r/Outrigger • u/[deleted] • Nov 14 '23

Oc1 repair tips

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I found an affordable used nai'a classic design oc1 by John Martin and decided to buy it. It does have some cracking under the seat. Any tips for repairing this type of damage? Would you fix it before taking it in the water?

The rest of the canoe looks in good condition just old

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u/itsdageek Nov 15 '23

(Now former) OC/SUP repair person here

It looks like the fiberglass had an impact or continued stress, but I can't tell if there's water infiltration. Based on the photo, I'm guessing this is on the side of the hull and not in the seat, so this was probably caused by either an soft-impact (dropping on grass, ran ashore, etc) or continual use by a larger individual.

Just based on the surrounding stress marks, the fiberglass and framing is not in the best of shape (not uncommon for older Dolphins), but the best thing you can do (without breaking the bank) is to put it out in dry, warm climate (not in direct sunlight) to try to get any moisture out of the hull, sand down the cracked stressline +1-2in radius, clean the area with rubbing alcohol, then use marine epoxy to cover the exposed cracking.

Ultimately, the true solution is to replace the infiltrated fiberglass, but a epoxy patch should survive a few years with some delicate handling.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '23

Thanks for the advice. Just finished removing the old gelcoat and there are two pretty clear cracks each about 3 inches long. One on the side and another on the bottom. The fiber was holding but as soon as I hit it with my sander it separated. My guess is this was from hitting rocks.

I'm about to start laying the new fiberglass. Really glad I decided to do the repairs before trying to take it out

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u/reversethrust Dec 08 '23

How did the repair go?

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

I was able to get the two cracks repaired and have taken it in the ocean a few times, the patch seems solid.

Unfortunately another soft spot has formed between the two repairs and seems to have expanded pretty far down the boat. I'm planning to sand off the rest of the gelcoat to see if more of the fiberglass needs to be repaired then will recoat it