Used Royalex Canoe Advice Requested

S

Scott Free

Joined
Sep 15, 1999
Messages
3,319
The question is-- Would you buy this boat? This is a Mohawk Solo 14. The seller has told me that it weighs 44 lbs, which means it's made of Royalex, and not Royalite. I will be using this on Class I and II rivers. I'm okay with the brand and model, and the price is right. If you look at the pictures, you can see wear on the bottom. To me, it's looks okay. If you have experience with worn Royalex---would you buy this canoe?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290356337048&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
 
Thread bump, because I'm interested in getting a canoe and would like to hear what others think about this canoe.
 
Looks like somebody is trying to hide some bottom damage/repair. Just MHO.--KV
 
Bottom looks like it has been painted/coated in some way.Still looks structurally sound. Hard to tell w/ pics. Good price though.--KV
 
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Hi,

Yeah, used canoe bottoms are going to be at least scratched since they get beached and drug up on shore. It looks like it sound though. But the pictures aren't that good either.

Heck you turn over my 30 year old 18ft Grumman, you are going to find patches!:)

dalee
 
I had an Old Town ersion of that boat. Here's what I know from that:

It's light, easy to handle, and on rivers in and around MO was a lot of fun. It will get blown around on a lake. Anything over 225 lbs is tricky.

Royalex is strong but not real good at holding a patch. Creases stay forever.

I would look real close before I paid $300 for it.
 
From the pic there is some wear at both ends to the colored vinyl outer skin of the Royalex "sandwich". This is normal and expected in a boat that's been paddled. The boat does not appear to have been pinned/wrapped. No serious gouges/dings from the resolution of the pics, just normal parellel scratches that follow the boat lines. Does appear to be some color streaking/blotching which I'm not sure what it's caused by. It's not unusual for the outer vinyl skin to get worn/discolored in wear areas but this looks odd like one side of the boat got more wear than the other. Is the boat wet, did something spill on it, was it poorly spraypainted? Can you confirm if it was stored outdoors or sheltered. UV can be hard on boats. If you look at it in person go over and make sure there are no soft/mushy spots as that indicates delamination and breakdown of the inner cores. On the inside of the hull, especially near the ends of whitewater boats, it's not unusual to see the vinyl skin has cracked from flexing over the years. Good luck and keep the open end up!
Stay Safe,
Clyde
 
Thanks, everyone. All said, I think I'm going to pass on this one. It may be fine, but if I can't inspect it personally, I can't really know. I've got all winter to find the right boat, so there's no reason to rush this one. Thanks for all the useful info!
 
I think that's wise. I think someone applied something after the fact to deal with the UV bleaching. Most people are clueless about canoe care and treat all canoes like they are Grumanns - which is dumb. I always wanted pne of those little Mohawks, too. I'd do just what you did. Good luck.
 
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