It is very difficult to perform a structural repair on polyethylene and if the crack is extensive or in a critical location, it may pose a hazard to continue to use the canoe. This video is a very good example of drag damage repair, but the heating tool. Thanks to tenacious tape patches from gear aid, you can repair rips, tears or holes in nearly all of your outdoor gear. Meanwhile it is significantly tougher and more affordable than a comparable composite boat. Stitch and glue construction is easier for most first time builders, but tends to limit the shape of the hull to a hard chine or multichine design.
Contact jerry stelmok at island falls canoe 207 5647612. Thermoform repair, carbonlite repair heres a fracture from this kayak being pinned against a piling with a lot of water pushing against it. Rotomolded thermoformed kayaks, canoes and dinghies are durable and stand up to more abuse than their fiberglass equivalents, but they are notoriously difficult to repair. Take a hammer to a fiberglass boat and see what happens. Thermoformed kayaks fantastic range of wellpriced quality thermoformed kayaks backed by excellent service and advice. Wood kayaks can be strong and lightweight, easy to customize, and relatively easy to repair. It creates a boat that is up to 25% lighter, stiffer, and faster, and, lets face it, that looks better than a comparable rotomolded boat. Use soap and water to remove any water soluble contaminants. Just clean gash, mine was about an inch long in rear hull from lazily dragging across concrete when tired, mix. The plastic boat repair kit features plasticfriendly gflex 655 thickened epoxy adhesive, and is assembled with the doityourselfer in mind. Opening up the crack a little with a scraper will help with the binding process. Fixing a plastic polyethylene kayak with a hole in it. Fortunately, it is a material that rarely needs repair, but there will be times. Kayak maintenance and repair sherri kayaks outdoor.
Enjoy your kayak or canoe and know that the gator patch has you fully protected. Shallow scratches and gouges are sometimes best lived with. Bell canoe sells it as a royalex repair solution under the name bell super bond. Unlike fiberglass or rotomolded kayaks, thermoformed kayaks are typically formed over a mold rather than inside of one. Cheap, quick and easy kayak hole repair in 3 steps. Anybody out there have comments on the quality of each. Use a plastic cleaner like our part number super prep plastic cleaner to remove any sovlent soluble contaminants. The exact sequence of tasks varies slightly depending on the extent of the damage. Installing a herculiner coat to the hull of my old town discovery 3k. The adhesiveresin used to patch thermoform surfaces can be used either as a scratch filler or as the fiberglass cloth binder when used to repair damage from the inside of the shell. Youtube how to plastic weld a kayak 2019 hobie outback duration. Gator guards polyester resin patches are the strongest way to protect or fix.
So for most users thermo formed kayaks have the best durability of all. Here is a detailed step by step photo tutorial on how to repair thermoformed kayaks. Make sure and check out our other repair restoration guides. Repair plastic kayaks, canoes, and other rotomolded items. If there is a downside to roto or poly boats, it is that should. Apply a patch over the entire crack or damaged area. The new material to revolutionize paddle sports, or just white noise. Plastic boat repair kit with gflex thickened epoxy by. Current designs uses it to glue the deck and hull of composite boats together. Heres a fracture from this kayak being pinned against a piling with a lot of water pushing against it.
Eddylines website recommends devcon plastic welder for both types of. Thermoform abs plastic being both strong and thin is actually more abrasive than typical poly rotomolded kayaks. Holes from dragging a kayak may 1st appear as a crack, but they are not, and will. For damage that does not penetrate the inner layer of abs, you repair any delamination then add an outside patch. West system gflex 655k plastic boat repair kit west marine. Novacraft demonstrates how to use their repair kits to complete a simple hull repair. Keeleazy is a pvc product manufactured to protect thermoformed kayak keels. Crosslight construction perfectly combines the advantages of rotomolded and composite boats. Old town canoe with a damaged keel is repaired using grocery plastic bags with surprisingly good results. A 2part epoxy putty to fill in gouges and cuts that do not go through the boat. The ferrule of your takeapart paddle should also be rinsed thoroughly to keep sand and salt from jamming and corroding your paddle. This is a typical crack that you might find on the bottom of a kayak. Delta kayaks is the culmination of over 35 years of thermoforming and paddle sports industry knowledge. This repair was completed in less than 1 hour with materials easily available at any hardware store or even walmart.
Have paddled the 16 and really liked it, have yet to paddle the cosma. However, this doesnt mean that scratches, gouges, holes, and cracks in plastic kayaks must go unfixed. The material that many plastic canoes and kayaks are made of is called highdensity polyethylene hdpe, and it is an extremely difficult material to repair. If you have some gouges with raised feathers of material around the. Rotomolded thermoformed kayaks, canoes and dinghies are durable and stand up to more abuse than their fiberglass equivalents, but they are notoriously. Delta 16 or seaward cosma repairing thermoform kayaks. Most simple way to repair cracked or damaged kayaks. The first thing you need to do in any plastic repair is to clean the plastic. Lightweight touring and fishing kayaks kayak academy. Boats made of this relatively inexpensive material are incredibly durable and abusetolerant as well as near maintenance free.
Hurricane kayaks will repair or replace all items returned under warranty. In terms of construction material the presenter neglected to mention the best kayak option. No one was hurt and this kayak will be as good as new in one hour. Welcome to this owners guide to repairing a deep scratch or gouge in your vacuum thermo barracuda kayak. He regularly leads workshops on paddling basics, techniques, and safety. That basically same material, chlorosulfonated polyethylene cp, is what most kayak hulls would be made out of today. Then applying it to inside of the boat, covering the crack. Hulls weighing over 100 pounds such as bass hunter style boats or larger kayaks may benefit from additional layers of gator patch to increase the thickness of the protection material on the highest wear areas to increase lifespan. Hose it down and then sand or scrape the surface around the repair area.
