I just went and looked at a used Bell Magic canoe in black/gold layup.  It's in almost flawless condition except for one area.  On either side of the bow, the epoxy is starting to delaminate.  I passed on buying it for now, until I can figure out how big of a problem this is and how easy it would be to fix without any ugly patching.

by simply rubbing gently on this area, I dislodged a few small flakes of epoxy, or clearcoat or whatever it is.  There are tiny spots where all of the laminate has flaked away...like as big as a grain of rice at worst.

Other than this one spot, there's barely even a scratch anywhere on the canoe.  It's simply gorgeous everwhere else.

Here's what it looks like, on each side of the bow:

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What can I do to fix this, if I buy it?  How big of a headache would I potentially be buying?  

The canoe is about half the price of the retail for a brand new one.  1999 model.

You might consider sending your pictures to Northwest Canoe Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.  They specialize in repairing Bells.  They might give you a good idea of what you're in for. 

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prouboy

Hmmm, perhaps I wasn't clear enough.  These flakes are more than surface blemishes.  It's hard to tell from the picture but they go all the way down thru the clearcoat? epoxy? or whatever to the carbon fibers on the boat.  They are deep fractures.  It looks as if the entire patch is in grave danger of flaking away all the way down to carbon fibers.  That's my concern. 

I don't really care all that much about the cosmetic appeal.  This boat is going to get scratched up on the bottom after a single Q trip.

The owner either doesn't know or doesn't want to say what caused this to happen.  Looks to me like that end of the canoe might have been dropped during extreme cold...except there's no hint of damage anywhere along the stem anywhere.  Blunt force trauma to the side of the bow?  But then why is it on both sides?

Prouboy, your suggestion is a good one.  I will email Northwest Canoe and Bell both and see what they have to say.  Who knows, it may already be too late as I know this guy had other showings of the boat tonight.  Nevertheless, if I can convince myself the damage is repairable and/or not a hazard to the long-term structural integrity of the canoe, I'll grab it if it's still unsold.  I've never seen a used kevlar or carbon canoe in such immaculate condition other than these annoying patches.

If the owner won't talk about it, I would be concerned about hidden damages elsewhere. No scratches...seems like he is being less than honest...

Any changes in tint or color in the area? It is unusual for factory resin to flake in just one area of a hull.

Could be exposure to sun light (a garage window?). You can repair it easily and nearly invisibly by roughing up the area, adding fiberglass cloth and resin and then sanding followed by polishing.  Sort of cap and seal method. The boat does look immaculate.