I’ve been wanting to install skid plates on an old royalex canoe for weeks, but the weather hasn’t been cooperative.  With the Spring weather finally arriving, last night’s skid plate project went off without a hitch.  The kit and instructions from Northwest Canoe were easy to use and I think the results look pretty good.  Of course, I forgot to take pictures before and during the project, but I’ll upload some post-project pictures to show the results. 

For those considering adding skid plates, one tool I would suggest that was not in the instructions is a small roller.  I did not use one, but will if I ever do this again, as I think it would help with pushing out air bubbles and getting a nicer edge. 

On the same note, I’d also suggest something I did that wasn’t in the instructions.  After the skid plate was applied, I let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, until the resin was just past tacky but still a bit workable, and used my fingers (roller would have been better) to push down around the edges of the cloth to smooth out the ‘edge’ between the skid plate and hull and create a smoother transition.

Overall, an easy project.  Probably took about an hour to set up, cut/trim, mask, sand, clean, apply, clean up.

Note: In another thread about painting royalex, I got into a discussion about applying skid plates, where I said I’d post my experience once completed.  Rather than posting this message in that thread, I thought I’d create a new thread for easier future reference and search.