C-Forum

What's the best way to remove old d-ring patches and foot braces?
Some of the vinyl inside was torn off when I got the canoe, what's a
Good way to repair this?

You might try cautiously using a heat gun on each d-ring patch, while peeling up an edge.

Remember that the vinyl layer is not a structural element. To attach new stuff, you can either remove more vinyl so you can use G-flex (NOT Vynabond) to glue them directly to the ABS, or if you want to fill a vinyl gap where no d-ring will sit, mix up some G-flex and fill in the gap. One thing, any exposed ABS must be protected from UV. Any way you have to do that is OK.

I do the same. I have generally had good success removing vinyl patches that were glued in with vinyl adhesive with the judicial use of heat. If they were glued in with epoxy, all bets are off.

A heat gun on low setting works best, but a hair drier will do. Waft it over the patch until the patch is quite warm, but not too hot to touch. Too much heat will crinkle up the foam core of the ABS.

Take a paint scraper or putty knife and gently work around the edges of the warm patch to see where it comes away most easily. Grab the patch edge with a pliers and pull it back on itself at an acute angle as you would if you were trying to remove a strip of tape from a packing carton. Pull and heat gently and watch to make sure the inner vinyl layer of the ABS is not lifting off.

I have been nearly universally successful removing patches this way from older Royalex boats, and have often reused the patches if I was just relocating them. I have found, however, that with the newer Royalex from Spartech the inner vinyl layer much more easily delaminates from the ABS.

I also like G-flex epoxy to cover over any areas on hull denuded of vinyl since it is easily mixed up in small batches and easily applied. I usually just paint it over with some Krylon Fusion paint.

If you are gluing another patch on in the same location and a large area of vinyl is gone, don't use Vynabond as it won't bond well to ABS. Stabond works well, I am told, but I haven't used it. I would probably just use G-Flex.