Let's hope this guy was paddling his own boat, and not his SO's!!

If you can reasonably force the broken wood back into place, then let it all dry out, slather it with epoxy, and shove it back into place. You may have to brace the broken pieces in the hole until the epoxy cures. (This repair will work better).

If there's absolutely no re-assembling the broken pieces, cut a clean hole, and fill it with new wood.

Say, I know of a guy in Montana who almost lost a $2000 graphite solo racing canoe off the top of a canoe trailer on Sunday night. The front rope parted-- the back rope held, but when the front lifted, the 1/4" nylon line CUT INTO THE HULL! There's a jagged tear about 10" long right at the chine, and another puncture 4" in diameter where the boat smacked the rudder apparatus of another boat.

He should have a fun time of patching graphite/kevlar while still trying to keep the canoe light!

Shawn

: Lets just say a dumb guy decided to paddle his S&G up a too shallow creek in
: northern Maine. He then proceded to have to back it out of a too tight
: spot in the creek and managed to put a nice dime sized punch through type
: hole in the hull of his boat on the keel line just behind the cockpit due
: to a certain large unsen rock in the 6-8" deep fast moving water.

: The hole is "dime sized" as mentioned and slightly punched in. The
: wood is crushed and broken but the piece isn't totally broken away from
: the hull. NO leaks or anything actually which surprized me. maybe the wood
: swelled slightly to seal the new semi-hole. I did cover the hole with a
: ducttape patch for the long paddle home after I found the hole (maybe 3
: hours of water contact between getting the hole and finding out there was
: one).

: Is it better to just sand the area down and fill the hole with epoxy and
: reinforcent inside and out with glass (not too bad looking since the piece
: didn't get puched out per say) or is it probably better to cut a small
: piece of the hull out (maybe quarter or hald dollar sized) and then cut a
: new piece and reglass, etc.

: if I just fill and reglass, I have to definitely dry the area sufficiently to
: keep water from being sealed in the epoxy coated nowexposed internal wood
: fibers.

: appreciate any comments, thanks, Pete czerpak albany, NY