I can help (from a distance here in SWVA anyway).