Explore guidelines for how to repair each type damage you may encounter over the lifetime of your boat. If you are sick of trying to patch your canoe or kayak with products that wont stick. Clean the area to be repaired with denatured alcoholno acetone. From the outset, our focus has simply been to build the best thermoformed kayaks we can build, right here in north america. How to repair a deep scratch on your vacuum thermo formed. It means if you capsize, you can pop your deck and climb out easily. In my experience is rotomolded poly boats are the most durable, but i think thermoformed is a close second. Basically most inflatable kayaks and rafts are made of either a synthetic rubber that used to be called hypalon, or vinyl pvc. If paddling in salt water, this should be done after every trip.
Valley kayak is gluing in their bulkheads in composite boats with this glue. Being very disappointed that it cracked in the first place. Short of actually plastic welding, there are a few quick fixes that will keep a rotomolded hull from getting too rough, or for bringing a deformed hull back into round. This is how i went about repairing cracks in the hull to a real favourite paddling vessel. One of the universal truths about polyethylene is that it is difficult to repair.
For damage that does affect the inner layer, you patch the inner hull first then repair the delamination from the. General care and repair tips rotomolded kayaks care our roto kayaks are made of highdensity polyethylene, which is virtually maintenancefree. The gator patch offers a watertight and impenetrable patch for almost every surface aluminum or fiberglass boats, kayaks, canoes, pipes, leaks and more. This topic is highlighted in the current issue of paddlenews feb 6, 2019.
Thermoform kayak repairs the process let me start this by saying, i am far from an expert at repairing thermoformed kayaks. Through innovation and design, we have created a complete line of outstanding kayaks that will appeal to paddling. A minimal amount of care in storage and transporting will help the kayak maintain a likenew condition for many years. Thermoform repair, carbonlite repair eddyline kayaks. Gator guards polyester resin patches are the strongest way. Finally, clean the area inside and out with mineral spirits as dirt and grease can interfere with welding. Diy kayak repair end of season maintenance duration. Gator guards gator patch seals and repairs any part of your kayak. Repairing royalex canoe hulls canoe and kayak paddlers. I couldnt find fiberglass tape, so i used the plastic mesh tape that is used to cover joints.
The abs plastic that tf kayaks are made from has better abrasion resistance than fiberglass, gelcoat, or polyethylene. While there are a number of kayaks made from thermoformed plastic e. We have designed a full complement of genuine accessories to bolster the experience that comes with owning a delta kayak. George sayour is an american canoe associationcertified kayak instructor. A fiberglass patch needs to be applied to regain strength of the hull. Shop a huge selection of kayaks including fishing kayaks, whitewater kayaks, tandem kayaks, and touring kayaks. Gator guards polyester resin patches are the strongest way to protect or fix contact points on a board or boat. The keel is a part of the kayak that protrudes along the center of the underside of the hull. Hdpe is resistant to repairs utilizing typical adhesives and sealants in most applications. However, thermo formed kayaks have the poorest impact resistance and once cracked they are difficult to repair. Of course, fiberglass is easier to repair, so at the end of the day i dont think it makes that much of a difference. I think most of the big boat companies make incredible products.
Canoe kayak repair kit plastic boat west system 655k epoxy universal. Wait a minute and then add and spread devcon plastic welder to the exposed dry side of the fiberglass tape. Included in our lightweight thermoformed range are prijon kayaks, riot kayaks and hurricane kayaks in australia. I would frequently wipe the hardened plastic off the back of the spoon using the cinder block. Nick barr, vp of sales, gave us a stepbystep demonstration of the technology.
This year, the patch material comes in a 36inch roll to fix or protect any part of the kayak. A marine enamel spray s recommended to cover any repairs. E ven tough rotomolded and thermoformed kayaks need protection and repair. Even tough rotomolded and thermoformed kayaks need protection and repair.
Unless quite deep, they are cosmetic in nature and will not impact the integrity of the hull. Kayak angler is the worlds leading kayak fishing magazine and the number one source for fishing kayak. Drill a stop at each end of the crack with a 18 inch drill bit to prevent the crack from getting worse. Kayak and canoe patch kit advancing polymer repair. Both are cheap methods that can be accomplished in the field, with the most basic of gear. Jounjip plastic welding repair kit for fuel tank, bumper, canoe 2 tips, 20 black plastic rods, 2 mesh, 80w iron new 2019 version 4. But i think my skills are now serviceable, in that i could do a repair in the field with a reasonably high level of success. Excels as a kayak keel guard, canoe keel strip, and repair patch to seal up cracks and leaks.
Kayak and canoe repair kit advancing polymer repair. Whether youre looking to keep yourself dry with the addition of a spray skirt for those wetandwild conditions, or are looking for a cockpit cover to keep your kayak clean and adventureready for your next trip, weve got something for every model of kayak we. Thermoform kayak repairs the process paddling otaku. This is the adhesive that is used to seam and bulkhead eddylines. The quality on the seaward does not look at good as the delta.
This video shows their products but the the basic techniques will apply to similar fiberglass composites and also kevlar canoes. A thermoformed plastic kayak, like this hurricane phoenix, can mimic a. For someone who doesnt care about saving a few dollars with home remedies, and just wants to patch and go i would highly recommend. Repair splits, cracks and small holes in plastic canoes, kayaks and other small boats made from hdpe, ldpe, abs, pvc or polycarbonate plastic with the contents of this kit. Kayak maintenance and repair sherri mertz routine maintenance wash rinse your kayak with water regularly.
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