Need some tips for basic royalex and vinyl anchor repair

[Bengee]

Hi! I just got lucky and am now a new owner of a very decent condition vintage (1995) Mad River Outrage with wood gunnals. I've got 2 items I am wanting to repair on the boat and am also wondering about wood gunnal maintenance:

1) One of two of the airbag vinyl patches was glued with was seems to be epoxy. It was half ripped off and I ripped out the second half quite easily by hand. Now I have already replaced vinyl anchors using vynabond but I am faced with a good amount of epoxy I am not able to pry off. How should I best co about re-gluing my vinyl anchor at this very same spot? How could I remove the epoxy or how can I glue the anchor over it?

2) The vinyl outer layer has been removed by abrasion under the back end of the hull, approx. 18 inches by 1-2 inches wide. If got G-flex, am am wondering if I should simply apply some of it over that and paint with Krylon or rather apply a G-flex/Fiberglass patch instead. Anything better?

3) Should I remove the wood gunnals and sand and oil them on all sides or it it sufficient to oil them installed on the boat?

Can't wait to get out in the water with this one, but I got a shoulder that needs rest so I have 2 weeks to get all this done! Thanks for your tips!

[sbroam]

1. sand down to vinyl or glue the anchor down in a new spot - you can usually stand for it to be a few inches fore or aft of the old location.
2. I have not had luck with just GFlex - it tends to just pop off for me. Use GFlex with cloth. Surface prep is important. I've been using a wire brush cup and a cordless drill then flame treat with a propane torch. I've been using Dynel cloth with good luck to make skid plates and repairs in high wear areas. I wet the cloth thoroughly before putting it down. Other fabics work, too.
3. I've never taken gunwales off just to oil the back side. Generously oil what you can get to. Under the decks is an awkward spot, but don't neglect the wood up in there.

[Bengee]

I think I saw some posts about gluing anchors with G/Flex here? Anyone else with better results???

[Bengee]

sbroam, or anyone else, concerning the anchors and epoxy, I have tried to remove the residual epoxy with a dremel but i am not able to stop at the vinyl and keep ending removing it down to the abs which is green given that the color of both the epoxy and the vinyl are similar, any better ideas on how to remove the epoxy??? as for gluing to a new spot, the anchors is like 4 inches wide so its a little too big to place elsewhere. thanks!

[ian123]

Why do you want to make it so difficult? Just sand it and epoxy the vinyl patch back down

[pblanc]

Although have generally used vinyl adhesive to bond vinyl backed anchors in place, I have used G Flex to bond them into polyethylene boats with no problems. If you want to reuse the existing anchors and you think they were bonded in with epoxy, that is what I would use.

You need to clean the Royalex surface well by lightly sanding it then going over it with denatured alcohol. I often give it a final wipe with acetone as well. Although West Systems indicates that flame oxidation is "optional" for bonding with G Flex to Royalex, it is probably a good idea if you have a propane torch. The instructions that come with the G Flex describe how to do this. G Flex will not yield an immediate tack bond like contact cement or vinyl adhesive. I would mask around the area you want to bond the anchor to in case excess epoxy runs. You need to secure the anchor in place (I use Duct tape) until the epoxy cures and I would try to apply pressure with some weight over the patch. You can usually position the boat so as to put a sand bag or water-filled bag over it to eliminate any voids.

If the solid ABS layer that has been exposed by abrasion of the exterior vinyl layer is not thinned out, you can probably just cover the ABS to protect it from UV degradation with some spray paint like Krylon Fusion. Sometimes you can tell if it has been thinned out by going over it with your thumb to see if you can press it in. If you can, or you just feel you want to provide more protection you can apply some cloth with G Flex. Again, surface prep is important. Both plain weave fiberglass or Dynel work well for this purpose.

I have removed wood gunwales to treat the hidden surfaces a number of times. When I take the time to do this these days I will treat the inner surfaces of the inwales and outwales with a penetrating epoxy even if I plan to oil the surfaces that show. I do this because either epoxy, varnish, or polyurethane will seal the wood better and be more durable than oil. It is up to you as to whether you want to take the time to do this, but it isn't that difficult.

[Bengee]

Pblanc, thanks for your tips. great stuff, what is a penetrating epoxy? Diluted in some kind of solvent? Brand names to suggest? thanks!

[pblanc]

Penetrating epoxy is basically just a low viscosity epoxy that will penetrate wood grain well. It can be used as a base coat under marine varnish or polyurethane and this type of finish seems to be gaining popularity with wooden boat makers. If you use it on wood that will show, or as a base coat, you want an epoxy that will cure clear.

I have used System 3 Clear Coat epoxy and it has worked well. I have heard others report good results with West Systems 105 resin with their 207 Special Clear Hardener.

[ezwater]

On removing epoxy stuck to the vinyl top layer of Royalex, I use a low angle chisel to neatly "plow" the vinyl off the ABS. Then I bond the anchor directly to the ABS with G-flex.

I have a couple of stressed anchor fittings that have stayed on only with G-flex. I used the method described by Pblanc.

I find that carefully done Vynabond D-rings last ten years, and then pop off within months of one another.