So, next week I’m taking delivery of a new Eddyline Denali. Needless to say, I’m very excited. I plan to store it in my garage and take very good care of it, as it is a substantial investment that I plan on enjoying for many many years to come.



It seems a product like Keeleasy would be a good idea for me to put onto the “V” part of the hull to help protect it before I ever take her out for the “maiden voyage”. I watched the Youtube installation video and am pretty confident I could do it myself.



Do any of you guys have experience with Keeleasy or similar products to protect the hull? Thanks!

Run her up on the rocks
It’s like ripping a band aid off, slow just hurts longer.

EZ Keel

I have EZ Keel on my fiberglass kayak. its not to hard to do. I used a heat gun to put it on. Then for the rest of your Eddyline use Klasse. Its a sealant I use on my car and when I had an Eddyline kayak on that too. http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html
BUT it makes the kayak so slippery it can slide right off you kayak rack. I was at a beach with bunch of other kayaks it was an event. Everyone pulled there kayaks up on sand. Mine kept sliding right back into the water. No one else's kayak did that. I had to carry it up farther and put it sideways so it would stay put.
http://www.pbase.com/dc9mm/image/156043165

Congratulations on that new purchase.
I’d contact Eddyline first and ask their opinion. Alex Stoeffl usually answers emails and their customer service is unsurpassed.



I have two Eddylines; neither has a keel strip. While I have some light scratches on the hulls, which is normal, the keels are fine (one was purchased used). Carbonlite 2000 is a pretty tough material. I don’t paddle in rocky water/shores, so I guess that’s a factor.



Whatever you decide to do, have great fun with your new boat.

agreed
I think the keel applications look worse than scrapes from an aesthetic point of view. Most I have seen are of dubious value, unless used to make a quick repair.

KeelEazy works great, for what it is
Against the everyday scrapes, bumps and nicks the KeelEazy works great at volunteering itself for the abuse rather than your hull taking it. It does not equip the kayak with a ramming keel to try to move boulders with. It is a pvc based thermoformied tape after all. It’ll do what it can, then tear if say you jam it against a piece of submerged rebar taking some of the force out of the injury. Replacing a section is a simple operation.



I stock the 2" width as it is easier to form over sharp relief. Use a heat gun on a low setting. A hair drier does not do it.



Let me know if you want a swatch to experiment with.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

fb.me/theriverconnection

Caring for your kayak.
If you want to really take good care of your kayak, learn to get in and out of the boat in the water, never drag the boat, never use it where you know there is a possibility of hitting underwater objects and store it out of the sunlight. These are the rules I operate by; I use the boats more than most and they all look brand new.



Even so, stuff happens and when it does, fix it.

Keel strip
I’ve been using one on my old Caribou for about 5 or so years. I had worn all the gelcoat off sections of the keel line over the years (As well as having taken chunks out of it), so I use the tape over gelcoat repair on the keel. Haven’t had to replace it yet. If you use the boat a lot, you will scratch it up, the bow and stern keel especially.



Keel strip when it’s new will help prevent wear for a little while on composite boats, and it’s easy to replace.

Bought it off Marshall while back and just put it on my Libra XT. Did about 8 feet each end. Easy to apply and I had two small bubbles 1/4" or less. Poked them with pointy pocket knife and bit of heat and they flattened out to undetectable. Stuff really sticks. I just run the kayak up on the sandy beach with wife so she can get out easy on tandem. Boat was used and it show bit of wear in gel-coat. Looks good white on white. Get a nice thick leather glove to press tape on when hot. I used light POS I found and it tinted couple of spots blue. Being a contractor I know I have a tons of gloves even welding gloves. Videos on youtube are good to watch.

@magooch said:
Caring for your kayak.
If you want to really take good care of your kayak, learn to get in and out of the boat in the water, never drag the boat, never use it where you know there is a possibility of hitting underwater objects and store it out of the sunlight. These are the rules I operate by; I use the boats more than most and they all look brand new.

Even so, stuff happens and when it does, fix it.

I agree with all that stuff.

Counter point… I just drop my new creation on the concrete driveway when it is new to put the first scratch on it. That gets the grief out of the way early and I can go enjoy the boat. Then I routinely fix the scratches, dings, etc.

I have yet to purchase a new boat. That way I don’t have to worry about the first scratch.

Having said that, my kayaks are tools that I use to get me places, stay fit, and learn new skills. I’ve met people that have beautiful boats without a scratch on them, but they also don’t USE them and have no SKILLS to speak of.

USE your boat. ENJOY it. As your skills increase, or your interests change, you may even find that you want a different boat in a few years anyway. So take reasonable care of it but don’t fret so much that it doesn’t really get used.

I visited the KeelEazy site. Sounds like it would be a good application for inside the hull, where your heels rub.

DOH!.. Who bumped this??? This thread is over a year old!